Powell hints at potential interest rate cuts. What that means for homeowners hoping to refinance
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hinted at possible interest rate cuts in the near future during a speech on Friday at the central bank's annual event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. "The shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance," Powell said. That may bode well for homeowners who have been hoping to refinance mortgages with high rates, experts say.
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Trump calls on Federal Reserve official to resign after ally accuses her of mortgage fraud
The allegation represents another front in the Trump administration's attack on the Fed, which has yet to cut its key interest rate as Trump has demanded. If Cook were to step down, then the White House could nominate a replacement. And Trump has said he would only appoint people who would support lower rates. The Federal Reserve declined to comment on the accusation.
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ALTA Updates Best Practices to Include Requirements for Identity Verification Processes
ALTA updated its Best Practices Framework to include new guidance to help title professionals combat fraud through identity verification efforts. ALTA's Board of Governors approved the revisions recommended by the ALTA Best Practices Executive Committee and Best Practices Work Group.
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MBA Opposes Freddie Mac-Fannie Mae Merger
While some, including investors and President Trump himself, have recently been suggesting a merger of the two government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, others including the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) are putting the brakes on such ideas. The MBA has come out against a merger, warning that competition between Fannie and Freddie is essential to ensure stability, innovation, and fair pricing.
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Deed theft hits Wayne County (NY): Protect your land from fraudsters
"It's a little piece of New York State that I've retained - 8/10 of an acre of upstate." said Ron Harder, who has owned a piece of land in the town of Ontario for more than 40 years. Now living in Texas, his plan was to eventually return to the area and build a home where he could retire. But in May, he learned he was the victim of deed theft. "These people operate in the shadows. They were hoping to pull the whole thing off without me ever knowing," Harder said.
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AI Isn't Displacing Title Insurance-It's Disrupting It For The Better
There's an assumption floating around that AI is going to make title insurance obsolete. But based on my observations, that's not happening. Not now. And title insurance is not going anywhere so fast. Yes, AI is absolutely disrupting the way we work. It's making the industry faster, smarter and more efficient. But is it displacing the need for title insurance altogether? No.
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(NYSBA) Ethics Opinion 1283: Attorney's Referrals to Title Abstract Company Owned by Referring Attorney
An attorney who owns an interest in a title abstract agency that brokers title insurance may not simultaneously (i) represent a client in a real estate transaction and (ii) act as agent for a title insurance underwriter in the same transaction, unless the attorney performs purely ministerial functions for the title agency and does not negotiate on behalf of the underwriter.
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