Pillar 3: Securing Electronic Data

The core of Pillar 3 involves maintaining the safety of electronic information. As title agents, we collect Nonpublic Personal Information (NPI) from our clients and other involved parties, including Social Security numbers and drivers license copies. Protecting this sensitive data is crucial, and any title agency you consider working with should willingly share their methods for doing so. Here are five primary ALTA Best Practices for settlement agents:

Background Checks for Anyone With Access to NPI

Our stringent hiring practices ensure the trustworthy nature of our employees. In addition to thorough credit and criminal background inquiries, a trained professional performs a personal character assessment on each candidate. We repeat background assessments every three years to uphold our high standards, and we also develop relationships with all our staff to know them beyond facts and figures.

Only Authorized Employees Have Access to NPI

We have numerous security protocols to protect NPI:

•Employees follow "clean desk" policies to prevent casual observance of NPI documents.

•All paper documents are scanned for storage and then shredded.

•Access to sensitive information requires a username and a complex password, which is changed frequently.

•Systems to detect and prevent network intrusions, anti-virus software and other security controls protect our internal network.

Have a Thorough Disaster Recovery Plan

We have a detailed recovery plan to return to full operations within 24 hours of any emergency situation. Documentation is available for review upon request.

Regularly Seek Out and Identify Risks to NPI

Our quarterly reviews of potential internal and external threats allow us to update procedures and protocols at the first sign of vulnerability.

Ensure That Outsourced Services Meet the Company's Own Standards

When outsourcing services, such as tax or county searches, we ensure that subcontractors follow our rigorous standards and have evidence available for client review.

Alpha-Omega Title, by God's grace, is one of the most trusted title agencies in Florida, having a 99.99% accuracy rate. Perfection doesn't exist for any company, but it's a standard we always strive for and have an impeccable track record because of it.