October and the Pink Ribbon: What You Should Know

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Written by: Sarah Clark, Better Health with Sarah

October and the Pink Ribbon: What You Should Know

Every October, pink ribbons appear on everything from food packaging to personal care items to household products — all meant to raise awareness for breast cancer.

While the pink ribbon has become a symbol of awareness, hope and support, it’s important to recognize a growing concern: pinkwashing. This term refers to companies that promote pink ribbon products to show support for breast cancer awareness, while at the same time selling products that contain ingredients linked to the disease.

According to Breast Cancer Action, a pinkwasher is “a company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures, and/or sells products containing chemicals that are linked to the disease.”

So how can we support breast cancer awareness in a meaningful way?

Awareness matters, but so does accountability. This October, let’s ensure that pink stands for more than profit.

Sarah Clark – Non-Toxic Living Educator

betterhealthwithsarah.com

Follow me on IG: @betterhealthwithsarah

​Article from breastcancer.org
https://www.breastcancer.org/about-breast-cancer/breast-cancer-awareness-month/pinkwashing

Title Tale: Judgment Liens: Why Your Borrower May Have to Pay Even When They Swear They Shouldn’t

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Written by: Mylene Marcelo, Title Manager/Title Officer

In a recent file, a borrower came back after closing upset that escrow paid off two judgments. His protest? “I’m not supposed to pay these!”

Well, here’s the naked truth: He sued, he lost, and the court ordered him to pay. Those judgments didn’t just vanish into thin air- they got perfected and latched onto his real estate like barnacles on a ship. Since the judgments showed up in the title commitment, escrow had to clear them before closing. He reviewed, signed off on it and agreed to the payoff and then tried to backpedal later. Too late.

Whether a judgment sticks to the subject property depends on state law. Each state set the rules for how a judgment becomes “perfected” and how long it lasts.

Let’s take a tour of some states for example.

In California, a judgment only attaches to real property once an Abstract of Judgment is recorded in the county where the property sits. Think of it like dating. You can’t call it official until you “go public” on social media. Here, “going public” means recording at the county.

Once recorded, the clock starts ticking from the date of the judgment, and it’s enforceable for 10 years and renewable.

Grand Canyon State Arizona is a dual-checkpoint perfection state. It makes you do both: file the judgment in court and record a certified copy in the county recorder’s office. If you only take one step, the judgment is like a half-baked cake, and it won’t cloud title. Once perfected, it is attached to the real estate property in the county where the debtor owned and enforceable for 10 years and renewable.

In the Sunshine State Florida, a judgment doesn’t automatically stick. You’ve got to record a certified copy of the judgment in the county’s official records and enforceable for the 10 years and renewable.

And the Garden State New Jersey keeps it simple. A Superior Court judgment will automatically attach statewide to any real estate the debtor owns. No extra filings, no running around with copies. Think of it as the “super-glue” state. Once you lose it, it sticks everywhere, and it lasts for 20 years from the date of entry. Before the 20 years run out, the creditor can apply to the court to revive or renew the judgment.

A lender might use a tool such as a Fraud Guard which flags lawsuits or complaints, but what really matters for us is perfection. A simple lawsuit filing doesn’t cloud title; only perfected judgment does. If a judgment isn’t perfected under the state law, it won’t attach to real estate and it won’t appear in the title commitment. That’s why we don’t list “purported judgments”, and only enforceable liens make it onto the commitment. Borrowers may argue otherwise, yet state law and their own signatures leave no room for debate.

For further details or deeper state-specific guidance, please contact your favorite Escrow Officer to inquire with our underwriting department.

September Webinar

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The Borrower’s Experience

CRMP Certified – Basic

 

Thursday, September 18, 2025

10:00 am PST

Click here to register.

September Calculator Updates

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We are constantly updating to reflect any increases or decreases in state fees or underwriter changes to ensure you are pulling accurate quotes each time. Our calculator has been updated to reflect fee changes in the following state(s):

-Florida

-New Mexico

-North Carolina

Conveniently get a quote any time, day or night, by simply and accurately inputting the required information and let our interactive fee calculator do the rest. Please call 844-808-8299 or email Solutions@AllegiantReverse.com for further details or for a quote.

September Office Closure

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Our office will be closed Monday, September 1, 2025 for Labor Day.

NRMLA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Join NRMLA in Minneapolis, MN from October 7-9, 2025 for the Annual Meeting & Expo; educational sessions, marketing insights, interactive vendor exhibits, networking opportunities and more.

ARS will be holding a “Learning Lab” at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, October 7th at the event. More details coming soon!

We look forward to seeing you there! Click here to learn more about this event.

Stewart Named a Forbes America’s Best Employer for Women 2025

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Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) announced it has been awarded a place on the Forbes list of America’s Best Employers for Women 2025, marking the company’s second year receiving this honor. This prestigious award is presented in collaboration with Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on July 30, 2025, and can be viewed on the Forbes website.

Stewart is proud to have been ranked among the top 5% overall on the 2025 list and #1 within Forbes’ industry category of Business Services & Supplies. Within Stewart’s U.S. workforce, 71% of employees are women, including 61% of managers and 38% of our Executive Leadership Team. These figures highlight the company’s dedication to creating a workplace where all individuals can succeed at every level.

