The Trusted Adviser


October 2015 | Volume 8 - Number 8

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Your Clients are Entitled to a Trusted, Independent Adviser
Don’t Surrender Your Professional Responsibilities in Return for Referrals

John G. O'Brien, ATG Vice President

John G. O'Brien photo

I have a clear recollection of a telephone conversation I had several years ago with a local realtor who also managed the office of a local company where I had closed a lot of deals over the years. He announced he was the new manager of the affiliated title insurance agency his company had recently formed. He went on to say that if I expected to continue my relationship with the agents in his office, I needed to "get with the program," by agreeing to use the captive title company on any client referrals I received from that realtor. I declined and my stream of referrals from that company disappeared. I know many of you were invited to this same program with similar results. Read more...

John G. O'Brien
ATG Vice President and Counsel to the President

CBA Honors ATG President

Peter J. Birnbaum CBA Award Banner

ATG MEMBERS | Underwriters' Bulletin

Hot Topic

URGENT!  ALL ATG AGENTS: Fraud in Wire Instructions Alert — The type of fraud where victims receive emails with altered wire instructions is on the rise (see this October 12, 2015, Washington Post article). ATG is instructing all members to immediately implement procedures to protect their transactions.

Underwriters' Bulletin

Do You Have Unidentified Funds in Your Closing Account? — As of July 1, 2015, Rule 1.15(i) has been modified to require lawyers to account for and return unidentified funds in IOLTA accounts.

New Procedure Involving Strict Foreclosure of an Omitted Subordinate Interest — Extinguishing a subordinate interest on a foreclosed property when that interest was not named in the original foreclosure action.

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ATTORNEYS | Practice Notes

Real Estate and Title Insurance News

The Closing Disclosure Form: A Reference — ATG's in-depth analysis of the new form, including its scope and requirements.

Filing Illinois PTAX with MyDec — Get step-by-step instructions for setting up your MyDec account, adding your own closer, and filling out and submitting the form for your transactions.

Water/Sewer Full Payment Certificate Required — Unless otherwise provided by law or rule, an FPC is required in all transfers of real property whether such transfers are subject to or exempt from the City of Chicago Real Property Transfer Tax.

IN THE NEWS | ATG at the IMBA Awards

ATG Represented at the 2015 IMBA Best in the Business Awards ATG is proud to recognize an employee and an independent closer who were each nominated for an Illinois Mortgage Bankers Association (IMBA) Best in the Business award.

From left: Cathorina Keane; Simon Keane, ATG Independent Closer and Best Title Company Closer Nominee; Erik Rivas, ATG Regional Office Administrator and Best Other Industry Service Provider winner; and Jeanette Rivas.

WHAT'S NEW | Trust, CLE, and Process Services

ATG Trust Company logoWherever You're Going, Get There with Someone You Trust Since 1998, ATG Trust Company has had the privilege to assist some of the finest estate planning professionals in helping their clients through the entire process. Explore our website to learn more about us, the services we offer to clients and trust and estate attorneys, and much more. Feel free to contact us with your questions.

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ATG Legal Education logoGet Started in the New ATG Legal Education We recently launched our new CLE platform. It is both robust and efficient and has many great features that we know will make managing your CLE much easier, including the ability to take recorded OnDemand programs with most mobile devices. You'll have your own account that keeps track of your hours and allows you to print your certificates once you complete the confirmation surveys (see details, including a five-minute video tutorial).

If you haven't set up your account yet, see Stage One: Creating Your Account.

FEATURED CONNECT PROGRAM:

Estate Planning in a Digital Era - 11.11.2015 | DiMonte & Lizak, LLC attorneys Patrick Owens and Jonathan Morton discuss digital assets — THE hot topic in the estate planning arena. Learn more (login required).

FEATURED ONDEMAND PROGRAM:

Lender Vetting – A Guide for ATG Agents | Maintain your role as a title and settlement agent - get an overview of Lenders' requirements of title companies in the vetting process. Learn more (login required).

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ATG LegalServe logoFAST AND FLEXIBLE: The Process Server Responsive to Your Needs Get the finest process serving available to lawyers today. Learn what the LegalServe Difference can make in your practice and place your order today! Find us with Google Plus.

[Last update: 10-30-15]