Trends

WannaCry? We don’t want you to have to!

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(Guest blog by IT Guru Cris Hudson)

A global cyberattack happened over the weekend, affecting some 100+ countries, and crippling hospital networks, large manufacturers and even some small governments.

Dubbed “WannaCry”, but technically named “WannaCrypt,” the attack preyed on vulnerabilities in machines where Windows and virus scan programs were not up to date. It delivered its payload via a typical “phishing” email, and once launched, encrypted and locked down files, demanding ransom from those institutions before the files would be released.

How does this affect you? Please be sure that you are working on a current version of Windows, and that you run a regular Windows Update. We still see the occasional office using Windows XP, which Microsoft ended support for in April 2014. Without a more current version of Windows such as Windows 7 or Windows 10, those machines are not able to download updates to guard against attacks such as these.

Also, make sure that you take a moment right now and update your virus scan software. DAT files for most major security providers have been updated to recognize this threat, but only if they’ve been updated since the attack on May 12th, 2017. And as always … backup, backup, backup! If you were to fall prey to something like this, you’ve at least got a fighting chance with a current backup of your server and files.  Without it .. you might definitely be crying.

Two positive articles for dirt lawyers from national sources

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REALTOR®Mag is reporting that although financing remains the top roadblock to successful closings, fewer real estate agents are reporting financing as an issue today as opposed to previous months. This trend is a good one! Check out the article here.

The article indicates that, according to the REALTORS® Confidence Index, which is based on the responses from 2,500 real estate agents nationwide, the decline in complaints about financing may reflect an improvement in the economy, better credit histories from buyers and an improvement in loan evaluation processes.

But the article does report that appraisals are becoming a growing concern. Real estate agents indicated that a shortage of appraisers, valuations that are not in line with market conditions and “out-of-town” appraisers who are not familiar with local markets create the difficulties.

And for the first time in eleven years, the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac conforming loan limit has increased to $424,100, allowing more home buyers to avoid jumbo loans, obtain lower interest rates and deliver lower down payments. The non-conforming loan limit had previously been stuck at $417,000. Read the article from INFOGRAPHIC here.

The economic news surrounding real estate closings is generally positive nationally. And the news is good in South Carolina, too. I’ve traveled around the state a good bit since the beginning of the year, and everywhere I go, I ask lawyers about business.

Early in the year, it seemed residential practices were sluggish in some markets while commercial practices were extremely busy statewide. In the last few weeks, I’m hearing much more encouraging news about residential practices, and commercial lawyers continue to report that business is excellent.

Our office is in the middle of a seminar series we have entitled “The future’s so bright, we have to wear shades.” We’re drinking the Kool-Aid and enjoying these economic good times. Those of us who weathered 2008 – 2012 deserve it!

SC Supreme Court publishes new commentary on social media

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Real estate lawyers are involved in two disciplinary cases

Two disciplinary cases* were published by the South Carolina Supreme Court on April 19 concerning lawyers involved in multi-state mortgage modification practices. Stay tuned for a blog on the mortgage modification issues because Palmetto State dirt lawyers should steer clear of the unauthorized practice of law and other prickly issues these practices may trigger.

But ostensibly even more pressing, the Court provided ample guidance on lawyer marketing in the context of social media. Using websites and social media in marketing effort is common in 2017 for most lawyers.

The lawyers in these cases failed to adequately monitor the individuals (staff members and third parties) who handled these marketing efforts for their practices.  Failure to properly supervise these effort resulted in running afoul of the Rules of Professional Responsibility.

Dirt lawyers, here are some practices you should avoid taking in your marketing efforts:

  • You should not “cut and paste” from other lawyers’ websites without scrutinizing the materials.
  • If you are a sole practitioner, your website and other marketing materials should not indicate your practice includes “attorneys” or “lawyers”.
  • You should not exaggerate your years of experience.
  • You should not use the word “expert” except in those areas where you are certified as a specialist by the Supreme Court.
  • You should not advertise practice areas where you have no experience in those areas and where you do not intend to take cases in those areas.
  • You should not congratulate clients on their closings without obtaining the clients’ permission to post their names and other information about their legal matters on social media. I see (and “like”) lots of these congratulatory messages on Facebook, and these messages are not objectionable if the lawyer has obtained the clients’ consent.
  • Your marketing materials should not refer to your legal services as “best”.
  • You should not advertise special discounted rates for legal services without disclosing whether or not these rates include anticipated costs.
  • You should not compare your services to other attorneys in ways that cannot be factually substantiated.
  • You should not allow third party vendors to identify themselves as employees of your firm when communicating with prospective clients.

