I'm not Robert, but I have met Robert a few times, and I think he's a heck of a guy.  So, I hope that qualifies me to attempt an answer here.

 This is nation wide, and goes back to the Graham Leach Bliley Act of 1999, parts of which, it would appear, have not been strenuously enforced -- until now.  The Act included provisions for protecting consumer privacy.  With the more recent creation, and transfer of authority to, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the regulatory environment in the lending industry is seeing significant changes. 

The change that most affects as third party vendors and their subcontractors, is the burden of responsibility for the actions of third party vendors and their subcontractors being placed squarely on the shoulders of the lenders.  In a proactive move to assure the lending industry that its members would be a safe bet to work with, the American Land Title Association assembled a series of best practices, which its members are encouraged to follow.  Information security is the largest piece of the best practices framework, and requires significant effort and expense for many of its members to comply. 

Since the lenders will now bare the burden should their customers' non-public information be stolen, or otherwise mishandled, the vendors must take steps to assure the lenders that they, and their subcontractors, are taking all reasonable steps to protect the privacy of their borrowers.  And we, as abstractors, are not exempt from also taking all reasonable steps to protect the consumers' privacy.