This May don’t forget to celebrate "May the 4th Be with You" – a fun holiday celebrating the biggest movie franchise in history, Star Wars! It's a story of the Jedi vs. the Sith, Rebels vs. the Empire, and Good vs. Evil - which reminds us of our galactic fight vs. hackers!
Much like the Jedi, we’re locked in an endless battle against evil, and much like the Sith, that evil can clone itself, change, and adapt to our defenses. That means we must be ready for anything.
Here are a few ways we’re helping protect you against the evils of the galaxy!
Our secure portal is like flying your ship through hyperspace to deliver your secure documents. Unlike traditional document delivery, such as emails or fax, our secure portal uses multi-factor authentication to ensure all communication between us and your customers is secure and cannot be intercepted.
Mortgage payoffs are at a heightened risk from those determined to turn to the dark side. While other title companies are fighting against a barrage of fake payoffs sent via email or text, we’ve centralized our mortgage payoffs, like a hidden rebel base. If the payoff doesn’t come from our secure hidden base, we blast it into deep space.
All the security processes above would mean nothing if they failed when we needed them, so we rely on our SOC1 and SOC2 certification to help ensure we keep the odds of anything going wrong as close to zero to possible. Annually, these reports test and prod at our systems, like firing lasers at ourselves to test our shields. The SOC 1 report audits our ability to keep our customer’s financial information secure, and the SOC 2 tests our compliance for security, confidentiality, and privacy.
Those are just a few of the ways we’re fighting the never-ending galactic battle against outside forces coming after your customer’s money. If you'd like to find out how else we can help you, call us today to set up a meeting with one of our Jedi. They are truly experts - and not bad with a lightsaber either!
Amy Gregory (CAO), Andrea Somers (Compliance Officer), and Jay Roberts (CTO), of Florida Agency Network were awarded the widely recognized CAMS® credential by the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists® (ACAMS®), the world’s leading organization of professionals in the anti- money laundering (AML) field.
The CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) designation is awarded to professionals who successfully complete a rigorous examination demonstrating their aptitude and expertise in anti-money laundering detection and enforcement. The examination covers money laundering and terrorist financing methods, the best practices to stop these and other financial crimes, as well as key related legislation in place worldwide, global AML standards and developing defenses for financial institutions to stop terrorist financing and money laundering.
“Earning the CAMS credential places the successful candidate in an elite group of AML professionals and assures employers in the private and public sectors that they are working with someone with the essential knowledge and background in this crucial and challenging field,” said Timothy D. McClinton, President & Managing Director of ACAMS.
“With more FinCEN geographic targeting orders coming on a regular basis now, we thought it was incredibly important to stay ahead of the curve and be one of the first Title Agencies in the country to achieve this. This credential, along with our SOC 1 and 2, also helps us meet our company goal of providing clients with security to close with any of our brands,” stated Aaron Davis, CEO for Florida Agency Network.
“Achieving this credential is a major accomplishment for us. It further solidifies our company’s commitment to not only providing a safer environment for our customers but also helping to provide a more stable financial landscape in the industry," said Andrea Somers, Compliance Officer for Florida Agency Network.
Founded in 2001, ACAMS is the largest international membership organization dedicated to enhancing the knowledge and expertise of AML/CTF and financial crime detection and prevention professionals. ACAMS’ mission is to provide a global platform for career development for leading professionals in the AML field. ACAMS gives members the insight, information and inspiration they need to protect their institutions against the threat of money laundering, terrorist financing and related financial crime, and the tools to advance their skills and keep the AML professional ahead of those that engage in these criminal activities. CAMS is the most widely recognized AML certification among compliance professionals worldwide.
For more information, please visit www.acams.org.
Florida Agency Network is proud to announce Matthew Froning as its new Chief Information Security Officer.
With over 20 years in the Information Security industry, Matt brings a unique background that includes a deep technical experience along with an understanding of balancing security and operations. Matt has led the charge for improving security processes and procedures for organizations while tightening controls to protect from cyberattacks.
“We are pleased to welcome Matthew to our team. His reputation, expertise and intimate knowledge of industry best practices will allow us to design and deploy a best-in-class, global security strategy," said Aaron M. Davis, CEO of Florida Agency Network.
Matt will drive FAN's existing information security program, and collaborate with the industry to implement best practices on information security. These complex cyber strategy solutions and partnerships will ensure Florida Agency Network has the most effective, broad security postures.
