By Lisa A. Tyler
National Escrow Administrator

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is the government entity which has been issuing Geographic Targeting Orders (GTOs) to title insurance companies since 2016. The GTOs require title insurance companies to report certain real estate transactions in specific geographic locations. The GTOs have changed and expanded into more geographic areas since then.

FinCEN has issued a proposed rule that would make real estate reporting permanent. It also expands the order nationwide, covering all transactions of real property within the United States. In addition, the order as proposed increases the personal data which must be collected and remitted to FinCEN. 

The proposed rule is open for comment until April 15, 2024. FNF is working closely with the industry associations and other interested parties on the comments which will be submitted. Read on for a summary of the “PROPOSED rule.” 

Fraud Insights is published to communicate the latest trends in fraud to the Fidelity National Financial, Inc. family of Companies and others in the industry. We love hearing stories from our readers where the tips and tricks learned from reading this newsletter helped stop a fraudulent transaction from closing. Even better, the FNF employee featured in the published article receives a $1,500 reward. Owner-imposter fraud has not slowed down. Read “EVERYDAY heroes” for this month’s success story. 

Security systems and "Beware of Dog" signs serve as deterrents for a potential thief. They are simply added challenges a would-be thief must get past to successfully break into someone else’s property. In the escrow and title industry we have our own deterrents. They are added layers which serve as tools to assist us in identifying a nefarious party to a real estate transaction. Read on to uncover how one of these deterrents assisted in identifying an imposter in the story titled “GHOSTED.” 

All-Star was the theme for the 2023 FNF annual escrow training events. National Escrow Administration chose this theme because of our deep belief that our colleagues are the All-Stars in the industry. Our colleagues are what differentiate our Company from the competition. 

Our settlement agents nationwide provide a top-notch customer experience, which is proven by our market share. They are the best of the best in the industry. Read about a few of the recipients of the All-Star Award in the article titled “ALL-stars.”