Commissioner Adopts Changes to the Basic Manual of Rules, Rates and Forms - Effective Date: April 1, 2004

Texas Department of Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor has by order officially adopted amendments that were considered during the rulemaking phase of the 2002 Texas Title Insurance Biennial Hearing. The following is a summary of what was adopted.
To view the items in their entirety, please click here. MORE STORY

Commissioner approves Basic Manual changes regarding Home Equity Effective Date: April 1, 2004

Texas Department of Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor has by order officially approved adoption of amendments to forms and procedural rules intended to conform to recent changes in the Home Equity law. MORE STORY

Place Your Order Now for Updates to the Basic Manual

All updates to the Texas Title Insurance Basic Manual resulting from the 2002 RULE Hearing and newly approved Home Equity items are in the process of being printed and will be mailed within the next 10 days. If you have the 2002 Basic Manual, please place your order for your updates as soon as possible. MORE STORY

Primary election summary – tough night for some incumbents

Although the presidential candidates were already decided, there were a number of exciting statewide and local races that proved to be victorious for some incumbents but problematic for others. MORE STORY

REMINDER:
Guaranty Assessment Re-instated

The Texas Title Insurance Guaranty Association announced that effective January 1, 2004 title agents and direct operations are required to collect a Guaranty Fee of $1.00 per owner or mortgagee title policy reported on quarterly statistical reports. MORE STORY

Questions regarding new
Procedural Rule P-53?

By now it should be widely known in the industry that Texas Insurance Commissioner Montemayor has adopted a groundbreaking Procedural Rule implementing the Insurance Code relating to prohibitions on marketing activities considered to be rebates in the title insurance business. The new rule, Procedural Rule P-53, is effective on April 1, 2004. MORE STORY

RESPA Reform Update

The real estate industry is holding its breath as we wait for the OMB to either send the rule back to HUD or adopt the proposal in its final form. Officially, they have until March 16th to act. TLTA has continued to work its grassroots network by asking members to contact their Congressmen and the White House. On March 1st, TLTA along with representatives from the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, the Texas Mortgage Brokers Association and RESPRO Texas met with the OMB and Texas Congressmen in Washington D.C. to express our joint opposition to this rule. MORE STORY

Jackson faces tough questions during confirmation hearing

As Dateline Austin has reported, Deputy Secretary Alphonso Jackson was expected to take over as Secretary of HUD after Mel Martinez resigned to run for the Senate in his home state of Florida. MORE STORY

ALTA Telephone Seminar on the
RESPA Rule

Expecting that the Office of Management & Budget will return the proposed RESPA rule to HUD sometime in mid-March, ALTA plans to hold a teleconference to discuss what the new regulations mean.  MORE STORY

Here’s your chance to go to Washington

We need your help! The ALTA Federal Conference is right around the corner and we feel it is crucial that Texas be well represented. Attending ALTA’s Federal Conference is a great opportunity to show that we are serious in Texas about RESPA reform and other federal issues that affect us. MORE STORY

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