Committee Name

Responsibilities

Membership on Committee

Allied Industries Committee

Chair:   Shelley Stewart

Southern Title Holding Company

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The FLTA bylaws create the Allied Industry Committee, which is responsible for maintaining an open dialogue with the government/legislative affairs representatives of the Florida Association of Realtors, the Florida Home Building Association, the Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the RPPTL Section of the Florida Bar and other similar organizations.

Membership includes the President, the Past President, and the Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee.   The President may appoint other members to the committee.

Bylaws Committee

Chair:   Pat Hancock

Fidelity National Title Insurance

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The FLTA bylaws create the Bylaws Committee.   All motions and resolutions involving changes in or amendments to the Bylaws are referred to the Bylaws Committee for study.   The Bylaws committee then reports and makes recommendations for bylaws changes at the annual convention or at any special or mid-year meeting.

Membership on this committee is appointed by the President

Claims Prevention, Avoidance and Education Committee.

Chair:   Marty Solomon

Carlton Fields, P.A.

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The purpose of this Committee is to educate the membership in matters of claims avoidance and prevention and other claims matters.  The committee coordinates the annual FLTA Claims Round Table at which high-level discussions occur between senior claims officials and outside counsel.

Membership is appointed by the President

Convention Committee

Chair:   Robin Cardella

Old Republic Title

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The Convention Committee is responsible for assisting the incoming President, the Executive Director and Board of Directors in making arrangements for the annual FLTA convention.

Chair appointed by the President with the advice of the incoming President

Education Committee

Chair:   Debi Smith

Fidelity National Title

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The Education Committee works with FLTA staff to develop continuing education and other educational materials for the members, and to coordinate the presentation of those materials at the annual FLTA convention, zone meetings and elsewhere.

Appointed by the President

Finance Committee

Chair:   Charles Combs

First American Title Insurance Co.

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The finance committee is established in the bylaws and charged with making a monthly review of the accuracy and completeness of the books and records of the Association, monitoring of cash flow, the annual preparation of a budget of the Association’s expenses for submission to and approval by the Board of Directors, and in general, oversight to all matters relating to the finances of the Association.  It is responsible to and reports to the Board of Directors of the Association. 

The current President is automatically a member of the Finance Committee.   Other members are nominated by the Nominating Committee. 

Forms Committee

Chair:   Karla Staker

Fidelity National Title

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The Forms Committee is part of the Title Insurer Section, but includes a representative appointed by the Agents’ Section chair.   The Committee monitors the work of the ALTA forms committee and works in conjunction with our state regulators on the adoption and modification of title insurance forms.   It also periodically coordinates the updating of the Florida Mutual Indemnification Agreement (the “Treaty”).

Members are appointed by the Chair of the Insurer Section, with one member appointed by the Chair of the Agents’ Section.

Fraud Prevention Committee

Chair:   Mary Orme

North American Title

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The mission of the Fraud Prevention Committee is to track and educate our members on the types of frauds and criminal activities affecting Florida’s real estate industries.   Handling large sums of other people’s money, makes title agents the target of certain types of frauds and sometimes unwitting facilitators of others.   The committee strives to increase the level of knowledge regarding frauds and how the are perpetrated to help FLTA members avoid becoming victims.

The Chair is appointed by the President.  Other members by the Committee Chair.

Governmental Affairs and Judiciary Committee

Chair:   Ted Conner

Attorneys’ Title Fund Services

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The Governmental Affairs and Judiciary Committee is charged in the bylaws with monitoring legislation, laws, court and regulatory decisions which affect the title business in Florida and reporting on those to the Executive Director and the Board.

The Committee works with the Executive Director to recommend FLTA’s annual legislative positions to the Board, and prepares legislative proposals and amicus filings.

Under the bylaws, membership on this committee is restricted and evenly balanced between representatives of title insurers and Agent and Abstracter Section members.

In practice, any interested FLTA member is invited to join in the work and activities of this committee, although technically voting on highly controversial matters could be limited to its “formal” members.

Legislative Action Committee

Chair:  

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In our Bylaws, the Legislative Action Committee is charged with encouraging and stimulating title professionals to participate in governmental and political affairs and develop and maintain personal relationships with their elected officials. The duties also include organizing industry members for more effective political action and supporting candidates who understand and are supportive of the title industry and the real estate economy (without regard to political affiliation).

Appointed by the President

Lender Instruction Review Committee

Chair: Paula Atkerson

Southern Title Holding  Company

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The Chair is appointed by the President. Other members by the Committee Chair.

Membership Committee

Chair:   Elaine Black

North American Title

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The Membership Committee is charged in the Bylaws with expanding the membership in FLTA through the recruitment of qualified potential members.   This committee will be leading and coordinating the upcoming membership drive.

Appointed by the President and automatically includes each of the Zone Vice Presidents.

Nominating Committee

Chair:   Pat Hancock

Fidelity National Title

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Under the FLTA Bylaws, a Nominating Committee researches candidates and makes its nominations for all elected offices of the Association.  It then makes its report and recommendations at the FLTA annual convention.

In making its recommendations, the committee is charged with assuring a broad representation of companies among elected offices, while striving to balance the composition of the board equally between insurer members and title insurance agent members.

The Certified Land Title Institute Section determines its own officers.

Under the Bylaws, the Nominating Committee is composed of the four most recent Past Presidents in good standing.  The immediate Past President serves as committee chair.

Rules Redrafting

Subcommittee Chairs

·   Data Call – Homer Duvall

Fidelity National Title Insurance

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·   Rate Simplification – Barry Scholnik

Stewart Title Guaranty

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·   Forms Approval and Rate Setting – Jim Russick

Old Republic Title

e-mail Jim

·   Definitions – John LaJoie

First American Title

e-mail John

Newsletter with more information on this project

In 2010, FLTA approached officials at the Office of Insurance Regulation and the Department of Financial Services and proposed a systematic review of the title insurance rules and changes as appropriate.  A highly talented committee of agents and insurer representatives undertook this task and broke themselves into four subcommittees, each with its own chair:

Because this type of systemic review builds on itself, the committee is not seeking new members at this time.

Suspicious Activities & Persons Committee

Chair:   Deb Boyd

First American Title Insurance Co.

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Florida law creates a limited protection against libel & slander claims when certain approved employees of an insurer share information intended to help avoid crimes, fraud or insurance losses.   The “SAP” committee was formed as the vehicle for insurers to share information about suspected and attempted frauds before they have been proven – and this shared information often forms the basis of underwriter Caveats.

Membership on this committee is limited to the employees of an insurer who are registered with the state to receive the information and be protected from libel and slander claims.