Data security

Wire fraud is considered a consumer and title agent issue, but the millions of dollars it's diverting from home purchase transactions make it an issue mortgage lenders need to address, too.

Fintech adoption among real estate and title agents is accelerating, though their optimism on the housing market has tanked, according to First American Financial Corp.

A man from Hialeah, Fla., will face sentencing in November after pleading guilty to conspiracy in an $8 million mortgage and tax-refund scheme.

Wire fraud committed through business email compromise schemes has emerged as a serious threat to mortgage and real estate transactions. Defending against these scams requires a comprehensive strategy that includes technology, training and nonstop vigilance.

Fraudsters can track a home sale from the moment it goes on the market until the deal closes, make these transactions a ripe target for business email compromise scams that seek to intercept wire transfers and steal from legitimate participants in a deal.

Post-crisis measures made it harder for rogue borrowers and employees to commit fraud. Now, a new threat has emerged from scammers posing as title agents, real estate professionals and more.

Capital One's dispute with Plaid raised questions about the ability of banks and aggregators to work together. But the end of that fight, and Capital One's deal with Finicity, show common ground can be reached — eventually.

Wire and other payments fraud affected a record number of businesses last year, and the FBI is warning in particular about real estate scams.

Credit reporting firms with significant operations in New York will face new cybersecurity and registration requirements to stave off concerns related to a breach of Equifax's systems last year.

Startup Block66 is using blockchain to create a mortgage audit trail for fraud prevention purposes and also plans to enable trading of securities lenders can use to increase their liquidity.