"Peter Dohm" wrote

There may well have been a difference between escrow
held by a third party (broker) and escrow held directly
by a vendor.

If it is not held by a third (bonded) party, then it is not escrow. That
fact (or definition) has not changed in the last 100 years.

The person holding the money may call it escrow, but if there is not an
impartial third party in direct control of the money, such as an accountant
or lawyer, your money is not safe from a grab. Bede has been proof of that.
--
Jim in NC