October 2025

 


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Please Note: The PLTA/PLTI office will be closed on Monday, October 13, 2025 in observance of Indigenous Peoples Day & Columbus Day!

Dear Fellow Members:

Happy October! I am excited for my term as PLTA President. One of the goals of my presidency is to try to make our members’ title lives easier. The life of a title professional is busy and it is understandable that our members, individually, generally do not have enough time in the day to tackle unforeseen issues which pop up and make their lives more difficult. Be it a pesky recorder who has decided to reject submissions for an objectional reason or figuring out exactly how one will comply with FinCEN’s upcoming reporting requirements, title professionals are forced to deal with problems that make our jobs more difficult. Please let us know if you are experiencing any issues or believe that there are any actions PLTA should be taking on behalf of the title industry and we will do all we can to address!

Sincerely,
Manny A. Chryssos, Esq., CLTP
2025-2026 PLTA President

2025 PLTA 104th Annual Convention - Its a Wrap!
Another one for books, the 104th annual Convention was held on September 14 - 16, 2025, at the Omni William Penn, in Pittsburgh, PA with more than 195 title professionals in attendance at the event. They earned 6 CE/CLE Credits, including Ethics! A big thank you to Charles Jones LLC for once again being our Premier Sponsor for the convention!

New PLTA 2025-2026 Board Officers were sworn in by Lisa Steele, ALTA Board of Governors: •President – Manny Chryssos, Esq., CLTP •Vice-President – Shonna Cardello, CLTP, NTP •Treasurer – Brian Foley, CLTP •Secretary – Evelyn Stilwell, CLTP

Special thanks to our outstanding speakers this year!

	Protecting Homeowners in 2025: Wire Fraud Trends in PA and across the US - Presented by: Matt Kilmartin, CertifID
	The Serious Business of Happiness: The Surprising Science of Happiness & Performance Presented by: Jackson Kerchis, Happiness Means Business
	Defending Your Business From What’s On the Horizon  Presented by: Lisa M. Steele, ALTA Board of Governors & COO, Mother Lode Holding Company

PLTA presented the following awards:

The James G. Schmidt Distinguished Service Award was awarded to  Tommi Herbert, CLTP, in recognition of the respect of her peers for substantial service and contributions to the welfare of the land title industry.	The Albert E. Pentecost Service Award was awarded to Kevin Tuliszewski, Esq. for making the greatest contribution to PLTA for the year.	The William W. Rice III Excellence in Education Award was presented to Dwight Edwards, Esq., CLTP for excellence in education and contributions to the Pennsylvania Land Title Institute.

Out going Committee Chairs:

Dave Dwyer (Communications)	Danielle Ewing (Finance)	Evelyn Stilwell, CLTP (Strategic Planning)

Not present was Maureen Newton, CLTP (Title Issues & Records). All were honored in recognition for their service in leading PLTA Committees.

Retired Past Presidents:

Kristina Burns, CLTP (2014)	Tommi Herbert, CLTP (2023-2024)

Not present was Adrienne Verdone, Esq., CLTP (2006). All were presented the designation of Honorary Member of the PLTA.

Professional Designation Certificates were presented:

Stephen DiPasquale, Esq., ALTP	Amy Hotsur, CLTP	Eric Weinheimer, Esq., CLTP

Ambassador Committee Update - The release of the ambassadors!
There was a great turnout and participation with the PLTA Convention and utilizing the Ambassadors. We had 17 Ambassadors attend and 64 First Timers and New members attend! The first time attendee lunch had a lot of positive feedback. Additionally, we had some individuals interested in becoming Ambassadors. Should you have interest in what the Ambassador Committee does, reach out to Committee Chair, Angie Holden @ aholden@oldrepublictitle.com. Overall it was a great success!

In Memoriam
It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we inform you of the passing of PLTA Past President Gerald Shelpman:
Gerald "Jerry" Shelpman, of Bethel Park, on Saturday, September 20, 2025, age 87. Jerry served as PLTA President in 1986. He was a member of St. Valentine Parish where he was an usher, eucharistic minister, and a member of parish council, bowling league, golf club and a past president of the Men's Club. Jerry was a member of the American Legion Post #760 and was Vice President of the Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company. Services were held at the David J. Henney Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Valentine Church (Our Lady of Hope Parish). Jerry was buried with Full Military Honors in Jefferson Memorial Park.

Membership Committee Update
Last chance to take advantage of the 50% off Membership Sale for the remainder of 2025! Download the 50% off Membership Application now to pass onto others to join PLTA! Your help is greatly appreciated!

Title Issues & Records Committee Update
Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds:
PLTA is in communication with the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds in reference to the Purple Flyer that they give to walk-in’s who are inquiring about how to transfer a deed. The flyer recommended consulting an attorney or title company to have a new deed prepared and recorded. We are working with them to revise the form's language.

