News By Edition

First American Title’s Janette Waller shared industry observations and thoughts on the future with The Title Report leading up to her retirement from leading the company’s direct division.

A strong advocate for women in the industry, Waller has played a pivotal role in advancing leadership opportunities over her 45-year career in the title industry

Read on to find out more information.

Chuck Sanders, owner and founder of recently launched Diverse Mortgage Services (DMS), sat down with The Title Report to detail business plans and share thoughts on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Pittsburgh-based DMS has already become an emerging leader in providing title and closing services that help Tier 1 suppliers achieve diversity spend goals. Read on to find out more.

The latest earnings report for Radian shows the company saw a year-over-year increase in net income in both the fourth quarter and full year 2024. The firm’s primary mortgage insurance in force, which company CEO Richard Thornberry said is ” the main driver of future earnings for our company,” hit a record level in 2024. Read on to find out more information.

After reaching its highest reading in six-plus years in December, optimism among small-business owners dropped slightly in January, according to the National Federation of Independent Business. The Uncertainty Index increased by 14 points to 100, the third-highest recorded reading. Read on to learn more.

Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. added Rich Griffin to its agency team. Read on to find out more.

Informative Research announced it is integrating with Thomas & Co. to boost the number of verification services available to the lending community. Read on to find out more.

A new report from property data curator ATTOM showed January foreclosure filings up from December 2024 but still down year-over-year.

Read on to find out more information.

Remote online notarization (RON) provider ProNotary announced its expansion into three new states, with further widening of its service net to come, according to the company. ProNotary Sales and Marketing Executive Katie Tremulis spoke with The Title Report about its expanded market and the availability of RON throughout the country. Read on to find out more information.

Overall, buyer’s agents are earning an average of 2.37 percent in commission — essentially unchanged since the new National Association of Realtors (NAR) rules took effect in August, but down slightly since the rules were announced last March, according to Redfin. Still, three out of four agents said they are concerned they will see their commissions decline. Read on to find out more information.

AM Best announced downgrades to the financial strength and long-term issuer credit ratings for Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Co. (CATIC). The updated ratings reflect a revised assessment of CATIC’s overall balance sheet strength to weak from adequate due to the significant drop-off in CATIC’s risk-adjusted capitalization, AM Best said. Read on to find out more information

Allied Title & Escrow leaders announced the company is now handling commercial real estate deals in all 50 states. Read on to find out more.

New Venture Escrow has appointed an industry veteran to serve as a new county branch manager and escrow officer as part of the company’s move to expand its market presence. Read on to find out more.

Nationwide, 17.2 percent of homeowners with mortgages have an interest rate greater than or equal to 6 percent, the highest share since 2016, according to a new report from Redfin.

Read on to learn more.

Stewart Information Services Corp. announced significant year-over-year increases in fourth quarter net income and title segment revenue.

Total companywide revenue of $665.9 million in the fourth quarter was up year-over-year from $582.2 million. Full year net income of $73.3 million more than doubled results from 2023 ($30.4 million).

Read on to find out more from the company’s earnings report.

Chicago Title Land Trust Co. is rebranding, with leaders attributing the change to an expanded presence in neighboring states and plans for nationwide growth.

The company also introduced a new product aiming to provide homeowners with enhanced security and privacy, including the removal of ownership information from online databases.

Read on to find out more information.

Nashville, Tenn.,-based Mid-South Title announced an expansion across the middle Tennessee region through its acquisition of a long-standing title and settlement services provider also based in Nashville.

Key highlights of the move are said to include expanded service offerings including 1031 exchanges, closing solutions across state lines, broader access to regional resources and increased market presence.

Read on to find out more information.

The American Land Title Association has named Signature Xcel as an ALTA Elite Provider, making it the only national notary signing agency to earn that distinction.

Read on to learn more information.

Legal 1031 Exchange Services, a division of Kensington Vanguard National Land Services, has tapped a new exchange director who will serve Texas clients outside of greater Houston.

Read on to find out more.

An uptick in new listings, along with slow sales, is contributing to a growing pool of supply for homebuyers to choose from, according to new data from Redfin.

Read on to learn more. 

A northwest Missouri abstract firm has expanded its footprint through the acquisition of a title insurance business that’s been in operation since just after the Civil War.

Leadership from the acquiring company said they’re working to ensure a seamless transition for existing clients while introducing innovative solutions for real estate transactions.

