Category Archives: Continuing Education

Continuing Education

Integrated Mortgage Disclosure course by Anne Anastasi approved in New Jersey

New Integrated Mortgage Disclosure with Anne Anastasi

2 credits

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Former ALTA Presidient Anne Anastasi discusses the New Integrated Mortgage disclosure in this course published by Learntitle.com. The course covers:

  • New terminology
  • New definitions
  • Aspects of inclusion on the “Provider List”
  • Tolerances
  • Preparation and Delivery
  • The new form

Anne AnastasiAnne Anastasi if a former president of the American Land Title Association. She has been instrumental in speaking for the Land Title Industry as the the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau redesigns how real estate transactions will be done.

Continuing Education

How to create a strong password

ALTA Best practices encourages the use of strong passwords for your computer systems. Passwords provide the first line of defense against unauthorized access to your computer. The stronger your password, the more protected your computer will be from hackers and malicious software. You should make sure you have strong passwords for all accounts on your computer. If you’re using a corporate network, your network administrator might require you to use a strong password.

Check the strength of your password here

What makes a password strong (or weak)?

A strong password:

  • Is at least eight characters long.

  • Does not contain your user name, real name, or company name.

  • Does not contain a complete word.

  • Is significantly different from previous passwords.

  • Contains Uppercase letters, Lowercase letters, numbers and symbols

A password might meet all the criteria above and still be a weak password. For example, No1password! meets all the criteria for a strong password listed above, but is still weak because it contains a complete word. N01 p@ssw0rd! is a stronger alternative because it replaces some of the letters in the complete word with numbers and also includes spaces.

Help yourself remember your strong password by following these tips:

  • Create an acronym from an easy-to-remember piece of information. For example, pick a phrase that is meaningful to you, such as My daughter’s birthday is 28 October, 1974. Using that phrase as your guide, you might use Mdbi28/Oct,74 for your password.

  • Substitute numbers, symbols, and misspellings for letters or words in an easy-to-remember phrase. For example, My daughter’s birthday is 28 October, 1974 could become MiDauBrthd8iz 281074 (it’s OK to use spaces in your password).

  • Relate your password to a favorite hobby or sport. For example, I love to play basketball could become ILuv2PlayB@sk3tb@ll.

If you feel you must write down your password in order to remember it, make sure you don’t label it as your password, and keep it in a safe place.

Check the strength of your password here

Continuing Education, Title Insurance Issues

Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act

Estimated Length: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cost: $75.00 (USD)
Credits: 4
Click Here to Enroll

This course is a comprehensive discussion of the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act and the new regulations promulgated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A detail history of RESPA and other legislation that has led us to where we are today are included. The course covers servicing, escrow accounting, Notice of Error, Requeist for Informatin, Forced Placed Insurance, Loss Mitigation, Affiliated Business Arrangements, and Solicitation. It includes detailed sections on the new Loan Estimate and the new Closing Disclosure.

Expert

Vince DanziVince Danzi

Vincent G. Danzi graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in History in 1995 and earned his law degree in 2000 from the State University of New York at Buffalo.  Prior to law school, he was a Licensure Investigator for the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners.  Since law school, he has worked in the title insurance and settlement services industry.  He serves as General Counsel for Equity Settlement Services, Inc., a national title and settlement services provider, which offers a wide range of services across a thirty-five state footprint.  Outside this role, his practice includes business legal representation, consulting, and serving in an of-counsel and outside expert capacity on RESPA and other compliance and title insurance issues.  In accord with his enduring devotion to computer programming, he is also a database application and user interface developer.  He lectures, writes, and otherwise contributes to the publications and seminars of such organizations as The New York State Land Title Association, the Title Appraisal Vendor Management Association, October Research, The New York State and Suffolk County Bar Associations, and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of October Research’s The Legal Description, the nation’s leading legislative and legal analysis newsletter for the title insurance and settlement services industry.  Mr. Danzi was a featured speaker at the 2011 National Settlement Services & Compliance Summit in Cleveland, Ohio, at which he spoke on best practices for the title insurance industry

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