February 20: Italy Notary Exam Scandal Sparks Deal and Governance Risk

On February 20, the Italy notary exam scandal drew scrutiny after reports that candidate lists with nicknames and comments were posted online by mistake. The episode raises integrity questions for Italy’s notary selection process. Any review, appeal, or administrative pause could slow real estate closings and corporate notarizations in Italy. For US investors with exposure to Italian assets or subsidiaries, this creates short term execution risk that can affect timelines, financing costs, and closing certainty across property, M&A, private equity exits, and lending transactions.