The National Association of Realtors'® (NAR) Realtor® Secure Program recently authorized its first vendor. Because online security is a key concern to consumers and Realtors, NAR offered to recognize those organizations that serve the real estate industry and offer effective online security. 

Since it's difficult to know which software firms dedicate resources to security and which ones do not, NAR created the RealtorSecure® program. It's designed to offer security to consumers who worry that their online home listing could compromise personal information. NAR also says that the program will help businesses curb losses from unauthorized use of business assets, such as listing information; and it should reduce business losses following an attack by viruses, trojans or worms. 

The first product to gain Realtor Secure certification is SettlementRoom, a transaction management software company. To gain certification, NAR looked at SettlementRoom's policies and procedures designed to protect real estate, employee and customer information from internal and external threats, and to prevent business interruptions. 

Transaction management systems are used to automate the flow of information involved in the real estate process, including contact, task and workflow information, document storage and retrieval, and information security. 

Further information on the Realtor Secure program and its standards is available at http://www.realtor.org/secure.