Not many of us are “experts” in the area of attorney advertising, but I strongly recommend that you pay close attention to the Rules in all aspects of website development and social media use. Unlike most areas of the law, the Rules of Professional Responsibility that control advertising appear to be somewhat “black and white”. And failure to follow these Rules will anger your fellow lawyers and will likely to land you in the Advance Sheets. Be careful out there!

 

* In the Matter of Bacon, S.C. Supreme Court Opinion 27710, April 19, 2017; In the Matter of Emery, S.C. Supreme Court Opinion 27712, April 19, 2017.

IRS issues for tax season…for your reading pleasure

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Just in time for tax season, the IRS announced on April 4 that it will begin using private debt collectors pursuant to federal law enacted late in 2015.

The IRS said that it will begin this month sending around 100 letters per week to taxpayers who have accumulated years-overdue tax debt. If the process goes smoothly, the number of letters will be increased to 1,000 per week.

Outsourcing debt collection will likely provide scammers with new opportunities, so the IRS has provided some advice for the safety of taxpayers.

The taxpayer will hear from the IRS first by letter. The letter will provide the name and contact information for the debt collection firm. After that initial contact, the debt collection firm will send its first letter confirming that it will handle the case. Neither initial contacts will be by telephone.

At this point, only four firms have been identified:  CBE Group of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Conserve of Fairport, New York; Performant of Livermore, California; and Pioneer of Horseheads, New York. Each taxpayer’s account will be assigned to only one of these firms.

None of the firms will ever ask for payments to be made to anyone other than the United States Treasury. If a taxpayer is asked to make payment to anyone else, this is a scam.

In the case of mistreatment under this new program, taxpayers are urged to file complaints with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  The IRS and Congress have indicated they will be monitoring this situation carefully.

On a related topic, real estate lawyers should be reminded that the IRS may issue a levy, which is a legal seizure, of a taxpayer’s property to satisfy a tax debt. When a levy is issued, it applies to real property, money, credits and bank deposits. A levy can also reach property held by third parties, such as retirement accounts, dividends, bank accounts, licenses, rental income, accounts receivable, the cash loan value of life insurance policies and commissions.

The IRS issues a levy only after it has exhausted other means to collect a tax debt.

From time to time, a settlement agent will receive a levy for a party involved in a closing. The taxpayer should be sent a notice in writing of the receipt of the levy and should be directed to consult with his or her tax advisor. Remember that a real estate lawyer who is not also competent as a tax lawyer should never offer tax advice. Typically, after the taxpayer has time to seek tax advice, the settlement agent should comply with the levy.

(If I received a levy, however, I would also seek my own tax advice prior to disbursing any funds!)

Tax-related identity theft is on the rise

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Some safety tips for you and your clients

The dreaded tax day is fast approaching! Please be aware of tax-related identity fraud, which we are being told is on the rise.

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This fraud occurs in several forms. One scheme is to file more than one return using a single Social Security Number. The fraudster steals the SSN and other identifying information, files a return and receives the refund before the true taxpayer has a chance to file. (Or the true taxpayer is a lawyer who always files late.)

Another scheme involves calling the taxpayer to inform him that he owes additional taxes and will have collection actions taken against him. He can get off the hook by providing credit card information to resolve the problem.

A third scheme involves calling the taxpayer to inform her that she received wages or other income from an employer for whom she never worked. Again, she can resolve the problem by paying additional taxes via credit card.

In a similar situation not involving tax-identity fraud, my husband received a voicemail on his cell phone this week indicating a subpoena was about to be served on him either at home or at work and to avoid that subpoena, he could call a telephone number. He is a lawyer, so having a subpoena served wouldn’t be outside of the realm of possibility, but he was able to determine this was a scam based on very limited Internet research.

The IRS advises that anyone who receives a telephone call, letter or e-mail purporting to come from the IRS should call the agency directly at 800.908.4490 to validate the request. In other words, never contact the requester by the method indicated in the communication. Go directly to the source.

The IRS also gives some very common sense advice:  never give personal information without validating the source.

If you are a victim of tax-related identity theft, the IRS recommends the following steps:

  • Notify the IRS at 800.908.4490;
  • If instructed to do so by the IRS after the initial notification, go it its identity verification service website to report the incident.
  • If your return is rejected because of a duplicate filing, complete IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, available at IRS.gov.

The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following steps if you are a victim of identity theft:

  • File a complaint with the FTC at identitytheft.gov;
  • Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a “fraud alert” on your credit records:

Be safe out there, use common sense, advise your clients to use common sense, and get those returns filed on time, lawyers!

IRS issues urgent warning about W-2 phishing scam

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On February 2, the Internal Revenue Service issued an urgent alert to all employers about a W-2 email phishing scam. The scam was launched in 2016 but has been expanded this year, according to the bulletin, which can be read here.

