City of Oaks Title, LLC

11/03/2026

ALTA has published a new endorsement designed to address access and entry coverage for commercial properties where planned access improvements have not yet been completed. The ALTA 17.3 Endorsement (Access and Entry – Land Under Development) was published and became effective Nov. 3, following a public comment period.

10/23/2026

Redfin’s latest market analysis showed home sellers outnumbering buyers by 63 percent, the biggest gap in at least 13 years. The number of buyers in the market dipped to the lowest level in records dating back to 2013, while the number of sellers rose to its highest level since 2020.

--The Title Report, Oct 23, 2026

10/23/2026

"Fraud is unaffordable, and the threats facing homeowners are growing. Research shows that seller impersonation fraud attempts have more than doubled in two years."

"Title professionals and title insurance are essential safeguards for American homeowners and the integrity of our nation’s housing market."

--Chris Morton, American Land Title Association (ALTA) CEO

President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for a pilot program to proactively cancel mortgage insurance for eligible buyers based in part on current home values and for the expansion of the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA’s) title insurance waiver pilot into an ongoing natio...

10/20/2026

Credit and thanks to Bob Warchol, Keller Williams Realty, LLC for this Is Your Home Safe checklist.

10/19/2026

ALTA 3– Zoning Endorsement

Endorsement Spotlight:

The ALTA 3 Zoning Endorsement provides coverage related to the zoning classification and permitted use of the land. It insures against loss if the property is not zoned as stated in the endorsement or if certain specified uses are not permitted under that zoning classification.

But remember — the ALTA 3 is not a blanket guarantee that the property complies with every zoning requirement. Matters such as setbacks, building size, floor-area ratios and other dimensional requirements require additional coverage and supporting due diligence.

Requirement:
For issuance of ALTA Endorsement Form 3 (Zoning) (07-01-2021): Satisfactory verification (1) of the current Zoning Ordinance applicable to the Land; (2) that the Land has been so zoned for at least two months; and (3) of the specific permitted use(s) for which the Land is currently or intended to be used, cited exactly as set forth in the applicable Zoning Ordinance.

10/15/2026

Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake it with us today in The Great ShakeOut !!!

The Great Utah ShakeOut earthquake drill takes place October 15, 2026 with participants across K-12 schools, universities, businesses, homeowners, hospitals, and government agencies practicing emergency readiness.

We all must get better prepared for major earthquakes, and practice how to protect ourselves when they happen.

At 10:15 local time, practice this potentially life-saving Drop, Cover, and Hold On method:

- Drop to your hands and knees.

- Cover your head and neck (and your entire body if possible) under a sturdy desk or table, or next to an interior wall.

- Hold On to your shelter until the shaking stops.

Why is it important to do a Drop, Cover, and Hold On drill?

To react quickly you must practice often. You may only have seconds to protect yourself in an earthquake, before strong shaking knocks you down--or drops something on you. Practicing helps you be ready to respond.

If you are inside a building, move no more than a few steps, then Drop, Cover and Hold On:
DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!),
Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and
HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops.
Stay indoors till the shaking stops and you are sure it is safe to exit. In most buildings in Utah you are safer if you stay where you are until the shaking stops.

If you are outdoors when the shaking starts, you should find a clear spot away from buildings, trees, streetlights, and power lines, then Drop, Cover and Hold On. Stay there until the shaking stops.

If you are driving, pull over to a clear location, stop and stay there with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops. Once the shaking stops, proceed with caution and avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged.

Ground shaking during an earthquake is seldom the cause of injury. Most earthquake-related injuries and deaths are caused by collapsing walls and roofs, flying glass and falling objects. It is extremely important for a person to move as little as possible to reach the place of safety he or she has identified because most injuries occur when people try to move more than a short distance during the shaking.

Look around you now, before an earthquake. Identify safe places such as under a sturdy piece of furniture or against an interior wall in your home, office or school so that when the shaking starts you can respond quickly. An immediate response to move to the safe place can save lives. And that safe place should be within a few steps to avoid injury from flying debris.

Forward this to your favorite people and let us know if you joined in on the ShakeOut!

10/04/2026

Manufactured Home Definition Changes Effective October 1

Effective October 1, 2026, North Carolina is updating its statutory definition of a “manufactured home” to conform with the federal definition in 42 U.S.C. § 5402(6).

That “as amended” language matters because federal law changed the definition in July 2026. Previously, a manufactured home had to be built “on a permanent chassis.” Federal law now recognizes qualifying manufactured homes built “with or without a permanent chassis.”

