ALTA Best Practices 4.2: What Title & Settlement Lawyers Need to Know Now

Cheri Hipenbecker, General Counsel | Knight Barry Title, Inc

Cheri Hipenbecker is General Counsel for the Knight Barry Title Group, a group of title and settlement companies with more than 80 offices and 400 title and closing professionals across Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In her role, she serves as a first point of contact for staff on legal matters, including the company’s implementation of the American Land Title Association’s (ALTA) Best Practices. Cheri is a member of ALTA’s Best Practices Executive Committee and Co-Chair of ALTA’s Best Practices Pillar 4 Committee. She has also presented extensively on ALTA Best Practices, wire fraud, and other issues affecting title and settlement companies.

• Education & Credentials

Cheri received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Winona State University and her law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota. She is identified as Minnesota 1999 in State Bar of Wisconsin publications. Before joining Knight Barry Title, she practiced with the law firm of Hostak, Henzl & Bichler in Racine.

• Recognition & Leadership

Cheri is a member of ALTA’s Best Practices Executive Committee and Co-Chair of ALTA’s Best Practices Pillar 4 Committee. She is Past-President and current Legislative Chair of the Wisconsin Land Title Association (WLTA). She also serves by gubernatorial appointment on Wisconsin’s Remote Notary Council and is a director of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law section of the State Bar of Wisconsin. In her local community, she serves on the Town of Norway Planning Commission & Land Use Committee in Racine County, Wisconsin.

• Professional Involvement

Cheri has been actively involved with the Wisconsin Land Title Association since 2007 and regularly presents on issues affecting the title and settlement industry. Her ALTA presentations have included programs addressing Best Practices updates and practical implementation, as well as identity fraud, FinCEN requirements, and other emerging issues affecting title and settlement professionals. She has presented on wire fraud since 2015, with a focus on protecting consumer privacy and client funds.

• Experience

Cheri joined Knight Barry Title in 2007, when the company had approximately 80 employees in Southeastern Wisconsin. Since then, she has worked with the company’s Executive Team as the organization expanded through acquisitions to more than 80 offices and 400 title and closing professionals across Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. As General Counsel, she provides legal guidance to staff and is directly involved in the company’s implementation of ALTA Best Practices. Her experience includes title and settlement operations, real estate matters, fraud prevention, consumer privacy, protection of client funds, and compliance with industry requirements.

SESSION 1 – ALTA Best Practices 4.2: What Title & Settlement Professionals Need to Know Now | 12:00pm – 12:45pm

This session provides a practical look at the latest ALTA Best Practices and how the updated standards affect day-to-day title and settlement operations. The discussion will focus on the controls, procedures, and safeguards firms should have in place to protect transactions, client funds, and sensitive information, with particular attention to the areas where fraud and operational failures create the greatest risk.

BREAK | 12:45pm – 12:55pm

SESSION 2 – Putting ALTA Best Practices 4.2 Into Practice: Fraud Prevention, Controls & Risk Management | 12:55pm – 1:40pm

This session moves from the standards themselves to their practical implementation, focusing on how title and settlement companies can build stronger processes, train personnel, respond to suspicious activity, and continuously test their controls. Using real-world scenarios and common breakdowns in the closing process, the session will provide practical strategies for reducing fraud exposure and managing risk when something goes wrong.