York County Recorder of Deeds:
York County has confirmed that they are caught up on recording and should be back on track.

Legislative & Judicial Committee Update
• H.B. 1822 – Public Servant Data Privacy Act. This bill will create civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of personal information belonging to public officials. The L&J Committee will recommend an exception for entities falling under the rules of the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which regulates the protection of personal information held by financial institutions, including title companies. This has been the standard approach when addressing state-level information privacy laws and has been applied with success.

• H.B. 1406 – Title and Deed Fraud. This bill creating a criminal offense for title and deed fraud has passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee and is on its way to a vote by the Senate at large, after which it will be sent to Governor Shapiro’s desk for final passage.

If you would like to alert the Legislative & Judicial Committee to any issues, suggest a topic of conversation for an upcoming committee meeting, or join the committee, please send an email to info@plta.org.

Professional Designation Committee Update
Do you have your ALTP or CLTP designation? It’s easy to apply! Just a reminder that any ALTP is eligible to apply for their CLTP designation and take an abbreviated CLTP exam. Check out the application online and consider applying. You may be our next designee! For more information, please contact Executive Director, Robin Kelsh at rkelsh@plta.org.

Political Action Committee Update
We wanted to thank everyone who participated in our very successful 3rd annual Corn hole Tournament this year at the 104th Annual PLTA Convention at Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA. Our new 2025 PAC Cornhole Champions, Matt Walton & Amy Webb, took home trophies this year.  Information on how to donate to the PAC is available on our website, or feel free to contact the PLTA office or Alex Rahn, Treasurer, at 484-574-9445 or arahn@axadvocacy.com for more information. PAC donors are listed on the website and if you want to get involved as a member of the PAC, please contact Committee Chair, Dan Herdman daniel.herdman@stewart.com or Executive Director, Robin Kelsh rkelsh@plta.org.

Communications Committee Update
FinCEN has postponed residential real estate reporting until March 1, 2026, but it is coming, so be ready. Register now for our November seminar!  We are always looking for new Communication Committee members. If you are a creative person with a good knowledge of our industry and can spare an hour each month, please contact our Executive Director, Robin Kelsh at rkelsh@plta.org or Committee Chair, Eric Borgia, at eborgia@catictitle.com.

Education Committee Update
PLTI - FinCEN: The Final Countdown - Part 1 Webinar
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 @ 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Presented by: Paul Denbaum, Esq., Investors Title Insurance Company, Carrie Mann, Esq., CLTP, Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Caroline Rhee, Esq., Old Republic National Title Insurance Company & Anna Marie Sossong, Esq., Conestoga Title Insurance Company

PLTI - Lunch & Learn - All Things Philly - Office of Property Assessment Webinar
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 @ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Presented by: Amy Galer, Esq., Senior Counsel, Office of Property Assessment, Monica Williams, OPA Deputy Chief Assessment Officer & Nora Manini, H&H Settlement Services, LLC (Moderator)

PLTI - Realty Transfer Tax Webinar
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 @ 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Presented by: Robert Kolb, Esq., PA Department of Revenue & Laura Fox, Esq., CLTP, Old Republic National Title Insurance Company

PLTI - Title Insurance Claims - What you need to know Webinar
Tuesday, December 9, 2025 @ 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Presented by: Colin Doherty, Esq., CATIC Title Insurance Company & John Casaldi, Jr., Esq., FNF Family of Companies

Do you have ideas for new PLTI educational programs? Do you like to present educational programs? Consider joining the Education Committee. New members are always welcome. Please contact the Committee Chair, Sharon Burke, Esq. at sburke@firstam.com or Executive Director Robin Kelsh at rkelsh@plta.org .

Keep watch on the event calendar for our Fall/Winter schedule of courses and PLTI emailed announcements. Check out the PLTI Learning tab on PLTA’s website www.plta.org for any educational information. Sponsorships for Seminars/Simulcasts/Webinars are available; please contact Shelley Marsh at smarsh@plta.org for details. 

PLTI On-Line Course Catalog - Check out our online courses available for on-demand learning!

Slow down! AI is becoming part of the daily toolkit for many title agencies. From drafting emails and client updates to summarizing lengthy contracts, tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT can help your team move faster. But speed can’t come at the expense of security. Title work is built on trust, accuracy, and funds control; exactly the areas criminals target when they weaponize AI. The truth: the riskiest part of AI isn’t the tech but how we use it. Pasting sensitive closing details into public AI tools, letting “smart” assistants browse and act for us, or skipping basic verification can expose clients, escrows, and your reputation.