Read on to find out more information.

October Research was pleased to welcome Mortgage Bankers Association Chief Economist Michael Fratantoni to kick off the 2025 Economic Outlook Series, examining how the current climate is impacting real estate transactions.  

With a wealth of experience following the U.S. housing market and national economy, Fratantoni offered a concise yet comprehensive perspective on the trends that matter most.

Read on to learn more.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago has tapped a new vice president for its affiliated title company who will oversee growth and expansion of attorney networks.

Read on to find out more.

A Harris Poll survey of business leaders disclosed leading strategies to mitigate cybersecurity threats and other growth risks, identifying cyber, tech and financial risk as top three disruptors.

Read on to learn more.

There are more than five months of supply on the market, the most since early 2019. Homes are taking a long time to sell largely because housing costs are so expensive, according to Redfin.

Read on to find out more. 

Stewart Title is releasing a new title production system geared specifically toward attorney agents. Its features include streamlined order entry, integrated search orders, document preparation, premium, taxes and recording fee calculations.

While initially launched in three states, plans are in place to expand its availability.

Read on to find out more information about the system.

Fraud prevention and fintech provider Closinglock has brought in $34 million in new Series B funding, the latest development in continued growth for the company.

Closinglock  said the funding will allow the company to evolve and expand as the fraudulent use of artificial intelligence and deepfake content continues to grow.

Read on to find out more.

Individuals affected by the Los Angeles area wildfires who need to replace their property deed can download the documents at no cost via a First American online portal launched on Jan. 31.

First American can provide instant access to digital copies of deeds for nearly 99 percent of residential properties in Los Angeles County, according to the company.

Read on to find out more.

Property research and title update provider AFX Research has integrated with loan management platform Nexys, the companies recently announced.

Read on to find out more.

A new report from property data curator ATTOM shows equity-rich home mortgages dipping slightly in the fourth quarter, but that share remained above levels seen at the end of 2023.

Read on to find out more.

Newhall Escrow, a firm operating in southern California’s Santa Clarita Valley for just over 60 years, has been acquired by a local real estate professional.

The new owner said he’s eager to build on and expand Newhall Escrow’s reputation while incorporating new approaches to meet evolving client needs.

Read on to find out more information.

New data from Modern Treasury shows the vast majority of companies struggling with payment operations, describing the process as complicated, slow and inefficient.

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of companies currently use artificial intelligence (AI) to help automate their payment operations, while 95 percent are using or planning to use AI to automate their payment operations.

Read on to find out more information.

Stewart subsidiary and remote online notarization (RON) provider NotaryCam is reporting record growth in 2024, having completed more than 154,000 RON transactions.

Read on to learn more.

Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. has brought on a title insurance industry veteran with more than three decades of experience to serve as an agency representative in Tennessee.

Read on to find out more.

On a year-over-year basis, home prices rose 5.4 percent in December, the smallest annual increase since 2015, according to new data from Redfin.

Read on to find out more information.

Aaron Davis, CEO of Florida Agency Network, spoke with The Title Report about continued housing market turmoil following last year’s landfalls of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.  

Negative effects stemming from these challenges are being felt across Florida’s title insurance market with transaction volumes in hurricane-affected areas plummeting.

Read on to find out more information.

Home equity technology services provider Splitero is adding five states to its service net, targeting housing markets especially burdened by inventory shortages, rising costs and with potential homesellers “locked in” by mortgage rates.

Available home equity has reached record highs, with almost $11.5 trillion total available to homeowners, according to Splitero.

Read on to find out more information.

Propy is launching cryptocurrency-backed loans to purchase real estate in Hawaii, with the first such transaction taking place Jan. 29.

The loan will be processed instantly and allows buyers to reclaim their cryptocurrency upon completing repayment. It will also let digital asset holders leverage their tokens for real estate investment.

Read on to find out more information.

BankUnited’s National Title Solutions has earned a spot in the American Land Title Association’s Elite Provider program, making it the first bank to do so.

Read on to find out more information.

Mortgage technology service provider ServiceLink has added a pair of long-time operations and customer relationship building experts to its national sales team.

Read on to learn more.

Higher mortgage rates in the latter half of the year, combined with higher inventory levels, triggered a cooling house price trend in late-2024, according to First American Chief Economist Mark Fleming.

Read on to find out more.