The 6 Ps of Private Mortgages: A Practical, Analytical Tool to Help Identify Title Fraud in Private Mortgage Transactions

Author: Nicole W. S. Phillips
Current to: June 2026

Real estate title fraud continues to pose serious risks for homeowners, lenders, and the legal professionals who advise them. As fraudulent schemes become increasingly sophisticated, lawyers, notaries, paralegals, and legal support staff must be equipped to recognize potential warning signs before a transaction is completed.

Now available through CLEBC’s Courses on Demand, our newest Practice Point, “The 6 Ps of Private Mortgages: A Practical, Analytical Tool to Help Identify Title Fraud in Private Mortgage Transactions,” was prepared by Nicole W. S. Phillips of Stewart Title Guaranty Company and was originally presented at CLEBC’s Advanced Conveyancing Topics for Paralegals and Legal Support Staff. This practical paper introduces an analytical framework designed to help legal professionals identify indicators of title fraud during the routine review of private mortgage transactions.

The paper presents “The 6 Ps of Private Mortgages” as a practical tool for assessing potential fraud risks. While developed primarily for private mortgage refinances, the framework can also be adapted for purchases, sales, and institutional mortgage transactions, helping practitioners strengthen due diligence and better protect their clients from the significant consequences of real estate title fraud.

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