"Statistically Speaking" - Existing-Home Sales Report Shows 0.2% Decrease in August   0.2% decrease in total existing-home sales month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.0 million. 1.8% increase in sales year-over-year. $422,600: Median existing-home price for all housing types, up 2.0% from one year ago ($414,200) – the 26th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases 1.53 million units: Total housing inventory, down 1.3% from July and up 11.7% from August 2024 (1.37 million). 4.6-month supply of unsold inventory, no change from July and up from 4.2 months in August 2024. To read the complete report please visit NAR's website. *Reprinted with permission from National Association of Realtors® - 2025

News You Can Use
PLTA celebrates 104th convention, welcomes new officers
The Title Report | Monday, October 6, 2025
The Pennsylvania Land Title Association (PLTA) announced its new officers and its 2025 award winners at its 104th annual convention at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Sept. 15.

FinCEN Announces Postponement of Residential Real Estate Reporting Until March 1, 2026
On September 30, 2025, FinCEN issued exemptive relief from the requirements of the Residential Real Estate Rule until March 1, 2026. Accordingly, reporting persons are exempt from the requirement to file reports for reportable transfers that close prior to March 1, 2026. See www.fincen.gov/news for more details.

The Housing Market Could See 500,000 More Sales Next Year as Mortgage Rates Fall Below a Key Level
Markets Insider | September 25, 2025
Lower rates. Fresh inventory. A wave of home sales. Those are the conditions that Fannie Mae sees for the U.S. housing market next year. The mortgage finance giant said in its latest quarterly outlook that it saw mortgage and homebuying activity picking up through the end of 2026 as borrowing costs drop.

October Research, LLC
Q4 Economic Outlook featuring Sam Williamson
Thursday, October 16, 2025 @ 2:00 PM

Join us for the next edition of the popular Economic Outlook series featuring First American’s Sam Williamson, where you’ll gain the timely insight needed to close out 2025 with confidence and prepare strategically for 2026. This webinar will break down the latest economic developments, including the recent interest rate cut and explore how shifting trends in inflation, unemployment and housing supply and demand are shaping the real estate landscape. From understanding home price movements and affordability to evaluating broader homeownership costs, this webinar delivers the perspective you need to make informed decisions and stay ahead in a rapidly changing market. Register today.

Blockchain & Title: Real-World Use, Legal Insights and Next Steps
Thursday, October 23, 2025 @ 2:00 PM

Blockchain is more than a buzzword, it’s a technology with the potential to reshape how title professionals work. In this exclusive webinar from The Title Report, two industry innovators will break down what blockchain really means for title and settlement, share lessons from real estate pilot programs, and explore key legal and regulatory implications. You’ll walk away with practical insights to help you understand what’s coming, what’s relevant to your role, and whether it’s time to start preparing for change. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve. Register today.

Digging in the Dirt ~ Novations and Double Transfer Tax
As a closing agent, you may be asked to handle a “novation closing.” To steer clear of any problems, it is important to know what a novation is and how it relates to transfer tax obligations.

First, what is a novation? In a novation, one party transfers all its rights and obligations under a contract to third party, with the consent of all original parties, whereupon the original contract is terminated, and a new contract is created. The key is that all parties agree to substitute one party for another, and the original contract is discharged. In the real estate context, the transferring party is typically the original buyer.

What does this have to do with transfer tax? In Pennsylvania, assignments of real estate contracts can be subject to transfer tax. So, if a buyer assigns its right to purchase real property to a third party, transfer tax may be due on the assignment. Then, when the new buyer closes, transfer tax may be due again, thus the term, “double transfer tax.”

In Pennsylvania, true novations are not subject to double transfer tax, because the original contract is terminated and replaced by a new contract. As such, there is only one “taxable transfer.”

But caution! Often, transactions are called “novations,” when that label is inaccurately applied to attempt to avoid double transfer tax, in situations where the transaction actually involves an assignment for a fee.

The DOR has carved out very specific safe harbor rules regarding novations. To have safe harbor protection, among other requirements, the following must apply: (a) the initial agreement of sale must explicitly state that the original buyer is acting on behalf of another entity; and (b) the original buyer must specifically disclaim any intent to obtain legal or equitable title to the property. Obviously, if the original buyer obtains a fee to transfer rights to a third party, he is implicitly claiming an equitable property interest.

You don’t want to be the person explaining to an irate buyer after closing why the DOR is coming after them for unpaid transfer taxes. If you do handle one of these transactions, it’s a good idea to have all parties execute an indemnification agreement protecting you and your title insurance underwriter from any claims related to transfer tax.

Please contact me if you have an entertaining story related to why we are all here at eborgia@catictitle.com. Thanks in advance! - Eric Borgia, Esq.

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