April 11, 2025
In This Issue:
- Texas Legislature 89th Session Update: Texas Senate Passes TLTA Supported County Clerk Recording Fee Bill, Legislative Committee Chair Steve Streiff Testifies in Support of SB 1810
- FinCEN Removes BOI / CTA Reporting Requirements for U.S. Companies and U.S. Persons
Texas Legislature 89th Session Update: Memorandum of Contract Notices, Deed Fraud, Other Updates on Priority Legislation
TLTA | April 10, 2025
Less than 53 days remain in the Texas Legislature's 89th Session. And we're only a month out from the first
legislative deadlines that come into play at the end of a session. Emergency items, such as
property tax reform, and must-do activities, like
approving a state budget for the upcoming biennium, continue to plod ahead and dominate many of the behind the scenes negotiations that impact every policy area Capitol-wide.
Legislation important to our industry continues working its way through the legislative process, and TLTA's Advocacy team, including industry volunteers, wait for hours in committee rooms or outside legislators offices for the opportunity to communicate our priorities on behalf of our industry and the state's real estate market.
TLTA Vice President of Government Relations and Counsel Aaron Day testifies in support of HB 4063, the bill on Memorandum of Contract Notices included among TLTA's affirmative legislative agenda
Increasingly, title agents are noticing the existence of Memorandum of Contracts on residential properties. These notices are creating complications at the closing table and opportunities for abuse.
It has been reported that often the filer of the notice will extract payment unrelated to the terms of the contract to “simply go away.” In these instances, the Memorandum of Contract perpetuates a form of “greenmail”, taking advantage of the duress the Seller faces in a property sale transaction. Learn more about HB 4063 via
TLTA's one-pager, or review the
bill language.
On Wednesday, TLTA Vice President of Government Relations and Counsel Aaron Day testified on HB 4063. Click the image below to
watch Aaron's testimony:
Click image above to watch Aaron Day's testimony
TLTA Board Member Leslie S. Johnson, CTIP, testifies in support of the Deed Fraud Self-Help Bill (SB 1734), which is among TLTA's affirmative legislative agenda priorities for the 89th Session
Real-estate fraud, specifically deed fraud, is on the rise, and SB 1734 would create a relief mechanism for parties harmed by these crimes modeled on an existing fraudulent liens statute in the Government Code. Learn more about SB 1734 via
TLTA's one-pager, or review the
bill language.
SB 1734 was heard in the Senate's Jurisprudence Committee earlier this week. You can
watch Leslie's testimony by clicking the image below.
Note: This video also includes comments by The Honorable John Warren, Dallas County Clerk and President of Texas County and District's Clerk Association. TLTA and our partners in this deed fraud self-help endeavor have worked closely with Dallas County and the clerk's association to win support for this bill among lawmakers.
Click image above to watch Leslie S. Johnson's testimony
TLTA provides testimony on SBs 647 and 648 regarding negotiated changes important to our industry and operations of Texas's real estate market
On Thursday, TLTA Vice President of Government Relations and Counsel Aaron Day testified on
SB 647 and
SB 648. While these are not bills TLTA is actively supporting, they are great examples of the work we do throughout the session to help lawmakers amend their bills in the name of better real estate transactions.
You can watch Aaron's brief testimony on SB 647 by clicking the image below:
Click image above to watch Aaron Day's testimony on SB 647
In the following recording of
Aaron's testimony on SB 648, he explains why TLTA is speaking "on" these bills, rather than "for" these bills:
Click image above to watch Aaron Day's testimony on SB 648
TLTA’s affirmative legislative agenda for the 89th Session
TLTA's advocacy team is supporting passage of the following bills during the 89th Legislative Session. These statutory changes would improve real estate transactions statewide:
Memorandum of Contract - HB 4063 (Ordaz)
HB 4063 »
Review TLTA's one-pager on this legislation »
Negotiated Rulemaking Implementation - SB 2433 (Parker), SB 2861 (Hughes)
SB 2433 »
SB 2861 »
Deed Fraud Self Help - SB 1734 (West) and HB 4531 (Bhojani)
SB 1734 »
HB 4531 »
Review TLTA's one-pager on this legislation »
Statistical Report Deadlines - SB 1810 (Schwertner) and HB 3502 (Rep. King) Note: Amended language expected pending stakeholder input.
SB 1810 »
HB 3502 »
Review TLTA's one-pager on this legislation »
County Clerk Recording Fee - SB 1547 (Zaffirini) and HB 3733 (Orr)
SB 1547 »
HB 3733 »
Review TLTA’s one-pager on this legislation »
You can find the status of the bills listed above here.
These affirmative legislative agenda items were approved by TLTA's Board of Directors as recommended by our Legislative Committee, which is chaired by Steve Streiff. These statutory changes would improve real estate transactions statewide.
Legislation TLTA's Advocacy Team Is Tracking
Bills related to adverse possession, land use, HOA's and more have been filed by lawmakers.
Review the 89th Session Bills of Interest your TLTA Advocacy Team is tracking this session.
Questions About TLTA's Legislative Process?
TLTA's Legislative Committee, Local Legislative Liaisons, our industry's grassroots network and the TLTA PAC Board of Governors are all part of TLTA's team of engaged legislative advocates.
Learn More About TLTA's Legislative Process and How You Can Get Involved »
ICYMI: Recent Info Security Threats and Insights
Genady Vishnevetskye - Stewart Title Guaranty Co. | March - April 2025
Genady Vishnevetskye, Chief Info Security Officer for Stewart Title Guaranty Company, continues to share with our community warning and insights on the latest cybersecurity threats. Here are the latest, in case you missed them:
Auth-Based Phishing Attacks: A New Twist on an Old Trick »
Tails of the Email Flood Attack »