By Joseph E. Seagle, Esq.

👋 Happy Friday! Today is the 81st anniversary of D-Day, when Allied Forces stormed the beaches at Normandy, beginning the end of WWII in Europe.

❗️Situation Awareness: All MyLandTrustee officers/signers will be out of the office next Thursday and Friday. If you have any documents that require our signatures be notarized or witnessed, please get those to us by June 10 for processing. We will still be processing electronically signed documents over the two days.

1 big thing: A Florida title agent’s fall from grace

Jonathan Yasko, once considered a national rock star in the title industry, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in federal court for the Middle District of Florida. The founder of Entrust Solutions, Yasko previously made a name for himself by auditing other title agencies and identifying escrow irregularities. Now, he’s admitted to misusing client funds — allegedly over $6 million — from his companies’ own escrow accounts.

🕵️ From watchdog to wrongdoer:

Yasko’s rise was meteoric. Entrust Solutions was licensed in 16 states, including Florida, and became a go-to vendor for back-office escrow, accounting, and closing services for independent title agents and attorneys. He was a regular speaker at industry events and featured in numerous trade publications as a compliance innovator. One of his title underwriters featured him nationally as one of their up-and-coming agents in 2018, only to sue him and his companies in 2022.

But behind the curtain, prosecutors say Yasko wired millions of dollars from client accounts to keep Entrust afloat — often transferring funds from one escrow account to cover shortfalls in another. It was a classic Ponzi-style scheme, disguised as back-office efficiency.

💡 Why it matters:

For real estate investors, brokers, lenders, and title agents, this case is a wake-up call. Yasko was not a fringe actor — he was deeply embedded in the very systems meant to ensure trust in transactions. Many agencies outsourced critical escrow functions to Entrust, assuming compliance and safety were assured.

Now, those agencies face reputational risk and financial exposure. For investors, the lesson is clear: trust must be verified, not assumed — even when a vendor is highly credentialed.

⚖️ What’s next: Yasko’s sentencing is scheduled later this year. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Meanwhile, several civil lawsuits are pending as affected title agencies and underwriters scramble to recover funds and restore client confidence.

🔍 The bottom line: The Yasko saga is a cautionary tale about the dangers of blind trust in “compliance” vendors and companies that provide outsourced back-office services that were once handled in-house. Whether you’re closing deals or issuing policies, internal checks matter. No one — not even the auditor — is above scrutiny.

2. Rise in Fraudulent Activities: A Growing Concern for Real Estate Professionals

In recent years, the United States has witnessed a significant surge in fraudulent activities, with Americans reporting losses exceeding $12.5 billion in the past year alone— a 25% increase from 2023. Among these, investment and impostor scams have been particularly prevalent, accounting for $5.7 billion and nearly $3 billion in losses, respectively. 

Impact on the Real Estate Sector

The real estate industry has not been immune to this trend. One of the most concerning developments is the rise in wire fraud targeting real estate transactions. A recent report indicates that over 1 in 4 consumers are targeted during real estate transactions, and nearly 1 in 20 fall victim to these schemes.  These scams often involve sophisticated tactics, such as business email compromise (BEC), where fraudsters impersonate legitimate parties to redirect funds. In 2023 alone, real estate wire fraud losses amounted to $145 million. 

Emerging Threats: AI-Driven Fraud

The advent of artificial intelligence has introduced new challenges. Fraudsters are now leveraging AI to create convincing fake identities and documents, making it easier to impersonate property owners and manipulate transactions. This technological advancement has led to a notable increase in title fraud cases, where properties are sold without the owners’ knowledge. 

Preventative Measures for Real Estate Professionals

Given the escalating risks, it is imperative for real estate professionals—including realtors, mortgage brokers, and title insurance agents—to adopt proactive measures:

1. Enhance Verification Processes: Implement multi-factor authentication and verify identities through multiple channels to ensure the legitimacy of all parties involved.

2. Educate Clients: Inform clients about common fraud tactics and encourage them to verify any changes in payment instructions through direct communication channels.

3. Utilize Secure Communication Platforms: Avoid using unsecured email for sharing sensitive information. Instead, employ encrypted communication tools designed for real estate transactions.

4. Stay Informed: Regularly update knowledge on emerging fraud trends and participate in industry workshops and seminars focused on fraud prevention.

5. Collaborate with Financial Institutions: Work closely with banks and other financial entities to establish protocols for verifying and processing large transactions securely.

The bottom line: The increasing sophistication of fraudulent schemes necessitates a heightened state of vigilance within the real estate industry. By adopting comprehensive fraud prevention strategies and fostering a culture of continuous education, professionals can safeguard their clients and themselves against the evolving threats posed by fraudsters.

Go deeper: Axios

This week’s Trust This podcast finds me with Drew Oquendo, a combat veteran turned real estate investor, discussing how daily rituals are the roots of resiliency and grit.

 Listen in or watch on your favorite streaming platform.

3. Catch up fast

1. Zillow will begin banning “non-compliant” listings on June 30. HousingWire

2. Retirees lose their nest eggs when a Citrus Springs homebuilder goes bankrupt. MoneyWise

3. US hiring cools to the slowest pace in two years. Bloomberg (gift link)

4. South Florida home contracts slump in unusually bad slowdown. Bloomberg (gift link)

5. America’s housing market is cracking. Quartz

6. Florida’s housing market is turning down fast. Newsweek

7. Desantis signs new anti-squatting law for commercial properties and hotels. WINK News

8. Home listings soar as sellers struggle to find buyers in the height of the season. Newsweek

9. US home prices expected to rise 3.5% this year, but tarriffs will be a drag on construction. Reuters

10. Demand for homes just got weaker as inventory piles up. Wolf Street

11. Florida and Texas housing markets go cold as the midwest heats up. HousingWire

12. There are 500,000 more sellers than buyers, and economic uncertainty is a factor keeping buyers on the couch. MPAMag

4. Closing Thought: KPI blindspots

🔍 The Big Picture: Many business owners obsess over KPIs — but most focus almost exclusively on trailing or lagging indicators. These are the metrics that show you what already happened: revenue, net profit, occupancy rate. Useful? Yes. But strategic? Not unless you also pay attention to the leading indicators that signal what’s about to happen.

📊 Why It Matters: If you wait until trailing indicators dip, you’re already behind. Leading indicators give you time to act, adapt, and outperform. Think of it like driving a car: trailing indicators are the rearview mirror, but leading indicators are the road ahead.

🏗️ Break It Down: 3 Business Silos & Their Indicators

1. Marketing & Sales

• Trailing: Number of closed deals, ad spend ROI

• Leading: Number of inbound leads, social media engagement, website traffic

  💡If leads slow down this week, your pipeline may dry up in 30–60 days. Don’t wait to react.

2. Operations

• Trailing: Average days on market, tenant satisfaction scores

• Leading: Maintenance request volume, employee turnover, project completion rate

  💡If maintenance requests jump this month, expect lower renewal rates or tenant complaints next.

3. Finance & Admin

• Trailing: Net operating income, P&L statement

• Leading: AR aging (accounts receivable), upcoming lease expirations, cash burn rate

  💡An uptick in aging receivables today may signal a cash crunch next quarter.

✅ What You Should Do: Review your dashboard. Circle all the KPIs that show what’s already happened. Now — what’s missing? Add at least one predictive metric in each silo. Make them part of your weekly or daily rhythm. Forecasting isn’t just for spreadsheets — it’s how leaders stay ahead.

Your future KPIs are calling. Start listening now.

We hope you found this helpful — any feedback is appreciated and can be shared by hitting reply or using the feedback feature below.

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Be on the lookout for our next issue! 👋