Robert F. Russell Elected Chairman of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc.
Mr. Russell is a partner in the Princeton law firm Russell, English, Scoma & Beneke. He is the third generation of Russells to practice law in Princeton, following his father, Fred G. Russell, and his grandfather, Judge R. L. Russell, who first opened his office in Princeton in 1897.

"Being chosen to lead this complex and innovative company during a time of extreme uncertainty in the national real estate market is a true honor."

Mr. Russell has been a member of ATG’s board of directors since 1995. He also serves as chairman of the board of The Judicial Sales Corporation, a subsidiary of ATG. Russell is a frequent lecturer and author throughout Illinois on real estate and township law... read more

 

 

Foreclosure: Personal Representatives for Deceased Mortgagors in Foreclosure Actions — A trial court must obtain jurisdiction over the mortgagor as a necessary party under the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law or it lacks subject matter jurisdiction and any foreclosure action against the decedent may be declared void... read more

 

Don't Chase Yield — You Might Catch It — When acting as trustee, we are often caught in the balance between the current income beneficiary's desire for cash flow from a trust and the need to consider the interests, vested or not, of future or contingent beneficiaries... read more

 

April 2011 Outlooks — The economy continues to experience some ups and downs, though there seem to be more positives than negatives... read more

 

Second Quarter Perspectives — We are often asked who we think will step up to the plate and buy all of the debt issued by the U.S. Treasury purchase program affectionately known as "quantitative easing 2" or "QE2"... read more

 

 

Bulgarea v Natl City Mortgage Company — A mortgage recorded in the wrong county is susceptible to avoidance by a bankruptcy trustee... read more

 

Snyder v Heidelberger — When an attorney drafts and records a quitclaim deed with the intent to create a joint tenancy, but fails to realize that the grantor does not own the property, the tenant with a right of survivorship has a cause of action for malpractice... read more

 

Capital Drywall Supply v Jai Jagdish Inc — Subcontractors that listed the wrong owner on notice of a mechanic’s lien failed to substantially comply with the statute, and prejudiced third parties, even where the owner received actual notice... read more

 

Kuwabara v Burd — When a secondary agreement in an offer to sell is meant to "survive closing," then closing documents to the contrary do not void the secondary agreement... read more

 

 

 

REMINDER: EZ Dec System Registration and Training Required before June 1! - Beginning June 1, 2011, the EZ Dec system will be required for ATG to process revenue stamp payments and record documents... read more

 

 

Illinois Mortgage Foreclosures by Fisher and Shapiro, LLC — The law firm of Fisher and Shapiro, LLC filed altered affidavits with the court in about 1,700 pending foreclosures in Cook County, leading the circuit court to halt Fisher and Shapiro foreclosures... read more

 

 

Underwriting Guidelines: Personal Representatives for Deceased Mortgagors in Foreclosure Actions — The Illinois Supreme Court recently held that a mortgagee must name a personal representative for a deceased mortgagor for a trial court to obtain subject matter jurisdiction and enter a valid judgment in a foreclosure action... read more

 

 

Illinois Anti-Predatory Lending Database: Predatory Lending and HELOCs — Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs) that are simultaneous to a first mortgage now are a new category in the dropdown menu on the state’s predatory lending database website... read more