California has built a reputation as a heavily regulated state with a  complex system of laws and rules, no matter what part of the economy or society being discussed. So it’s probably no surprise to learn that, when it comes to property fees, taxes and other influences on creating an accurate Loan Estimate and closing, California is one of the trickier places in which to do it.

LLL had the pleasure of visiting with Briana Ings, Head of Product and Design and Snapdocs. Briana told us that she’s seen a lot of progress in the mortgage and title industry in the past five years in terms of updating, implementing and embracing new and better technology.

So this is our 100th Deeper Thoughts. Almost two years of content. LodeStar Reports is even older than that. Hopefully, you’ve seen the quality of content grow as our company and subscriber/readership base has.  The more we’ve listened to you, the more things we’ve written about and the more, hopefully, we’ve all learned.

LLL had the pleasure of visiting with Melissa Johnson Eldridge recently. Melissa is the President of NEMA Online Signing Solutions & Consultants as well as the creator of NEMA’s Online Notary Training. At a time when topics like Remote Online Notary (RON) closings are taking center stage, Melissa is certainly in the center of the action!

We recently hosted Wes Williams, an attorney and leading expert on cryptocurrency and blockchain, on LLL. The conversation was fascinating—you should check it out if you get the chance.

We recently visited with cryptocurrency and blockchain expert, Wes Williams, attorney at RELAW, APC. Wes also has roots in the title and real estate industry, so we talked a bit about where, if and how blockchain could eventually fit in our space.

We’ve gotten a lot of great news here at LodeStar recently. Some of it we’ll share soon. But for starters, we’ve just learned that, for the second straight year, we’re a member of the Philadelphia100®. You may recall that this list is comprised of the 100 fastest growing, privately held businesses in the greater Philadelphia region.

We recently had a return visit with the dynamic Josh Pitts, CEO or S.H.R.E.D. (Show up. Hustle. Repeat. Every Day!) The next 30 minutes were, as always, a great combination of high energy and compelling conversation—as is always the case when it comes to Josh!

Many users of LodeStar’s closing cost calculator use it in most or all of the states they do business. However, it’s telling to note that, of all of our single-state users—title companies that prefer to do their LEs and closing cost estimates by hand—the vast majority use it for the state of New York.