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The American Land Title Association (ALTA) has announced two new policy endorsements designed to help protect homeowners from seller impersonation fraud.

The title insurance endorsements will allow new and existing homeowners to add coverage that offers post-policy protection against forgery of a deed or mortgage. According to ALTA, title insurers will now cover potential legal costs to correct the public record if forged deeds or mortgages are recorded against a homeowner’s property.

ALTA has also updated its Best Practices framework to help title agents better identify emerging versions of these crimes. The program suggests new industry standards for use of identity verification during real estate closings — including specialized staff training to detect impersonation attempts, stronger controls over notary and signing agent selection, additional verification steps for third-party professionals, and defined protocols for responding to suspected fraud.

“With criminals harnessing advanced technology to perpetuate sophisticated seller impersonation schemes against unsuspecting homeowners, new products like the policy endorsements are needed to keep the American Dream of homeownership intact,” said ALTA’s CEO Chris Morton. “These endorsements set the standards for forgery protection before and after closing, and build upon ALTA’s landmark Homeowner’s Policy of Title Insurance.”