Blog – Tuesdays with Mary

Dear Readers, The recent tragedies plaguing the country calls to mind the need for eliminating bias judgements. And such a notion has drawn the attention of the presidents from the Appraisal Institute (AI) and The Appraisal Foundation (TAF). TAF President Dave Bunton spelled out specific new initiatives to increase diversity and combat bias in the appraisal profession in an article he wrote titled “Combating Discrimination in the Appraisal Profession.” “There is no place for discrimination in the appraisal profession,” Bunton wrote. “This has been the goal since The Appraisal Foundation began writing national standards for real estate appraisers more than [...]

Dear Readers, There is an old expression I am sure everyone is familiar with. It has to do with one not being able to take no for an answer. Such appears to be the case and could easily be applied to the apparent transaction that saw Cannae Holdings Inc. and Senator Investment Group LP making a proposal to acquire CoreLogic for $65 per share, which tantamounted to $7 billion dollars. The proposal was initiated June 26. The companies said that the all-cash offer is compelling because they offered a premium and transaction multiple well above those customarily seen in this [...]

Dear Readers, Happy birthday! We are celebrating 20 years in publication and I am excited to mark this milestone. The last 20 years have seen changes in every facet of how the industry operates. From the first sparks of eClosings to RESPA reform, the housing market crash to the launch of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, TRID to RON, the industry doesn’t look like it did when The Legal Description launched. Through all of these changes, the industry has risen to the challenge. This year in particular has seen the industry need to pivot to meet the needs of its [...]

Washington, D.C.-area Federal Title & Escrow Co. recently noticed a trend that should alarm folks in our industry: An increasing number of homebuyers foregoing title insurance. To combat the issue, Federal Title launched a campaign to educate the public about the importance of title insurance and the inherent risks of waiving coverage. The company’s “Protect What’s Most Precious” campaign appears on Federal Title’s social media channels and targets real estate agents and consumers. The campaign highlights true claims stories, provides statistics, addresses common questions and offers additional insights from other real estate professionals. “It’s a disconcerting trend because these buyers [...]

Dear Readers, One of the things that has helped the industry in these crazy times was low interest rates, leading many to refinance their mortgages. Needless to say, when the Federal Housing Finance Agency directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to implement an adverse market refinance fee, the entire industry was concerned. A coalition of real estate trade groups, including the American Land Title Association, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors and Real Estate Services Providers Council issued a statement against the action. The associations noted that the mortgage market has been able to withstand many of the severe [...]