The federal legislation also requires states to treat qualifying manufactured homes built without permanent chassis the same as manufactured homes built on a permanent chassis for purposes including financing, title, insurance, manufacture, sale, taxation, transportation, and installation.

North Carolina’s corresponding changes extend across several statutes affecting manufactured homes, including G.S. 47-20.6, which governs the affidavit process for permanently attaching a titled manufactured home to real property.

The change does not eliminate existing title and real-property requirements for manufactured homes, but it expands the types of homes that may fall within the statutory definition. As this new category of manufactured housing enters the market, title professionals should be aware of the expanded definition and watch for additional guidance regarding title and underwriting procedures.

09/29/2026

Today's tip to expose fraud:

There are ways to recognize fake and fraudulently-altered surveys.

Visual Red Flags:

- Font inconsistencies or variations in typeface, text size, or font thickness within the same areas.

- Misaligned text in numbers or letters that lean, float above or below the line, or are oddly spaced compared to nearby text.

- Erasures disclosed by smudges, white-out marks, or faint lines under text.

- The surveyor's embossed or digital stamp should cleanly align with their signature. A surveyor’s signature that is misaligned or appears cut and pasted or disconnected from the seal could be an indication of a fraud.

Discrepancies in Data & Descriptions:

- The written legal description (metes and bounds text) should match the drawing.

- The listed bearings and distances should produce boundary line closure. If either of these have been altered, the property lines will no longer connect or "close" mathematically.

- The square footage based on the boundary lines should match the total square footage stated on the survey.

- All easements and other locatable recorded documents should be drawn or noted on the survey.

- Modification dates: Compare the "Created" date with the "Modified" date in the file properties. The file date should generally match the signing date, and not show recent modification timestamps.

Recommended Practices:

- Please be mindful that survey fraud exists, and question any aspect of a survey that seems irregular.

- Like wire fraud, survey fraud can be reduced and potentially prevented by confirming the authenticity of the survey with the surveyor. This is the simplest and most efficient way to identify survey fraud.

- Wherever possible, obtain the survey directly from the surveyor, and use that to confirm title matters.

- Unless you receive a survey directly from a surveyor, the best practice is to confirm its authenticity with the surveyor through independent verification (i.e., do not rely solely on the contact information on the survey).

--reprinted with credit and gratitude. Thank you Stewart Title, Sept 2026 newsletter

09/22/2026

The QR Code "Quishing" Trap hitting Closing Desks

Cybercriminals have found a clever way to bypass office email security filters by replacing traditional malicious links with QR codes—a tactic known as "Quishing." Security software is excellent at scanning text and blocking suspicious URLs, but it often treats an image of a QR code as a harmless graphic, allowing the dangerous email to land straight in a processor's inbox.

At a busy real estate desk, this threat usually arrives disguised as an urgent PDF document, such as a mortgage payoff update, a revised closing disclosure, or a title underwriter portal alert. The text instructs the reader to scan the embedded QR code with their smartphone to securely "view the file" or "verify credentials." Once scanned, the phone is directed to a convincing, fake login page designed to steal your escrow software or email passwords, giving hackers silent access to your active files.

To protect your escrow accounts and office network, processors and paralegals must establish a strict desk policy: never scan a QR code received via email to access closing documents. If a transaction party or vendor sends an unprompted QR code, always pick up the phone and call them using a trusted number to verify the document's legitimacy before interacting with it.

--Reprinted with credit and gratitude. Thank you Stewart Title, September 2026 newsletter

09/15/2026

New ALTA Endorsements Target Post-Closing Deed Fraud

The American Land Title Association recently rolled out the ALTA 49 and ALTA 49.1 endorsements to directly combat the explosion of deed fraud and seller impersonation scams. Historically, standard owner’s title insurance policies only covered title defects existing before closing, leaving post-policy forgeries completely excluded. These new forms change that by extending financial protection against fraudulent deeds or mortgages recorded after the property transfer takes place.

The ALTA 49 endorsement is issued with a new policy at closing, while the ALTA 49.1 add-on can be attached to an existing policy later. If a fraudster records a fake deed, the title insurer will step in to cover the associated legal expenses needed to clear the public records. However, this coverage is strictly limited to improved one-to-four-family residential properties owned by natural persons or trusts.

--reprinted with credit and gratitude. Thank you Stewart Title, Sept 2026 newsletter