Our Annual Meetings are renown for the good fellowship and social amity that pervades the event.  We also provide valuable professional information, which justifies the time away from the office.

I have been asked to provide two of the presentations for download and you will find them on this Members Web site.

Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae economist presented a dazzling array of data about the economy in general and the factors driving the housing market. Go to GOVERNMENT>FEDERAL using the top navigation or click this link: http://nyslta.site-ym.com/?page=GoveFederal and scroll down .

Bill Burding of Orange Coast Title and a Member of the ALTA Board of Governors gave us the latest on how ALTA is viewing and addressing the challenges of CFPB and TRID.  Go to RESOURCES>COMPLIANCE SUPPORT or click this link: https://nyslta.site-ym.com/?page=Compliance

Both of these presentations have timely information, which means as the weeks and months roll on the accuracy will diminish. We intend to remove these links in a few months so if you need the slides and cannot download them, call the NYSLTAStaff at 212-964-3701.

[Its August. I thought this might amuse and be thought provoking.] 

Important Lessons From Monkeys

You start with a cage containing four monkeys, and inside the cage you hang a banana on a string, and then you place a set of stairs under the banana.

Before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana.

You then spray ALL the monkeys with cold water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt.  As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray ALL the monkeys with cold water.

Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water.

Remove one monkey from the cage and replace  it with a new monkey.

The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb  the stairs. To his shock, ALL of the other monkeys beat the crap out of  him.

After another attempt and attack,  he knows that if he tries to climb  the stairs he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original four monkeys, replacing it with a new monkey.

The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked.

The previous  newcomer takes part in the punishment – with enthusiasm --  because he is  now part of the "team.”

Then, replace a third original monkey with a new monkey, followed by the fourth.

Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.

Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs.    Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

Having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water.

Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana.

Why, you ask? Because in their minds, that is the way it has always been!


DISCLAIMER:   This is meant as no disrespect to monkeys.

Published in the State Register July 1 2015, emergency regulation 206 has been extended 45 another 45 days.

The State Administrative Procedures Act (SAPA) allows a regulation to be renewed on an emergency basis for one year. Regulation 206 was first adopted September 27, 2014.

Individuals and business entities subject to regulation should be mindful that an emergency regulation has the full force and authority law.

We have created a collection of files for you to use in our campaign to prevent the adoption of regulation 208.  You can access the tool kit on the MEMBER ADVOCACY page in the main navigation.

You can also select the files from the list below. 

The Executive Committee (EC) will meet in a limited attendance session on Tuesday June 9.  Only EC Members will participate in a strategy and planning session.

On Thursday June 11, there will be a meeting on Long Island open to all Members at 10 AM.  The meeting is at the Holiday Inn-Westbury, 369 Old Country Road, Carle Place, NY. There will be an update on developments regarding regulation 208, an oral report of the Tuesday EC meeting and the Membership at large will comment and discuss in an open forum.

On Friday, the EC will conduct a telephone meeting if needed to consider and vote on a motion for a revised strategy and action plan that incorporates the deliberations from the 6/9 meeting and the comments from the 6/11 meeting.

This extraordinary format is called for due to the complexity of the issues, the sensitivity of certain information and the short time remaining to address proposed regulation 208.

As Executive Director, it is my intention that this approach will enable the EC to do their best work and allow the Membership at large a voice in the decision process.

You can voice your opinion about this approach in the comments section of this blog and in the Idea Box on the Welcome tab.