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During the Property Records Industry Association’s 2025 Winter Symposium, expert panelists delivered an update on the ongoing threat of deed fraud and shared thoughts on how local recorders can be part of the solution.

The U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has again renewed geographic targeting orders requiring title insurance companies to identify the individuals behind shell companies involved in non-financed purchases of residential real estate.

MV Realty, a Florida-based real estate company that has faced legal action in several states, has been hit with an injunction requested by the Florida attorney general’s office, which has investigated the company for deceptive practices.

More than 170 Colorado homeowners have been released from “onerous” agreements with California-based real estate company HomeOptions after a settlement was reached by the state’s attorney general.

The Government Accountability Office published a list of recommendations for how three federal agencies tasked with identifying and preventing scammers from harming consumers, companies and national security can better collaborate to accomplish certain shared objectives.

The Insurance Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2025 was introduced to the California State Senate on April 9, aiming to establish a framework of modern privacy rights for insurance licensees and their third-party service providers.

A real estate broker from Chicago was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for his role in a multi-year fraud scheme that cost investors more than $3 million.

An Oakland-based realty company charged with engaging in a predatory real estate scheme impacting more than 500 California homeowners has reached a settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and Department of Financial Services have traded memos in a dispute over a proposed separation of the two regulatory bodies.

The Office of the Comptroller of Currency notified Congress that several of its administrative email accounts were compromised by unauthorized activity in February, putting sensitive information at risk.

The North Carolina legislature is considering an act to allow registers of deeds to refuse certain suspicious instruments, require ID from non-trusted submitters, and expedite quiet title actions after fraud attempts.

The U.S. District Attorney’s office has announced a guilty plea from a St. Louis man charged with fraudulently obtaining home mortgages worth more than $1.2 million. The suspect is facing up to 30 years in prison or up to $1 million in fines.

The geographic targeting order issued by the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is the subject of a lawsuit by the Texas Association for Money Service Businesses, which alleged the order is unlawful and burdensome.

A compilation of 10 errors and omissions cases that led to legal consequences for notaries, published by the National Notary Association, highlights the need for diligence and thorough understanding of compliance requirements.

Oregon-based Pacific Residential Mortgage reported a ransomware attack that compromised sensitive consumer data, including names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and more.

A state bill that would have granted Washington’s insurance commissioner the authority to order restitution for insurance malpractice victims was not passed through the state’s House Consumer Protection and Business Committee.

A senate bill currently under review by the Georgia legislature would allow for electronic real estate closings, clarify accepted practices and outline penalties and exemptions for remote notarial acts.

Steadily increasing reports of quit claim deed fraud across the Northeast have prompted the Boston division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to issue a formal, detailed warning to realtors and homeowners.

During a session of the 2025 Property Records Industry Association Winter Symposium, county recorders of deeds detailed their efforts to battle artificial intelligence-enabled deed fraud with biometric camera technology.

After a loan secured with a mortgage defaulted and bankruptcy proceedings followed, the lending agency sought recovery for damages and eventually sued the title provider. The defendant moved to dismiss.

In an open letter to ranking members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, representatives of more than a dozen banking and housing organizations expressed their support for the SECURE Notarization Act.

As President Donald Trump places limits on the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and a coalition of U.S. senators reaffirmed their support for the fund.

Four former real estate investors were handed prison sentences and hefty restitution for their roles in a multi-year conspiracy to defraud financial institutions by obtaining fraudulent loans on multifamily properties.