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gentlemen, i travel light... very light.  if i'm going somewhere on a schedule and know where that's at- I confirm with the host, and fedex it.  yeah, pricey, but..... worth it.... beats the flat snot out of lost luggage and lugging it.  i've got some sort of mark on my stuff you must need a special light to see that only plane embark specialists have- if i check baggage, it gets lost.  period.  every. single. time.  fedex has never let me down.  

Our realtors on both ends of these deals (buying and selling) told me horror stories about folks wiring the purchase money to the wrong financial address.  They claim the crooks can intercept the emails and change critical figures so the money gets wired to the Caymans etc. instead of the title company.

The money today has to be wired apparently, no cert checks etc.  This has me "concerned".

I suppose when the time comes I can manage with phones to ensure the numbers are correct, but it still is concerning considering the numbers involved.

@Cincydawg , does Ohio require an attorney to close?   This is what my wife does in NC.  The entire procedure has become confounding since both the bubble popped and the concern for money movement (funding crime/terrorism)... it seems every year the feds add another layer of complexity.  the purpose of her firm (and NC requires attorney's to close) is to protect the buyer- and her firm assumes pretty much all the risk in the procedure(s). 

gentlemen, i travel light... very light.  if i'm going somewhere on a schedule and know where that's at- I confirm with the host, and fedex it.  yeah, pricey, but..... worth it.... beats the flat snot out of lost luggage and lugging it.  i've got some sort of mark on my stuff you must need a special light to see that only plane embark specialists have- if i check baggage, it gets lost.  period.  every. single. time.  fedex has never let me down.  

I was interning there for 3 months, so that wasn't entirely an option for me.

That's what is amusing about concerns of 'check fraud' is that sending a wire is also a transaction involving some amount of risk.

I've noticed the banks I bank with (my employer being one of them), they have modified the wire instruction process significantly.   Mostly to ensure authentication.   If you are not in person to provide the wire instructions (often required, but not if you have a private banking or are otherwise trusted customer by your bank) , and verify identity (which get verified on premises through a variety of means),  a separate contact is required. 

In other words,  I go into my bank or contact my bank to submit a wire transfer request,  the bank does its thing.  Separately and within the next two hours, I will receive a phone call from the 'wire room' (a person in a different locale from my banker that I visited or contacted) and that person in the 'wire room' will have to verify certain information with me.    Really no different than dual authentication when you log in to your bank's website or App.

Medallion signature guarantees of course are still in use when a customer is submitting a request for a large sale or redemption of securities.

Well, it makes me nervous.  I have never wired money before.  I went by my brokerage and got the forms and looked them over, seem simple enough.

Evidently I should wire the funds 72 hours ahead of closing, or more, I'm told.

It's a substantial amount of money the loss of which would cause me a major decrease in standard of living, and then some.

Well, it makes me nervous.  I have never wired money before.  I went by my brokerage and got the forms and looked them over, seem simple enough.

Evidently I should wire the funds 72 hours ahead of closing, or more, I'm told.

It's a substantial amount of money the loss of which would cause me a major decrease in standard of living, and then some.

That seems impossible/impractical for a borrower to wire funds 72 hours before a close.    You will receive a 'Loan Estimate' form, the 1st at the time you apply for the mortgage, and the second, at the point of closing, a 'Closing Disclosure'.  That's the document that will reveal the precise amount to bring to close.  that cannot be innacurate, The lender must give you that within 72 hours of close.  If it is a cash buy, the Title company presents a 'Settlement Document'.  I've done 2 lot buys and one refi since the new rules kicked in in Oct '15, nobody is able to get you that 72 hours before close.   68 hours 60 hours, maybe 48 hours, not 72.  You can certainly do a wire a day before close, I've done them on the day of close before. 
Oddly enough, I read this morning in a trade pub a rash of wire fraud is now leading some lenders to consider going back to cashier's checks.