Building What the Industry Needs - John Freyer, Jr. | S3E9

What If Two Tech Companies Had a Baby? - Tom Cronkright and Bill Svoboda | S3E18

Many real estate professionals, business owners and borrowers have had a less than stellar relationship with technology at one point or another during a transaction. By joining forces, Certified Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Tom Cronkright and CloseSimple Co-Founder Bill Svoboda hope to achieve their mission of creating a closing process that is more secure, more automated and more consumer-friendly, and to do so at scale. They joined October Research Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster on the Keys to Real Estate podcast for a conversation centering on how they aim to provide title and settlement professionals reduced friction, an improved customer experience and stronger fraud prevention at the same time. Chapters: 2:36 – Why the Companies Joined Forces 6:32 – Consumer Expectations Have Changed 11:15 – Automation as the Missing Link 13:38 – Customer Care, Reviews, and Brand Trust 16:09 – The Biggest Friction Points in Closing 19:16 – Tech Fatigue and Vendor Consolidation 23:30 – Turning Fraud Fighting Into a Brand Advantage 27:04 – Why Security Now Needs to Be “Unapologetically Secure” 30:15 – What Happens Next for Existing Customers 33:31 – The Future of Closing in an AI World 36:45 – Fraud Education and the New Reality Get In Touch… For more on CertifID: https://www.certifid.com/ [https://www.certifid.com/] For more on CloseSimple: https://www.closesimple.com/ [https://www.closesimple.com/] Tom Cronkright’s email: tcronkright@certifid.com Bill Svoboda’s email: bill@closesimple.com Host email: Mary Schuster mschuster@octoberresearch.com To find more episodes of “Keys to Real Estate” or learn more about October Research – the nation’s leading independent provider of market intelligence, industry news, expert analysis and regulatory information for professionals in the real estate, title, financial and settlement services industries – visit https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]. Episode sponsored by First American Trust – https://www.firstamtrust.com [https://www.firstamtrust.com] Episode produced by October Research – https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]

What Can't AI Replace in Your Business? - Ryan Ozonian & Adam Schlesinger | S3E17

Is artificial intelligence (AI) coming to take your job or change how you do it? That is an albatross of a question hanging over just about every technology-dependent industry. It is also one of many tackled by MyHome (a WFG Company) Senior Director of Innovation and AI Ryan Ozonian and First American Data & Analytics Vice President of Product Underwriting Adam Schlesinger during the October Research’s 2026 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) in Kansas City. OR Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster asked them about the transformative potential of AI in the real estate and settlement services sectors, specifically, while touching on its practical applications and how AI could help bridge demographic talent gaps while maintaining trust, building cross-functional teams and ensuring successful implementation while keeping ethical and regulatory considerations front and center. Chapters: 2:16 - Balancing AI adoption: all-in vs gradual integration 4:25 - Process mapping as a foundation for AI deployment 6:19 - Building cross-functional teams and assigning accountability 8:51 - Addressing team resistance: fear of job loss and change management 12:11 - The evolving roles of professionals with AI support 14:25 - Five-year predictions: misconceptions and breakthroughs 15:28 - Practical advice for getting started: identify pain points 15:57 - Embrace change: start somewhere and stay curious 17:58 - Is AI a solution looking for a problem or an evolution driven by necessity? Get In Touch… Host email: mschuster@octoberresearch.com To find more episodes of “Keys to Real Estate” or learn more about October Research – the nation’s leading independent provider of market intelligence, industry news, expert analysis and regulatory information for professionals in the real estate, title, financial and settlement services industries – visit https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]. Episode sponsored by First American Trust – https://www.firstamtrust.com [https://www.firstamtrust.com] Episode produced by October Research – https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]

AI Is Not Your Strategy: Real Talk About Risk and ROI - Ryan Ozonian & Adam Schlesinger | S3E16

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be reshaping how we approach real estate finance and title insurance, but does that mean professionals in this industry can just set it and forget it? MyHome (a WFG Company) Senior Director of Innovation and AI Ryan Ozonian and First American Data & Analytics Vice President of Product Underwriting Adam Schlesinger took the stage at October Research’s 2026 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) in Kansas City to discuss how organizations should be incorporating AI adoption strategically, starting with targeted use cases, experimenting responsibly and establishing governance frameworks before scaling investments. The discussed with OR Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster the importance of building cross-functional teams that combine technology, operations, compliance and business expertise to ensure successful implementation while keeping ethical and regulatory considerations front and center. Chapters: 2:00 - Industry outlook on AI's future impact 4:13 - The importance of tangible AI application development 6:39 - Material changes AI will bring to title and settlement workflows 8:22 - Customer experience improvements through AI-driven transparency 9:58 - Pace of AI evolution and managing hype cycles 14:36 - Prioritizing AI investments and internal team building 17:57 - Recognizing wasted AI investments and trial pitfalls 20:54 - Regulatory considerations and governance in AI deployment 24:08 - Accountability and liability when using AI tools 27:45 - Building internal AI expertise versus relying on vendors 30:20 - Addressing industry talent gaps with AI and automation Get In Touch… Host email: mschuster@octoberresearch.com To find more episodes of “Keys to Real Estate” or learn more about October Research – the nation’s leading independent provider of market intelligence, industry news, expert analysis and regulatory information for professionals in the real estate, title, financial and settlement services industries – visit https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]. Episode sponsored by First American Trust – https://www.firstamtrust.com [https://www.firstamtrust.com] Episode produced by October Research – https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]

