10.06.21

We’ve Made it Easier to Deliver a Hybrid eClose Experience

As you plan for 2022, we understand the increasing focus on digitization and automation to combat margin compression. Likewise, the role of eClosing continues to be a priority to improve the customer experience, reduce costs, and close more loans faster. Historically, eClose functionality has been directly tied to a lender’s document generation engine. However, now you have the flexibility to quickly implement a hybrid eClosing process, regardless of which document generation engine you use.

Read more

 
09.29.21

eVault & MERS® – Critical Systems for Crucial Loan Documents

A closing package for a mortgage loan is comprised of many different documents that serve varying purposes. There are disclosures mandated by state and federal law or investors that are provided to inform the borrower about important terms of the transaction. There are documents that are given by custom or tradition that serve many different purposes that are usually required by the lender. Then there are the most important documents in the loan package, the promissory note, and the security instrument. The promissory note is crucial because it is the physical manifestation of the borrower’s promise to repay the holder/lender. The security instrument is important because it is the agreement that creates the property interest that gives the lender the legal right to take possession of the property or collateral if the borrower defaults on their promise to pay.

Read more

 
09.23.21

How Does Delta Variant-Fueled Economic Uncertainty Impact Housing Market Potential?

Housing market potential continued to strengthen in August, according to our Potential Home Sales Model, increasing 0.05 percent compared with July. The market potential for existing-home sales is now nearly 10 percent higher than in August of 2020, when the housing market’s summer rebound was ramping up following the initial pandemic-driven decline in the spring.

Read more

 
09.03.21

August ’21 Document and Compliance Updates Roundup

Investors and the agencies were rather quiet in August and only one state required a change to its document set, and that wasn’t initiated by anyone in the state government. Instead, it was a decision by the CFPB that required a change for Georgia’s documents, as you will see below.

Read more

 
08.05.21

July Compliance Roundup

Welcome to the First American Docutech compliance roundup blog, recapping compliance-related document changes and updates that occurred in July. There were some changes from the states and federal government agencies last month, as well as several important document changes.

Read more

 
07.27.21

The Legal Framework of Electronic Signatures and Records – Understanding UETA

Every discussion regarding the legality of electronic signatures in the United States inevitably refers to the legal framework established by the Electronic Signature in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) and the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act (UETA). The ESIGN Act is a federal law that was enacted into law on June 30, 2020 and became effective on October 1, 2020. UETA is a model law that was proposed and approved by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) in July of 1999. 

Read more

 
07.07.21

June Compliance Roundup

Not a great deal of regulatory activity in the month of June, as spring gave way to summer and many state houses sent their lawmakers on break. Still, there were a number of important changes that our compliance experts caught, and we summarize them for you below.

Read more

 
07.01.21

The New Notarial Glossary

The history of notaries public (aka notaries) is interesting and varied, including origins that can be traced back to the ancient Roman law, or to the 13th and 14 century English common law. In Roman times, notaries were public officials that were often traced back to Senate or to the court where their function was to record public proceedings. In England, early notaries were appointed by a representative of the Pope and were often members of the clergy. In the United States today, notaries are usually commissioned on a state-by-state basis and are generally utilized for validating signatures, administering oaths, and authenticating the execution of certain documents such as deeds.

Read more

 
06.07.21

Nationwide RON Legislation Reintroduced

In May, Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) reintroduced federal legislation designed to expand the use of Remote Online Notarization (RON) on a nationwide basis. The Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization (SECURE) Act of 2020 was originally introduced in March of 2020. The original version of the bill stalled out and never made it past an initial introduction. There is hope that the reintroduction of this bill will gain more traction on Capitol Hill due to experience with difficulties entering into many transactions requiring notarization during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more