For small title, escrow and settlement companies
Best Practices policies, written for you. Updated for 5.0.
ALTA Best Practices 5.0 took effect October 8, 2026, with vendor management as its own pillar and more detail on wire security and your written information security plan (see what changed). This kit gives a small office editable policies and logs for all seven areas, so you can be review-ready in an afternoon instead of starting from a blank page.
Title Agency Policy & Procedures Kit
$399One-time purchase · Editable Word file, about 24 pages · Instant download and a link by email · Sales tax added at checkout where it applies
What’s inside
A policy and procedure for each of the seven Best Practices pillars, in plain language, with [brackets] where your details go. Every section is tagged with the framework sections it covers, so you can map it during an assessment:
- Licenses. License tracker, Policy Forms License proof, ALTA Registry listing.
- Escrow and trust accounts. Good funds, Positive Pay, written wire procedure with callbacks and two-person release, background checks, daily and monthly three-way reconciliation, aged balances, a wire fraud response plan.
- Information security and privacy (WISP). MFA, passwords, updates, physical and cloud security, encryption, monitoring, continuity and incident response plans, annual training, record disposal, privacy policy.
- Settlement. Training, pricing and refunds, affiliated business disclosure, identity fraud prevention, signer oversight, remote online notarization, recording within two business days, complaints.
- Title policies and premiums. Delivery within 30 days, reporting within 45 days, remittance tracking.
- Insurance. E&O, cyber and crime coverage, with an annual review worksheet.
- Vendor management (new in 5.0). The broader 5.0 vendor definition, including AI tools and platforms, with a due diligence questionnaire and inventory.
Plus 14 ready-to-use logs and checklists (wire callback log, daily and three-way reconciliation sign-offs, aged balances, background checks, training, vendor reviews, recording and policy tracker, complaints, incident response, insurance review and an annual compliance calendar), a one-page summary of what changed in 5.0, and an adoption page with version history.
Who it’s for
Independent title and settlement offices of roughly 2 to 15 people that need written policies for a lender questionnaire, an underwriter review or a Best Practices assessment, and don’t want to pay for a consultant or write a manual from scratch.
Questions
Is this from ALTA?
No. Closing Desk LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by the American Land Title Association. The kit is our own original writing, organized around ALTA’s publicly available Best Practices 5.0 framework, which you should read alongside it (it’s free on alta.org).
Does it make us compliant?
No document can do that on its own. Compliance comes from actually following the procedures and keeping the records. The kit gives you the written policies and the logs to do that. It’s a template, not legal advice: review it with your underwriter, and your attorney where state law matters.
Can I edit it?
Yes. It’s a regular Word file. Change anything, add your logo, and use it across your company.
Can I share it with other companies?
Each purchase is for one company and its employees. Please don’t resell or redistribute it.
What if it isn’t right for us?
Email jack@closingdeskapp.com within 30 days and we’ll refund you.
Keep the records without the paperwork
Closing Desk keeps several of these records as your team works: the wire callback log, recording and final policy timing, premium remittance and two-factor sign-in, and prints them as a Best Practices report.