The Future of Trust in an AI World - Eva Velasquez | S3E15

The landscape of fraud and trust has become fraught with advancing threats from artificial intelligence (AI), deepfakes and synthetic identities. Eva Velasquez from the Identity Theft Resource Center joined Keys to Real Estate host Mary Schuster to discuss the psychologically of scam artists and how trust infrastructure must adapt to new digital threats. She explained why human relationships are more important than ever when trying to build trust with clients and customers in today’s environment and practical advice for how companies and consumers can better safeguard themselves through best practices and continuous education. Chapters: 0:00 – Introduction 1:32 - Trust as an evolving infrastructure, not a dying concept 3:47 - The importance of maintaining human relationships 9:12 - Changing foundation signals: moving from static data to behavioral signals 13:42 - The difference between digital avatars and synthetic identities 16:32 - The increasing scale of AI-driven fraud and misuse 20:32 - Building trust through transparency and transparent processes 21:47 - The role of friction in balancing trust and security 24:17 - Practical steps for family and professional precautions 27:17 - The regulatory landscape and the need for proactive measures 28:47 - The future of trust: human-centric, process-driven, AI-aware For more on the Identity Theft Resource Center: https://www.idtheftcenter.org/contact-us/ [https://www.idtheftcenter.org/contact-us/] For the ITRC’s Victim Help Center: https://www.idtheftcenter.org/victim-help-center/ [https://www.idtheftcenter.org/victim-help-center/] Get In Touch… Guest email: itrc@idtheftcenter.org Host email: mschuster@octoberresearch.com To find more episodes of “Keys to Real Estate” or learn more about October Research – the nation’s leading independent provider of market intelligence, industry news, expert analysis and regulatory information for professionals in the real estate, title, financial and settlement services industries – visit https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]. Episode sponsored by First American Trust – https://www.firstamtrust.com [https://www.firstamtrust.com] Episode produced by October Research – https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]

The Psychology of Modern Fraud - Eva Velasquez | S3E14

In a world where everyone seems to want things to move faster and faster, when it comes to safeguarding your business against fraud, sometimes speed is not what you need. Listen as Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, shares insights on how fraudsters now exploit human psychology and trust, making traditional verification methods less effective with Keys to Real Estate host Mary Schuster. They explore how the landscape of fraud and trust is transforming alongside developments in technology and why real estate companies may be able to rebrand their people-centric business model as a major plus in a world that may soon get tired of always talking to machines. Discover practical strategies to reinforce trust, apply friction and adapt to this rapidly changing environment in this episode. Chapters: 0:00 – Introduction 1:15 – The impact of fraud on high-value transactions like real estate 2:26 – Moving from technical exploits to psychological manipulation 4:20 – Recognizing vulnerabilities beyond demographics 7:31 – Embracing friction and trust in digital processes 9:04 – Moving beyond perception-based verification 13:44 - Emotional and trust breaches in identity fraud 20:17 - The risk of rushing transactions and the value of slowing down 24:34 - Restoring trust through personal relationships and transparency 29:29 - Challenging assumptions about transaction speed and urgency 32:05 - The importance of layered, process-based verification For more on the Identity Theft Resource Center: https://www.idtheftcenter.org/ [https://www.idtheftcenter.org/] For the ITRC’s Victim Help Center: https://www.idtheftcenter.org/victim-help-center/ [https://www.idtheftcenter.org/victim-help-center/] Get In Touch… Guest email: itrc@idtheftcenter.org Host email: mschuster@octoberresearch.com To find more episodes of “Keys to Real Estate” or learn more about October Research – the nation’s leading independent provider of market intelligence, industry news, expert analysis and regulatory information for professionals in the real estate, title, financial and settlement services industries – visit https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]. Episode sponsored by First American Trust – https://www.firstamtrust.com [https://www.firstamtrust.com] Episode produced by October Research – https://www.octoberresearch.com [https://www.octoberresearch.com]