Page Four

President's Message

Dear Fellow Members:

As my year as President of the Oklahoma Land Title Association nears an end, I think back to that night in Tulsa when I was installed as your President. It seems like such a long time ago. I must admit I was very excited about the opportunity to serve OLTA and optimistic about the year ahead.

I am proud to say that we have met many of our goals. We continue to improve communication with the membership, primarily through issuance of the TitleGram and improvements to our website. Our Membership Committee has worked very hard to increase membership. My personal goal was to have all abstract companies in Oklahoma as members of our association before my year ends. We have been successful in increasing the number of abstractor members, however, we have not been able to convince all of them to join. If you know of an abstract company that is not a member, please tell our story and encourage them to join. I know the Membership Committee will continue their good work and reach this goal.

Another goal was to reinstate the "Regional Meetings". The Board is committed to attaining this goal and I expect to see Regional Meetings scheduled for later this year.

For the first time in many years OLTA has introduced a bill in the legislature; House Bill 2187, which when passed and signed by the Governor, will provide a statutory mechanism for filing an Affidavit to effect the release of a mortgage that has been paid off and not released.

The Education Committee has been very busy preparing seminars for this year so all of us can get our CE hours. Look for dates and locations of these seminars in the TitleGram and on the website.

We are finalizing plans for this year's annual convention, which will be held at the Marriott on NW Expressway in Oklahoma City, April 29 ­ May 1, 2004. Jan and the Convention Committee are working very hard to make this year's event a convention everyone will enjoy and hopefully remember for years to come. Our theme is tropical; "Welcome to Oklahomaville, Life's a Beach at the OLTA." We are planning a lot of fun for everyone, so pack your tropical attire and get ready to party!

In addition to the CE hours you can obtain at the CE seminar Friday afternoon at the convention, we are requesting approval for speaker presentations during general sessions on Friday and Saturday. The Convention materials will include information regarding these "extra" CE hours. Mark your calendars and make plans to attend. See you there.

I truly appreciate all of the support each of you has shown this year. I know you will continue to be involved and support the Officers and Board of Directors, who dedicate so much of their time to ensuring that our association effectively represents its membership and continues to improve our industry.

It's an honor to serve OLTA.

Sincerely,


G. Barry Schmulbach
OLTA President

OFFICERS:
G. Barry Schmulbach, President - OKC
David Steed, President-Elect - OKC
Bryan Thomason, Vice President - Purcell
Lisa Sparks, Secretary - Lawton
Danita Francis, Treasurer - Norman
Beverly Jones, Past President - Jay

DIRECTORS:
Glenda Mittasch, KEG Director - Perry
Sue Bailey, Director - OKC
Robin Berg, Director - Cherokee
Mary Ann Nelson, Director - Norman