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MReport July 2021

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56 | TH E M R EP O RT O R I G I NAT I O N S E R V I C I N G DATA G O V E R N M E N T S E C O N DA R Y M A R K E T THE LATEST GOVERNMENT HUD Introduces New Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman is sworn in to assist in leading the Department's continued fight for affordable housing nationwide. A drianne Todman has been sworn in as the 12th Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Develop- ment (HUD). HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge issued the oath of office to Deputy Secretary Todman during a cer- emony at HUD's headquarters that was livestreamed to the HUD's staff. Deputy Secretary Todman was confirmed by the Senate by unanimous consent on June 10. "Throughout my journey, I have made it my mission to help restore and revitalize our nation's public housing; to help build more affordable homes in our country; to help house people who are homeless and to help families achieve their dreams," said Todman. "At every step along the way, I have worked to safeguard the public's trust-and to deliver support to people in need with efficiency and with equity." Todman most served as the CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) from 2017 to June 2021. During her tenure, Todman improved NAHRO's financial standing and business operations, created a member- centric culture, and advocated for funding and policies to preserve and develop affordable housing and help communities thrive. Before joining NAHRO, Todman served as the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) from 2009-2017. At DCHA, Todman implemented a national model to house veterans experiencing homeless- ness, increased homeownership opportunities by 50% for low- and moderate-income families served by DCHA, increased the number of affordable units available in sub-markets experiencing rapid growth, and oversaw 12 concur- rent large redevelopment efforts. Deputy Secretary Todman also served in several career positions at HUD, first, as a manager of HUD's $500 million grant competition that focused on the redevelopment of distressed public housing sites, then as a policy aide in both the Office of Public and Indian Housing, and the Office of the Secretary where she worked with staff across HUD's programs on policy solutions and streamlining implementation. In her role as Deputy Secretary, Todman will work alongside Secretary Fudge to ensure that HUD has the staff and tools it needs to administer and provide oversight over programs critical to supporting families and to moving the country forward. "NAHRO's loss is our coun- try's gain. We are grateful for the fearless and effective leader- ship she brought to NAHRO, and for the many ways in which she strengthened our associa- tion," NAHRO President Sunny Shaw said. "We are thrilled to see such an experienced houser and proven leader, with such a deep understanding of affordable housing policy and practice, serve as Deputy Secretary at HUD, and we look forward to working with her in her new capacity." Todman was born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. House Reps Reintroduce Remote Online Notarization Legislation Measure sponsored by 33 House members seeks to modernize the notarization process and protect consumers nationwide. N early a month after U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer and Mark Warner introduced the Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic (SECURE) Notariza- tion Act, Reps. Madeleine Dean and Kelly Armstrong, along with 31 other members of the House of Representatives, have reintroduced the bipartisan Se- curing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic (SECURE) Notarization Act of 2021 (H.R. 3962), which allows for immediate nationwide use of remote online notarization (RON) technology. The legisla- tion provides certainty for in- terstate recognition of RON and establishes minimum standards to ensure strong nationwide consumer protections. "COVID-19 made it clear that certain methods needed to be up- dated to keep up with our ever- changing world and economy," Rep. Dean said. "One of the areas that this was most prevalent was our notarization process pass- ing legislation like the SECURE Notarization Act allows us to do just that." Joining as original co-sponsors on the bill are: Reps. Cindy Axne, Jim Banks, Andy Barr, Joyce Beatty, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Ted Budd, Suzan DelBene, Anna Eshoo, Brian Fitzpatrick, Jesús "Chuy" García, Anthony Gonzalez, Bob Good, Lance Gooden, Josh Gottheimer, Michael Guest, Ro Khanna, Young Kim, David Kustoff, Debbie Lesko, Alex X. Mooney, Donald Norcross, Ed Perlmutter, Guy Reschenthaler, David Scott, Elissa Slotkin, Bryan Steil, Eric Swalwell, William Timmons, Nydia Velazquez, Ann Wager, and Jennifer Wexton. A survey conducted by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) of major vendors found the use of RON increased 547% during 2020 compared with 2019, a spike in usage attributed to heightened demand for RON during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the fact that 34 states have passed permanent laws authorizing its use. "Since the onset of the pandem- ic, businesses have been forced to rapidly adapt to a new normal, and the real estate industry is no exception. RON has been one of the title industry's most important tools in this process," said ALTA CEO Diane Tomb. "We applaud Reps. Dean and Armstrong for recognizing the benefits of extend- ing RON access to all Americans and introducing this bipartisan legislation, which offers a safe al- ternative to execute real estate and mortgage transactions. By passing the SECURE Notarization Act, we can take a much-needed step into the future by modernizing the notarization process with a secure system that has proven to meet consumer expectations." Rep. Armstrong said, "Remote online notarization offers consum- ers a convenient way to safely and securely complete documents. Our bipartisan bill will permit nationwide use of remote online notarization, increasing access to this important process."

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