Open Forum

What is the best story you have about protecting consumers and REALTORS as a title agent?

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Shawn Sullivan
Director of Digital & Print Media
American Land Title Association
Washington DC
ssullivan@alta.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 6/29/2021 1:07:00 PM
From: Shawn Sullivan
Subject: Calling on Our Title Problem Solvers!

What is the best story you have about protecting consumers and REALTORS as a title agent?

------------------------------
Shawn Sullivan
Director of Digital & Print Media
American Land Title Association
Washington DC
ssullivan@alta.org
------------------------------

​Kimberly that is a great example! First time I have heard this method, do you know how the scammers found out about the property sale?

Thank you for sharing!

------------------------------
Shawn Sullivan
Director of Digital & Print Media
American Land Title Association
Washington DC
+1 (202) 296-3671
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-30-2021 10:14
From: Kimberly Gilbert-Toelle
Subject: Calling on Our Title Problem Solvers!

I was able to stop the theft of a property by determining during an examination of a Death Certificate that it was possibly fraudulent. The scammers had forged a Death Certificate and used it to open a Probate naming one of the scammers as Personal Representative of the Estate. Once I confirmed that it was probably forged, we were able to locate the actual homeowner (who was very much alive) who was then able to come back, file a Police Report, and have the Letters of Administration terminated and the Probate case dismissed by the Court. We then assisted the FBI with a sting operation that caught the scammers red handed. The Buyer, an investor, was ultimately able to purchase the property from the actual homeowner under the same terms as had been negotiated with the scammer. So....

1. The scammers were apprehended.

2. The actual homeowner received the proceeds from the sale of the property, not the scammers.

3. The Buyer was able to move forward with his investment purchase. 

Real Estate is always fun....

I still use that Death Certificate in training sessions to see if staff can figure out how I determined it was fraudulent.

Kimberly A. Gilbert-Toelle, Esq.*
Raber Law Offices, PLLC
105 N. College Street
Martinsburg, WV 25401
681-260-6455
Fax 304-441-5551
email: relo@raberlawoffices.com
alt. email: kgt@raberlawoffices.com  
www.raberlawoffices.com  

*Admitted in West Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia only.

Original Message:
Sent: 6/29/2021 1:07:00 PM
From: Shawn Sullivan
Subject: Calling on Our Title Problem Solvers!

What is the best story you have about protecting consumers and REALTORS as a title agent?

------------------------------
Shawn Sullivan
Director of Digital & Print Media
American Land Title Association
Washington DC
ssullivan@alta.org
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/30/2021 11:25:00 AM
From: Shawn Sullivan
Subject: RE: Calling on Our Title Problem Solvers!

​Kimberly that is a great example! First time I have heard this method, do you know how the scammers found out about the property sale?

Thank you for sharing!

------------------------------
Shawn Sullivan
Director of Digital & Print Media
American Land Title Association
Washington DC
+1 (202) 296-3671
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-30-2021 10:14
From: Kimberly Gilbert-Toelle
Subject: Calling on Our Title Problem Solvers!

I was able to stop the theft of a property by determining during an examination of a Death Certificate that it was possibly fraudulent. The scammers had forged a Death Certificate and used it to open a Probate naming one of the scammers as Personal Representative of the Estate. Once I confirmed that it was probably forged, we were able to locate the actual homeowner (who was very much alive) who was then able to come back, file a Police Report, and have the Letters of Administration terminated and the Probate case dismissed by the Court. We then assisted the FBI with a sting operation that caught the scammers red handed. The Buyer, an investor, was ultimately able to purchase the property from the actual homeowner under the same terms as had been negotiated with the scammer. So....

1. The scammers were apprehended.

2. The actual homeowner received the proceeds from the sale of the property, not the scammers.

3. The Buyer was able to move forward with his investment purchase. 

Real Estate is always fun....

I still use that Death Certificate in training sessions to see if staff can figure out how I determined it was fraudulent.

Kimberly A. Gilbert-Toelle, Esq.*
Raber Law Offices, PLLC
105 N. College Street
Martinsburg, WV 25401
681-260-6455
Fax 304-441-5551
email: relo@raberlawoffices.com
alt. email: kgt@raberlawoffices.com  
www.raberlawoffices.com  

*Admitted in West Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia only.

Original Message:
Sent: 6/29/2021 1:07:00 PM
From: Shawn Sullivan
Subject: Calling on Our Title Problem Solvers!

What is the best story you have about protecting consumers and REALTORS as a title agent?

------------------------------
Shawn Sullivan
Director of Digital & Print Media
American Land Title Association
Washington DC
ssullivan@alta.org
------------------------------

Our office stopped a mortgage fraud during a refinance by determining the named homeowner who had gotten the mortgage when the property was purchased in the late 90s had died and it was actually the daughter (with the same first and last name) who was trying to get a cash-out refi. There had never been a probate. Then we discovered that the previous refinance to lower the interest rate several years previously had ALSO occurred after the death of the homeowner, so the daughter had already done it once. We notified both lenders and provided copies of instruments showing the drastically different signatures of the two people on the deeds of trust and the refinance was rejected. We never heard how the current lender handled the existing fraud.

------------------------------
Cathy Clamp CTIP, NTP
Escrow Officer
Heart of Texas Title Co., LLC
Brady TX
+1 (325) 597-0796
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-29-2021 13:06
From: Shawn Sullivan
Subject: Calling on Our Title Problem Solvers!

What is the best story you have about protecting consumers and REALTORS as a title agent?

------------------------------
Shawn Sullivan
Director of Digital & Print Media
American Land Title Association
Washington DC
ssullivan@alta.org
------------------------------

Hi Cathy, that is a great example and you discovered previous fraud​ in the process. Thank you for sharing!

------------------------------
Shawn Sullivan
Director of Digital & Print Media
American Land Title Association
Washington DC
+1 (202) 296-3671
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 07-02-2021 07:29
From: Cathy Clamp
Subject: Calling on Our Title Problem Solvers!

Our office stopped a mortgage fraud during a refinance by determining the named homeowner who had gotten the mortgage when the property was purchased in the late 90s had died and it was actually the daughter (with the same first and last name) who was trying to get a cash-out refi. There had never been a probate. Then we discovered that the previous refinance to lower the interest rate several years previously had ALSO occurred after the death of the homeowner, so the daughter had already done it once. We notified both lenders and provided copies of instruments showing the drastically different signatures of the two people on the deeds of trust and the refinance was rejected. We never heard how the current lender handled the existing fraud.

------------------------------
Cathy Clamp CTIP, NTP
Escrow Officer
Heart of Texas Title Co., LLC
Brady TX
+1 (325) 597-0796

Original Message:
Sent: 06-29-2021 13:06
From: Shawn Sullivan
Subject: Calling on Our Title Problem Solvers!

What is the best story you have about protecting consumers and REALTORS as a title agent?

------------------------------
Shawn Sullivan
Director of Digital & Print Media
American Land Title Association
Washington DC
ssullivan@alta.org
------------------------------