It started with a national organization selling 1- year background checks with its "certification package." Promoting this to lenders, title companies and scheduling companies as a way to be certain the non-attorney notary signing agents were "safe and secure" individuals to handle loan documents.  From here it spread to other organizations requiring background checks from their own "favorite vendor" at a fee.  Now to work a signing agent may end up having to pay for 4 or 5 YEARLY background checks from each contractors "favorite vendor" in order to work: not cheap.  Lately, background checks have to be renewed BEFORE the 1-year expiration to be able to work; i.e., you paid for a 12-month background check but must get another one every 10-11 months.

CFPB: Then it spread with lenders wanting title insurance companies, particularly those handling settlements, because of what their EMPLOYEES see, handle or have access to, to provide "certification" or proof that their employees had been background checked.  I GUESS an ALTA "best practice." I can understand this: access to birthdates, SSNs, employment history, etc. if lender passes on loan application for borrowers signature to title agency closing the loan.  Real estate closing attorneys also dealing with background check issue.

 Sad to see this spread to title abstractors. From my perspective, most of you only compile PUBLIC data.  My guess is the fact that the public data compiled into one document is now considered "private" and, therefore, fear that one of your employees will misuse that compiled data.  Sorry for the laugh, but don't "they" get that ANY PERSON standing at a public library computer can compile most of the same data.