This post comes to us from the PCMS Consulting blog:

Consumer privacy – a quick overview

Many changes are coming down the road in 2014 regarding the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) that both you and your mortgage and/or title partners should be aware of.

Do you know what CFPB is? If you don't, you can visit their website to educate yourself about these new consumer protections.

In short, the CFPB is an agency, created by Congress, designed to protect consumers after the financial meltdown of a few years ago. It is deeply affecting the mortgage and title worlds and may end up impacting brokerages, as well. Whether or not you have a mortgage and/or title relationship, you should consider positioning yourself as the brokerage who protects consumer information.

Why should I care about laws protecting consumer privacy?

The sensitivity regarding consumer protection created by CFPB, and the continuing uproar regarding the privacy invasions by the NSA is causing consumers to think deeply about ways to protect their privacy online.

Do you know how secure your outgoing emails are? Can you promise consumers secure document transmission of their important personal information that is regularly exchanged online between agents, consumers, title and/or mortgage companies?

Providing secure document and email transmission during real estate transactions will become increasingly important to real estate consumers. It will quickly become essential to real estate agents, who will see the advantage they can gain over competing agents by offering secure online transmissions that protect consumer privacy.

To view the original article, visit the PCMS Consulting blog.