The bulletin warned that cybercriminals employ a number of spoofing techniques to create an email that appears to originate from an organization’s executive. The email is sent to employees in human resources and payroll departments, requesting a list of employees and their W-2 forms. These forms, of course, contain identifying information including addresses and Social Security numbers.

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Last year, the scam targeted the corporate sector, but this year, the scam appears to be spreading to school districts as well as nonprofit and tribal organizations. Another twist is that the cybercriminals may follow with emails requesting wire transfers. Some companies have lost funds in addition to sensitive information. Some organizations report having received these emails in 2016 and 2017.

The IRS memo urges employers to be vigilant and to share this information with their payroll, finance and human resources departments. Organizations should report incidents to phishing@irs.gov with a subject line of “W2 Scam” and should file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Individuals whose W-2 forms have been stolen should take the actions set out in www.identitytheft.gov or www.irs.gov/idenditytheft.  They should also file a Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, if a tax return is rejected because of a duplicated Social Security number.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said, “This is one of the most dangerous email phishing scams we’ve seen in a long time. It can result in the large-scale theft of sensitive data that criminals can use to commit various crimes, including filing fraudulent tax returns. We need everyone’s help to turn the tide against this scheme.”

A little mundane, but useful, information for your New Year

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paperwork-stacks

York County’s Register of Deeds office recently informed local dirt lawyers that it will begin using a new system on January 23. The new system will require labels containing recording information to be attached to recorded documents.

This County will require a three-inch margin at the top or bottom of the front page of each recorded document. Documents that do not meet the margin requirement may be rejected because the label may conceal a portion of the document.

I am confident York County lawyers are informed of this development but wanted to get the word out to the remainder of the state to benefit lawyers who may handle a transaction in that County from time to time.

Goodbye old friend

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And hello 2017!

I bought a car on the first business day of 2017.

For most folks, buying a car is not a big deal, but I am definitely not a car person!  I drove my mother’s last car for almost eleven years after her death in 2006 and was embarrassed to shed a few tears at the dealership when I sentimentally traded it in on January 2. That car has 200,000 miles on its odometer! It’s still in great running condition, and I hope it finds a good home with someone, maybe a teenager, who needs safe and inexpensive transportation. Before my mother’s car, I drove a car I bought from a deceased friend’s estate. Are you detecting a pattern in my vehicular history?  Until this week, no car dealership had made a dime on me in the past 15 years!

My colleague and friend, Tom Dunlop, on the other hand, is definitely a car person. He currently drives a bright red late model Mercedes which he will upgrade this spring for the mere reason that two years have passed. His dealership loves him! In addition to trading every two years, Tom takes donuts to the staff when his car is serviced. What a nice guy! We’ve enjoyed that shiny red Mercedes as our lunch vehicle and can’t wait to see what Tom decides will be our new fancy ride in the spring.

new-year-new-startWhy is this car talk relevant to dirt law in 2017? It’s relevant because our success in the housing industry this year may depend on whether Americans and specifically South Carolinians are really home ownership people.

There are some reasons for concern. Interest rates are climbing. The mortgage interest rate deduction is under attack in Congress. The future of the CFPB may be precarious under the new administration and because of pending litigation challenging its constitutionality.  Some financial advisers are recommending renting as a better economic alternative for many Americans. Some retirees are being advised to sell the large homes where they raised their families in exchange for nifty, low-maintenance town homes, condominiums and even rental apartments.

But unlike my personal lack of thirst for new cars, I believe many Americans and many South Carolinians have an enduring thirst for new and upgraded residences. And I believe their thirst is most often quenched only by purchasing those residences. We have been taught that home ownership is an excellent investment vehicle coupled with a tax advantage. This advice goes back several generations. This wisdom is so ingrained that the counsel to retirees to rent shocked me! I had to read it from several sources to believe it was serious and sound advice for some folks.

And, thankfully, the economy is continuing to improve. Zillow is reporting that the U.S. housing market has regained all the value it lost during the housing crisis. South Carolina is particularly poised for success. Charleston is one of the fastest growing markets in the country. Hilton Head is digging out and rebuilding from Hurricane Matthew. The Rock Hill/Fort Mill area is growing toward Charlotte rapidly. It is impossible to ride around Myrtle Beach, Greenville and even Columbia without dodging construction activity. My own office’s numbers have improved during 2016, and I budgeted up for 2017. I suspect most South Carolina dirt lawyers are looking for a better year in 2017 than in 2016 assuming they can maintain their momentum and sustain the excellent staffing that momentum requires.

