By Lisa A. Tyler
National Escrow Administrator

Find out how a commission notary was caught in the act of sending her fiancé out to perform signings for her by reading "NAUGHTY notary" in this edition. Learn how the heroic employee discovered the crime by using her keen listening skills to determine a man had actually performed the signing ceremony, and not the woman who had signed and stamped the loan documents as the notary. The employee raised concerns to her escrow officer who acted swiftly to have a new set of documents drawn and shipped to a notary with a higher degree of integrity.

Then read "NAUGHTY notary — the sequel" to find out about a notary willing to accept a copy of a passport as identification for the signing of a deed and knowingly accepted a driver's license that did not contain all the security features required for a California driver's license. As a side note, to discover the security features a driver's license is supposed to contain for your state or any other state read the November 2014 edition of Fraud Insights. The article is entitled "UV detectors."

A home warranty plan provides budget protection and peace of mind for home buyers who otherwise might not be able to handle unexpected repair bills at a time when they are usually least affordable but there are restrictions to this type of coverage. For example, a home warranty plan is only available on single family residences. Ben Bittner, Contractor Relations with Fidelity National Home Warranty (FNHW), received notification from one of his contractors responding to a service call that a property was being used as a senior care facility. Read "WAS it fraud or just a misunderstanding?" for details of how misrepresentations could have quickly represented a loss to our Company's home warranty division.

Ever have a lender prohibit you from charging for an endorsement fee or signing service at closing, because the charge was not included in the estimate provided at the opening of the transaction? The prohibition will become more prevalent after the new rules take effect, since creditors will only be able to redisclose based on six circumstances. Find out what the six circumstances are in this edition.

And be sure to answer the monthly CFPB question to ensure you understand the effects of the new rules!