ALTA Elite Providers Form Affiliation to Offer Best Practices Compliance Solution

March 15, 2016

PYA (Pershing Yoakley & Associates PC) , Real Estate Data Shield, and Security Compliance Associates have entered into an elite affiliation that offers real estate settlement service providers including title agents, settlement agents, attorneys, escrow companies, notaries, etc., a single-source compliance solution.

These three American Land Title Association (ALTA) Elite Providers have come together to deliver Certification+,a package of information technology, cybersecurity, education and industry-specific compliance solutions. The Certification+ brand offers a discounted security and compliance bundled service aimed at satisfying the regulatory and compliance requirements for each of the seven pillars of ALTA’s Title Insurance and Settlement Company Best Practices to meet both lender and regulator mandates.   

“Our goal is to assist both lenders and service providers by streamlining the certification process with a bundled compliance package and single point of contact under an easily-recognized brand name,” said Mike Shamblin, managing principal of audit & assurance services with PYA. “Certification+ is the brand that will deliver an unparalleled, lender-oriented certification package, which includes employee education, seven-pillar certification and cyber/information security compliance.”

Chris Gulotta, CEO of Real Estate Data Shield, added “As lenders, regulators, and title insurance underwriters escalate their certification requirements to ensure that personal information and settlement funds are secure, our companies have joined forces to make it easier for agents and attorneys to complete ALTA Best Practices certification while meeting GLBA compliance requirements. Offering a one-stop-shop for a suite of compliance services through industry-leading organizations makes sense for all industry stakeholders—from lenders, to service providers, and ultimately to consumers.”

The Certification+ brand includes the following suite of services:

  • E-Learning Data Security Staff Training
  • Best Practices Assessment and Certification of Pillars No. 1 through 7
  • GLBA Gap Analysis and Compliance
  • Policy Templates
  • Internal/External Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing…and more

“Our brands are the leading companies in the settlement arena, and we have each independently built our reputations on offering superior solutions that are competitively priced,” commented Jim Brahm, CEO of Security Compliance Associates. “We are thrilled to offer an all-inclusive compliance package to the settlement market that ensures compliance, information and cyber security, and ultimately peace of mind for our clients.”

The leadership team from the Certification+ member companies serves on the ALTA Best Practices Task Force, Technology, Audit, Education, Membership and Public Relations Committees. Members are frequently asked to speak at the leading industry conferences on topics relating to Best Practices, cybersecurity, lender oversight, and federal and state information security laws, rules and regulations. In addition, many have executive-level experience as service providers, and have helped shape the Certification+ process and solution to meet the precise needs of lenders, title underwriters, and regulators, in a flexible manner that can be customized for clients of all sizes, the companies said in a release.


Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or [email protected].