Dear Members, I hope this message finds you well. I would like to take a moment to highlight the success of our recent in-person meeting held on April 15th. We were fortunate to have Matthew Davis, Esq. join us as our guest speaker, where he provided an insightful and timely update on the current status of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Anti-Money Laundering (AML) implementation. As many of you are aware, the rollout continues to face delays, and his perspective helped clarify where things currently stand and what we can anticipate moving forward. In addition to the AML discussion, Mr. Davis addressed critical compliance concerns impacting our industry today, including the ongoing scrutiny surrounding illegal escrow kickbacks and the importance of avoiding the exchange of anything of value as a means to solicit or retain business.

These are not only regulatory concerns but also matters that go to the core of our professionalism and integrity as escrow practitioners. His guidance served as an important reminder that maintaining ethical standards is essential to protecting both our clients and our industry.

We are committed to continuing these important conversations, and I encourage all of you to join us for our upcoming in-person meeting on June 17, 2026. This meeting will be held at the The Old Spaghetti Factory in Fullerton. Our guest speakers will be focusing on fraud—specifically addressing why escrow companies continue to fall victim to fraudsters and, most importantly, how we can better protect ourselves and our clients from these evolving threats.

As always, our goal as an association is to provide you with relevant, practical, and actionable information that supports your success and safeguards your business. I look forward to seeing many of you in June as we continue to learn, grow, and strengthen our community together.

Warm regards,
Denise Hueth
President
Orange County Escrow Association