Industry News

Fannie Mae: “Impact of COVID-19 on Originations”

Fannie Mae provides reminders and temporary flexibilities to support mortgage originations.

NYSLTA: “NYC DEP sets new procedures for water bills”

Per the New York State Land Association, Inc, the New York City DEP has shut down access to their computer

ALTA: “L.A. County Says It Accepts E-signed, Notarized Documents”

LA County, despite lack of a RON bill, will be recording e-signed and e-notarized documents. In person attendance may be

ALTA: “Missouri Passes Remote Online Notarization Bill”

Missouri becomes 24th state to pass Remote Online Notarization…

PLTA Breaking News: Governor Wolf Announces Real Estate Industry May Conduct Limited In-Person Business Transactions Statewide

Governor Wolf announced in a press release today, May 19, 2020, that real estate industry businesses and employees may conduct

NY.Gov – COVID-19 Regional Monitoring Dashboard

Here is a breakdown of where New York state regions currently stand during COVID-19.

JD Supra: “Current Summary of States Permitting Remote Notarization”

More and more states are adopting Remote Online Notarization. Here is a summary of RON legislation by state.

HousingWire: “Why Congress must adopt the SECURE Notarization Act”

The coronavirus has made remote online notarization more important than ever.

MPA: “MISMO plans to digitize the mortgage loan modification process”

The march towards online electronic closings continues…

NY Times: “Homebound Homebuyers Ask: Is a Picture Worth $1 Million?”

Bloomberg Law: “Wet Ink Signatures Requirements May Fade After Coronavirus”

COVID-19 could make the end of the "wet signature" requirement that a document must be signed in person with ink.

Breaking News: IRS Extends 1031 Exchange Deadlines

The IRS has extended the 1031 Exchange Deadlines. Read the Full Article from First American See the Full Notice on

Fannie Mae: “Fannie, Freddie Provide New Temporary Guidance for Use of RON, POA”

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have taken several steps to accommodate mortgages during COVID-19, including accepting remote online notarization.

ALTA: “Remote Online Notarization Taking Hold in Florida, NotaryCam Reports”

Remote Online Notarization for real estate transactions in Florida has greatly increased in the last three months. Florida is one

HousingWire: “Bipartisan push begins in Congress to allow remote online notarizations nationwide”

Coming Soon for New Jersey...

NJ Spotlight: “Should NJ Use Eminent Domain to Take Coastal Properties Threatened by Sea-Level Rise?”

Rising risks from rising sea levels…

FTC: “Don’t bank on a ‘cleared’ check”

The FTC has issued a warning about fake check scams. More than 27,000 of these scams were reported in 2019.

ALTA: “Rep. Sherman Presses Fed Chair on Wire Transfer Fraud Solution”

The Federal Reserve needs to move forward on protecting consumers and businesses from wire fraud. Europe is moving ahead, so

Inman: “Flood risk data to be made publicly available to shed light on housing impacts”

More information on Flood Risks coming.

Wells Fargo: “Conforming Loan Limits in 2020”

This chart & info appears courtesy of Wells Fargo Conforming loan limits on single-family units will rise to $510,400

Miami Herald: “At $60 million a mile, the Keys may abandon some roads to sea rise rather than raise them”

A Florida County is considering whether to abandon roads and homes to rising sea levels.

JD Supra: “Amendment to NYS Tax Law Affects Recording of Deeds for LLCs”

New York LLCs must now disclose every member before real estate may be transferred.

HousingWire: “Ginnie Mae moving closer to accepting eNotes”

The fully digital mortgage takes a step forward.

Mondaq: “NY Now Requires Names Of All Members Of LLCs Selling Or Buying Residential Property”

New York laws have been amended to require the name and address of every member of an LLC that acquires

MPA: “Quicken Loans can now offer eClosing across all 50 states”

Electronic mortgage closing is now available in all 50 states through Quicken Loans.

HousingWire: “Appraisals no longer required on some home sales under $400,000”

The appraisal threshold has been raised for the first time since 1994.

National Mortgage News: “Quicken pushes out eClosing capabilities to all 50 states”

Hybrid closings are becoming standard in NJ. Consumers are electronically signing a portion of the closing documents the day prior

DS News: “Foreclosure Levels Continue to Drop”

According to Black Knight, mortgage performance improved in August.

HousingWire: “RE/MAX: U.S. housing market experiences largest inventory decline since last year”

The number of homes for sale fell 5.5% from previous year in August.

The Journal: “New Jersey Purchases 190 Acres to Expand Allaire State Park”

The beloved NJ park just got bigger.