Resources · October 2026
Preparing for an ALTA Best Practices assessment
Lenders often ask title and settlement companies to show they follow ALTA’s Best Practices, through a certification, a self-assessment or a third-party assessment. Reviewers don’t just read your policies; they ask for proof that you follow them. Here is what to gather for each of the seven pillars in version 5.0, which took effect October 8, 2026.
Start with three things
- Written policies for every pillar, current for 5.0, adopted and dated.
- Evidence that each policy is followed: logs, reconciliations, training records, screenshots of settings.
- A folder per pillar, so you can answer any request in minutes. Tag each document with the framework section it supports, such as 2.M.3.
Pillar 1: Licensing
- Current licenses for the company and each licensed person, with renewal dates
- Proof of licensure under ALTA’s Policy Forms License, which 5.0 asks you to include in your certification package
- Your written procedure for tracking renewals
Pillar 2: Escrow trust accounts and wire security
- Daily reconciliations and monthly three-way reconciliations, signed and dated
- Your escrow account setup: separate trust accounts, properly labeled
- Aged escrow balance reviews for items older than six months
- Background checks for employees with access to escrow funds, at least every three years
- Your outgoing wire procedure and a record of callbacks, including how instructions were verified independently of the email that delivered them
Pillar 3: Privacy and information security
- Your written information security plan (WISP), checked against each item in Pillar 3.A
- Evidence of controls: MFA settings, encryption, backups, access reviews
- Security awareness training records for every employee
- Your incident response plan and records of any incidents
- A clean desk and disposal procedure for paper with personal information
Pillar 4: Settlement procedures and complaints
- Your settlement procedures and how you keep fees accurate and consistent with the disclosures
- Signer and notary vetting procedures, including any signer-monitoring service
- Your remote online notarization platform and its approvals, if you use RON
- Your complaint procedure and complaint log (complaints moved into this pillar in 5.0)
Pillar 5: Title policy production and premium remittance
- Recording timeliness: documents submitted for recording within two business days
- Policy delivery within 30 days of closing and reporting to the underwriter within 45 days
- Premium remittance records showing timely payment to the underwriter
Pillar 6: Insurance
- Current certificates for errors and omissions, fidelity or crime coverage, and any coverage your underwriter or lenders require
- Your procedure for reviewing limits each year
Pillar 7: Vendor management
- An inventory of every vendor under 5.0’s broad definition, including free tools, AI assistants and social media used for business
- Due diligence records for vendors that touch personal information or funds
- Contract terms on breach notice and sub-vendors, and the date of each vendor’s last review
The week before
- Pull a sample of recent files and check recording dates, policy delivery dates and wire callbacks against your policies
- Fix gaps you find and write down what you changed; a corrected process beats a hidden one
- Make sure the person answering questions knows where every folder is
Two ways to get ready faster
The Title Agency Policy & Procedures Kit gives you editable 5.0 policies for every pillar, tagged with their framework sections, plus 14 logs and checklists ($399). Closing Desk keeps the day-to-day evidence for you: recording and policy timeliness, remittance, wire callbacks and two-factor status, in a printable Best Practices report.
This is a general checklist, not legal advice, and Closing Desk LLC is not affiliated with ALTA. Assessment procedures, underwriter and lender requirements vary; check the framework and ALTA’s assessment procedures on alta.org.