Tag Archives: learntitle

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

Click Here to Enroll

Continuing Education

E-Recording

 

E-Recording…Today’s technology to streamline closing processes

E-Recording is a hot topic in the industry right now; especially as the market has slowed and title agents are trying to do more with less and gain competitive advantage.
The presentation will address doing business with digital documents and explain the e-recording process from the title industry perspective. During the presentation, we will review and outline eDocument legislation that permits e-recording both on a federal and state level. We will conclude by discussing the competitive advantages that e-recording brings to title agents specifically.

Click Here to Enroll

Learning Objectives
Participants will gain a better understanding of the e-recording industry and how to improve their overall workflow.
The education track of this session includes regulatory statutes as well as several facets of business operations. Participants will be able to leave this session empowered with knowledge that will help streamline their post closing process. Benefits of e-recording include:

      • Increased customer satisfaction
      • Improved agent/underwriter relationship
      • Streamlined post-closing workflow
      • Reduced per-transaction costs
      • Fewer file touches
      • More time for business development

About the Presenter

Vicki DiPasquale

Vicki DiPasqualeVicki DiPasquale, has more than 30 years in the title insurance and real estate industry working both with underwriters and agencies in many different states. She consulted on a Freddie Mac e-closing project in 2001 and has been an avid supporter of the e-recording process since its inception. Vicki has a Doctorate degree in Business Management and Organizational Leadership. She has an outstanding record of success in identifying business opportunities, developing strategies and implementing actions to boost business performance. With a focus on technology, Vicki recognizes the importance of innovation as a way to streamline business processes.