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here to watch our “Pass the Cup” challenge in celebration of this award.

 

Title Tale: 920,000 Reasons

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Written by: Kevin Weaver, Underwriting Counsel

Ever get irritated with your title company (we know that hardly ever happens, but just in case…) because they need more and more documents to prove up something in the chain of title?  Sometimes it might feel like overkill.  Well, we have a real-life example from a major title insurance company that gives us 920,000 reasons why it is not overkill.

This major title insurance company (MTIC) recently filed a lawsuit against one of its attorney agents for negligence that resulted in a $920,000 loss.  The transaction was a $2.5 million refinance transaction, and there was a private beneficiary lender in the form of an LLC from which the attorney procured a release.  Unfortunately for the MTIC, the problem revealed itself when a year later the LLC challenged the release as being fraudulent.  The MTIC investigated and must have concluded there was merit to the claim and paid out $920,000 to the LLC,  and are now attempting to recoup its loss by suing the attorney agent basically for not doing proper due diligence.

What is due diligence?  Well, it’s making sure the person signing the document had the authority to do so, and that can only be done through a document trail.  Luckily, we don’t need to be so diligent with the everyday banks and mortgage companies, where a fraud of this type is highly unlikely, but our diligence is heightened when we are dealing with private beneficiaries in the form of individuals, LLCs, trusts, partnerships, etc.  Some of the paper trails are easy.  If the lender is an individual and is alive, there isn’t any paper trail at all.  If the individual is deceased, however, the paper trail might be more involved.  Was probate opened for the individual?   If not, is there documentation as to the heirs and/or devisees of the individual that we can rely on?  Obituaries?  Death Certificates?  And you probably already know what we need for the likes of trusts and LLCs.  For trustees, we will most likely need a trust certificate to establish the identity of the current trustee, and for LLCs it would be Articles of Organization or By-laws that set forth who is authorized to act on behalf of the LLC.

So, the next time it seems like a drag to collect more documents, just remember there may be 920,000 reasons to do so.

Practice Aloha with Hale Kau Kau

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Practice Aloha with Hale Kau Kau

Hale [House] Kau Kau [Sharing Food Together]

 

 

The wildfires of Maui, specifically Lahaina, have been out of the news for awhile. The devastation and displacement it caused is still a daily struggle and many of the resources, volunteers and finances are running thin. Hale Kau Kau continues to answer the call just as they have since 1991, serving over 1.6 million meal to their community including delivering 150-160 meals a day to their older generation that can’t make it to their facilities. Their motto is Feeding with Compassion and Aloha…and they certainly do that.

 

Hale Kau Kau was nominated by one of our employees for the Stewart Title Customer Service Award and won, providing them with a donation towards their efforts. This employee learned of Hale Kau Kau while volunteering at a food bank in Maui while he was on vacation, something he does regularly. All of us at ARS were inspired and joined in. In July, our Rob Awalt, visited the facility and gift an additional donation in person.

 

Click here to visit their website and learn more about how they support their community and the spirit of Aloha.

Title Tale: Married Until the End?

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Title Tale: Married Until the End?

Why Continuous Marriage Affidavit Matters in Florida

Written by: Mylene Marcelo, Title Officer and Title Manager

 

In Florida, property held by a married couple is typically presumed to be held as tenancy by the entirety—a form of ownership that provides survivorship rights. When one spouse passes away, their interest in the property automatically transfers to the surviving spouse, without the need for probate. But what happens when the paperwork doesn’t tell the full story?

Recently, during a routine title review, we encountered a case that illustrates exactly why the continuous marriage affidavit, and a proper death certificate are critical.

The title reflected a married couple holding title together. Upon the passing of one spouse, we expected the standard documentation: a death certificate and a continuous marriage affidavit from the surviving spouse.

But there was a twist—

The death certificate listed a different surviving spouse than the one on title.

Normally, such a discrepancy might suggest a divorce followed by remarriage, which would mean tenancy by the entirety was severed before death. That change would require further documentation to determine current ownership.

However, the surviving spouse on title denied any divorce ever took place.

We requested an explanation—and the borrower shared a surprising update:

The deceased spouse had unlawfully remarried while still legally married to the titleholder. That second marriage was ultimately annulled by court order, having been declared legally invalid due to the lack of a divorce.

This revelation created a critical issue:

The death certificate listed the second (invalid) spouse as the surviving spouse, not the rightful surviving spouse per the title.

To clear title and ensure that tenancy by the entirety—and therefore survivorship—was preserved, we required:

  • A copy of the annulment order, confirming that the second marriage was void.
  • A court order correcting the death certificate to reflect the legal surviving spouse.
  • A continuous marriage affidavit to confirm that the original marital relationship was never legally severed.

Only after receiving this documentation could we proceed with removing the deceased spouse’s interest.

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Do not rely solely on a death certificate—cross-check the named surviving spouse with title.
  • A continuous marriage affidavit is more than just a formality; it confirms uninterrupted marital status and validates survivorship rights.
  • When red flags appear, investigate thoroughly and request supporting legal documents (annulments, court orders, etc.).
  • An incorrect death certificate can impact title—amendments may be necessary before proceeding.

Situations like this are uncommon but not unheard of. They’re a reminder that even in states like Florida, where tenancy by the entirety is presumed, clear documentation and verification are essential for a clean title.