For more information on how FAN and Matt can help your agency, contact us.
To read the full announcement, click here.
Last week, Florida Agency Network (FAN) announced its launch of The Closing Manager.
Partnering with Premier Data Services, the secure collaboration portal combines wire fraud security best practices with the benefits of a consumer-friendly closing experience.
"The Closing Manager minimizes the cyber footprint of a transaction and extends industry best practices through to the consumers at a time when it is needed most," said Chief Technology Officer of Premier Data Services, Jay Roberts.
With features like secured chat, multi-factor authentication, and two-way document sharing, The Closing Manager reduces email exposure and the chances of clients becoming victims of cyber crimes.
To see the full feature on The Title Report's website, click HERE.
You can read the official announcement HERE.
For more information on how the Closing Manager can help your agency, contact Jay Roberts at jay.roberts@premierdataservices.com.
Today, Florida Agency Network (FAN) announced its launch of The Closing Manager. Partnering with Premier Data Services, the secure collaboration portal combines wire fraud security best practices with the benefits of a consumer-friendly closing experience.
"The Closing Manager minimizes the cyber footprint of a transaction and extends industry best practices through to the consumers at a time when it is needed most," said Chief Technology Officer of Premier Data Services, Jay Roberts.
To see the full feature on ALTA's website, click HERE.
To see the original announcement, click HERE.
For more information on how the Closing Manager can help your agency, contact Jay Roberts at jay.roberts@premierdataservices.com.
Tampa, Fla. – January 18, 2018 – The Florida Agency Network announces the completion of its Closing Manager collaboration portal with the help of their IT partner Premier Data Services. The Closing Manager has features that bridge wire fraud security best practices with the benefits of a consumer-friendly closing experience. Consumers, real-estate agents, and other parties to the transaction can minimize their email exposure when utilizing the Closing Manager.
“We surveyed and gathered data on Florida Agency Network’s clients to see if portal sentiment in the real-estate community had shifted. With the recent spike in wire fraud activity, we received overwhelming support from both directing and non-directing agents,” says Jay Roberts, Chief Technology Officer for Premier Data Services. “In fact, the percentage of those in favor continually increased each quarter over the past year. The Closing Manager minimizes the cyber footprint of a transaction and extends industry best practices through to the consumers at a time when it is needed most.”
Traditionally, collaboration portals have struggled to gain adoption by real estate agents who direct most transactions and have become the primary target of cyber-crime. However, with the rampant escalation in business email compromise (BEC), the security features associated with the Closing Manager provide clients with a safe-haven to conduct business and protect all components of the transaction. These features include:
With fraud and cyber-crime increasingly impacting the real estate industry on a national level, the market has welcomed the adoption of collaboration portals with security tools like those offered by the Closing Manager.
Mike LaRosa, Chief Operating Officer for Florida Agency Network says, “With cyber fraud rampant in the title insurance industry over the past few years, the only responsible reaction appears to be securing transactions at the individual level. Compromised email attacks and social engineering have become highly sophisticated, and we in the industry have too much to risk. We deal with non-public personal information (NPPI) and significant amounts of escrowed funds on a daily basis. The move to individually-secured, portal-based communications seems like the most logical step in countering the current barrage of daily cyber-attack attempts.”
PLANT CITY, Fla. – Florida Agency Network, (FAN), the largest network of title agencies in Florida, has completed a meticulous third-party examination of its data security and privacy policies and procedures under the Service Organization Controls (SOC) 1 Type 2 standards.
The demanding third-party examinations were administered by the professional IT assurance and compliance staff at 360 Advanced, a respected national Qualified Security Assessor, HITRUST CSF Assessor and Certified Public Accountant firm based in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Companies that complete annual SOC 1 assessments can demonstrate a substantially higher level of security assurance and operational visibility as compared to those companies without an assessment. The assessment focuses on the internal controls impacting customers and the protection of their non-public personal information (NPPI).
“Proving up to date compliance with SOC 1 Type 2 is a rigorous process for all involved. I am proud that FAN completed our annual assessment successfully and believe that it affords us a competitive advantage,” said Andrea Somers, Compliance Officer for FAN. She added that the staff at 360 Advanced is “knowledgeable, detailed, and a pleasure to work with.”
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