I am optimistic!  Here’s hoping Americans and South Carolinians continue to be home ownership people. And here’s hoping 2017 is a healthy, happy and prosperous year for you!

The housing industry is crying Bah! Humbug!

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Congress may eliminate mortgage interest deduction

Mike Goodwin, the “Bow Tie Comedian” based here in Columbia, mike-goodwin-bowtie-comedianentertained us during lunch at our recent Chicago Title seminar. A joke that bubbled up through his very funny presentation was a line his mother used to keep him on the straight and narrow during his childhood, “what you NOT gonna do is…..”

For example, she would say, what you NOT gonna do is to stand there and hold that refrigerator door open while you try to decide what you want to eat. During one lull in the laughter, Mike said to us, “what you NOT gonna do is sit there and not laugh at my jokes.” (So we laughed.)

While some of us believe America is about to be made great again, some of us might like to borrow Mike’s line to deliver a Bah! Humbug! message to Congress:  What you NOT gonna do is to eliminate, or effectively reduce the effectiveness of, the mortgage interest deduction. Many homebuilders, lenders and real estate agents (and South Carolina dirt lawyers) believe that’s one thing we don’t need 2017.

The mortgage interest deduction is a major driver of the housing market. One reason American dreamers strive for home ownership is to take advantage of this tax break. That, along with the property tax deduction, the points deduction, the PMI deduction and the home office deduction, make owning a home a wise move from a tax standpoint. Eliminating or reducing the effectiveness of the home interest deduction, which many consider as American as apple pie, might put a damper on the improved economy we have been experiencing in 2016.

But that approach is definitely going to be under consideration by Congress, and players in the housing industry are preparing to defend the deduction. The plan under consideration involves not a direct elimination of the deduction, but an indirect attack via an increase of the standardized deductions, now at $6,300 for a single taxpayer and $12,600 for married taxpayers filing jointly. By doubling these standard deductions, many taxpayers would have no need to take the mortgage interest deduction.

The mortgage interest deduction is the largest deduction currently available to homeowners, allowing a write-off of interest from up to a $500,000 loan for a single taxpayer and up to a $1 million loan for joint filers. The deduction is especially important during the early years of a mortgage when the majority of payments are applied to interest rather than principal.

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“Congress … what you NOT gonna do is … “

If a single taxpayer pays mortgage interest of $8,000 in the first of home ownership, for example, that amount exceeds the current standard deduction of $6,300, and that taxpayer would itemize to claim a better tax break. If the standardized deduction is doubled, itemization is much less likely.

President-Elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, has stated that the administration is planning to create the largest tax change since Reagan. Simplifying the tax code is one of the stated objectives, and a larger standard deduction is one method of simplification. In addition to the mortgage interest deduction, the charitable deduction would be affected in a similar manner.  Some say that as the standard deduction goes up, the incentive to give is reduced.

Any step that would reduce incentives for homeownership would likely encourage renting rather than buying. Home values might suffer, and the housing industry might suffer as well.

All Americans are interested in the changes that are about to happen, and those of us in the housing industry may be more interested than most! I have already seen prognosticators reducing their optimism about 2017, but I just got off the phone with a local wise man. He said that I should relax. 2017 is going to be a banner year, he said, because America is going to be great again. I hope he’s right!

New DOI rule: SC title insurance agents must be fingerprinted (Lawyers included!)

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Listen up, South Carolina dirt lawyers!

All title insurance agents must be fingerprinted for their next license renewals! The Department of Insurance has passed a new rule, effective January 1, 2017, requiring fingerprinting for all resident producers.

The DOI published a bulletin which you can read here. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has established a contract with IdentoGo by MorphoTrust to handle the fingerprinting process. All title insurance agents will need to go to this company’s website, www.IdentoGo.com, to set up an appointment to be fingerprinted. Your zip code will be used to find the most convenient location.

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It is important that you do not wait until the month your license renews to begin this process. The bulletin advises that scheduling and processing may take up to ninety days. The cost for fingerprinting is $50.50.

Every lawyer’s first question is going to be, can’t they use my fingerprints from my Bar application?  The answer, we have been told verbally, is absolutely not. The DOI is emphatic that it will not accept fingerprinting from any other agency nor any other vendor. Every lawyer’s second question is going to be, does this apply to my staff members who are licensed agents?  It does.

Nonresident producers are not required to be fingerprinted.

As a reminder, licenses are renewed in your birth month. If you were born in an odd-numbered year, your next renewal will be in 2017.  If you were born in January or February of an odd-numbered year, you may be late if you haven’t already begun this process.  For those born in even-numbered years, you are safe until 2018.

Good luck!  Call your title insurance company if you have questions or need assistance.