News By Edition

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a doctrine that has been a precedence for judicial interpretation for the last 40 years. Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. NRDC was overruled in an opinion penned by Chief Justice John Roberts in a 6-3 court decision. 

A sister publication of The Title Report spoke with two former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau attorneys and another legal expert on how this will impede agency enforcement going forward.

Read on for more details.

Fannie Mae has issued a formal request for proposal aimed at identifying participants for its title insurance waiver pilot program, which was announced by the Federal Housing Finance Agency in March.

According to the FHFA, the pilot program would shift the title risk for refinance loans purchased by government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) from state-regulated title insurance companies to the GSEs themselves.

Read on to learn more.

California-based 805title has opened a new office in downtown Santa Barbara, Calif., expanding service options for customers across the Golden State.

805title was launched in 2022, with leaders citing demand in the 805 area code for a title company that could couple title and escrow experience with a background in real estate sales.

Read on to find out more information.

October Research’s Evolving Realtor Relationships 2024 webinar invited Equity National Title’s Jim O’Donnell and Opt Real Estate’s Drew Coleman to lay out what it takes to form successful industry partnerships, among other topics.

Read on to find out more information.

Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. has added to its Central States team, bringing on a new agency representative in Ohio.

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Blockchain and real estate technology provider Ubitquity is adding a “OneClick Mint” feature to its business process automation platform to create and manage NFT’s on the company’s NFTitle Network.

Read on to find out more.

4^th of July warning; hackers don’t take holidays! With that in mind, Premier One’s Shawn Fox details the true scope of cybersecurity and how best practices aid title companies in numerous ways.

Fox shared statistics to emphasize the growing cyber threat landscape, saying there are currently roughly 2,200 cyberattacks per day, or one every 39 seconds.

Read on to find out more information.

A pair of real estate and title insurance law firms based in San Jose, Calif., recently announced a merger after a long record of collaboration.

Both firms are headed by leaders with extensive title industry experience, with the merger aimed at creation of additional capabilities to serve clients.

Read on to find out more information.

New data from Fitch Ratings shows a positive capital outlook for the title insurance industry’s “big four” underwriters.

The longer-term picture for title insurers is expected to improve as forecasts are calling for a 10 percent increase in mortgage originations driven by a decline in the 30-year mortgage rate.

Read on to find out more.

Doma Title Insurance, Inc. has appointed a new agency manager for its Texas region, tapping a 25-year-plus industry veteran.

Read on to learn more.

SoftPro released a new integration with DomiDocs, Inc., providing secure digital delivery and permanent cloud storage of closing documents, among other features.

Read on to find out more.

Home price growth is slowing thanks to a small uptick in new listings as elevated mortgage rates keep buyers at bay, according to Redfin.

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An information session at the 2024 Association for Title Information Management Conference saw Kylie Quetell, Amrock vice president of client and team member excellence, show why there’s good reason to be “stoked and scared” about artificial intelligence (AI).

Transparency and education are the key strategies in mitigating the fear and skepticism surrounding AI, Quetell added. 

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FCT, an Ontario, Canada-based subsidiary of First American Financial Corp., is broadening its support for cross-border commercial real estate transactions to include deals valued over $1 billion.

FCT and First American Title recently provided transaction support and title insurance for a $1.3 billion, multi-location cross-border industrial real estate purchase by a U.S. entity.

Read on to find out more.

Inflation remains the top small-business problem while general uncertainty among business owners has reached its highest level in four years, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.

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A new president of Huntington Insurance Inc. has been appointed leading up to the retirement of the company’s current president. She will oversee title insurance, among other operations.

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New identity verification capabilities in Qualia Shield offer 99 percent accuracy, according to Qualia, helping keep real estate transactions secure and mitigating fraud.

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New data from Zillow shows the housing shortage grew to 4.5 million homes in 2022, up from 4.3 million the year before.

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La Rosa Holdings Corp. is set to acquire a controlling interest in Florida-based Nona Title Agency, which operates under the name Red Door Title.

La Rosa Holdings said it anticipates finalizing the transaction by the end of July. Its CEO said the company is looking to add more services, either through acquisition or joint venture relationships.

Read on to find out more information.

The 2024 National Settlement Services Summit featured an exclusive interview with former Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Dr. Mark Calabria, now a senior advisor at the CATO Institute, who shared his views on the economy, the regulatory environment and the role of the federal government with October Research Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster.

The interview is available as the fifth installment of the Keys to Real Estate Podcast – the first to be recorded in front of a live audience.

US Tax Deed Solutions (USTDS) has expanded its service area into two more states, bringing the company’s nationwide presence up to 14 states.

By extending services to Texas and North Carolina, USTDS said it’s responding to increasing demand for reliable and rapid tax deed certification in these key markets.

Read on to find out more information.

Kensington Vanguard National Land Services has appointed two new leaders in its New York office, a vice president of sales and marketing and a senior vice president of business development.

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RamQuest is enhancing its digital network integration with Old Republic Title, allowing title agents to sort by date range to select outstanding files for submission.

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The median U.S. home sale price hit a record high in May as demand continued to outpace supply, with the number of homes for sale roughly 25 percent below pre-pandemic levels, according to Redfin.

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A dedicated National Hospitality Group has been created by Stewart Title National Commercial Services, connecting title, underwriting and closing professionals where hospitality transaction services are needed. 

The new group will be led by senior vice president Steven Senft, who stressed the importance of a single point of service regardless of transaction scope.

Read on to find out more information.

Tawn Kelley, executive vice president of Taylor Morrison and president of the company’s financial services arm, delivered the 2024 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) keynote address.

She focused on the importance of adaptability, resilience and the power of personal and professional growth in the face of industry challenges.

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Remote online notarization provider Proof is releasing Identify, a solution aimed at combating falsified records, forged signatures and identity theft, which amount to more than $80 billion in annual losses countrywide.

Companies can incorporate Identify across the customer lifecycle to either verify or reconfirm a person's identity for any sensitive transaction, including before opening a file or doing a title search.

Read on to find out more information.

Futura Title & Escrow promoted its chief financial officer to CEO as its current chief officer prepares for retirement.

Read on to find out more information. 

Fraud prevention technology provider Closinglock has been named an elite provider by the American Land Title Association, signifying its adherence to highest industry standards.

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New market analysis from Zillow shows middle-income homebuyers need to put down more than $127,000 for a median priced home in order to maintain affordable monthly payments.

Read on to learn more.