Western Title & Escrow Makes Protecting Consumer Information a Priority

BEND, Ore., Dec. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Title & Escrow not only welcomes Matt Hillman to the new role of Chief Security Officer, but also announces company's progress in their ongoing goal to comply with the American Land and Title Association's (ALTA) best practices, which ensures the privacy and confidentiality of clients' Non-public Personal Information (NPI). Being proactive in communicating the expectations of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ALTA helps real estate settlement firms like Western Title & Escrow prepare for the future.

CEO, Dan Slape explains the importance of both, "As we experience stricter security regulations with the adoption of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requiring higher levels of data integrity, Matt's role becomes critical to lead our company's privacy and security policy roadmap. Matt has a background in banking along with holding other executive roles in the investment and trust industry for more than 18 years. A key responsibility of his will be to make sure non-public information doesn't get in the wrong hands."

"Our partners expect this from us, and their clients deserve our due diligence to this important matter," Matt states. He also adds the task at hand to be in compliance is significant. "It doesn't just amount to the sending of secure emails between clients, real estate agents, lenders and underwriters. It requires the revamp of our complete IT system and a thorough revision to all of our written policies and procedures—to properly protect the confidentially of clients' bank and credit card information, income and credit histories and social security numbers."

Considering Western Title & Escrow's 130 employee strong workforce, who works with thousands of agents, lenders and underwriters, the task is great. Considering that compliance includes everything from network and desktop security to retention and disaster recovery, the scope is broad. And, considering that partners and affiliates also have to readily adopt the new practices, even when it requires more effort, also adds to its challenge.

Western Title & Escrow is a privately held company with 10 locations across Oregon. Throughout their 25 years of serving the industry their mission has remained true: To provide each customer with a superior closing experience, from our first interaction through our last. www.westerntitle.com. 

Matt Hillman is based in Bend at the company's corporate headquarters. He is available for comment at 541-389-5751 or [email protected]

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SOURCE Western Title & Escrow

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http://www.westerntitle.com