​Kelly Blue Book has launched a residential real estate platform that offers homeowners free, data-driven home valuations. The platform also functions to generate leads for real estate agent subscribers. The platform is a joint venture between valuation and appraisal technology firm True Footage and Cox Enterprises, the parent of Kelly Blue Book.  The Kelly Blue Book Home Affiliated Business Arrangement Disclosure (ABAD) states that Kelley Blue Book Homes does not act as a real estate broker, mortgage lender, or settlement service provider. 
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Homeowners who submit property details and condition photos through the KBB Homes platform receive a report with a low-to-high estimated value range. The company is targeting accuracy within 3% of a final sale price. The report is classified as a broker price opinion rather than a licensed appraisal.  

The FBI has issued a public service announcement (Alert No. I-061626-PSA) warning of an identity theft scheme in which criminals pose as the owners of vacant land parcels and attempt to sell the property out from under them – without the true owner ever knowing.

Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), recently announced an upcoming expansion of the title waiver program that started in 2024. Director Pulte posted the announcement on X, the social media platform.

In 1998 the CLTA filed the CLTA Homeowner’s Policy of Title Insurance. That policy was revolutionary in that it covered the risk that someone claims a right affecting a homeowner’s title because of a post-policy forgery or impersonation. That same year the CLTA policy was adopted by the ALTA.

The title insurance industry generated $4.5 billion nationwide in title insurance premiums during the first quarter of 2026 compared to $3.9 billion during the same period a year ago, according to ALTA’s latest Market Share Analysis. 

Last Thursday Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.52%. The survey is focused on conventional, conforming, fully amortizing home purchase loans for borrowers who put 20% down and have excellent credit. 

Two Democrats are poised to face each other in the November general election for Insurance Commissioner after leading in the vote count. Jane Kim is former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, while Ben Allen is a California state Senator. 

​In October 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 1345, which went into effect on January 1, 2024. Sponsored by Attorney General Bonta and strongly supported by the CLTA, AB 1345 imposed a two-year limit on residential exclusive listing agreements and clarifies that these agreements cannot be filed with a county recorder.

The Real Brokerage is acquiring Re//Max Holdings in a deal valued at roughly $880 million, including debt, creating one of the largest tech-enabled real estate platforms. In California the Real Brokerage operates Surfline Escrow and also provides title services in certain states where it is licensed.

The legal battle over FinCEN’s Residential Real Estate Reporting Rule is entering a new phase, as Fidelity National Financial Inc. and Fidelity National Title Insurance Co., on April 17th, appealed a federal court ruling that upheld the regulation.  Notice of appeal deadlines need to be meet to preserve the rights of the appealing party.