News By Edition
Select from the options below to restrict your search.
|
The Title Report Edition
March 19, 2012
Title agents are the straws that stir transactional drinks, and in an age where there are almost limitless options for instantly and effectively informing, educating and branding messages to lenders, Realtors and homebuyers, title agents can take their customer service and marketing to a new level. In this edition of The Title Report, we highlight several of the latest technology platforms and strategies used for communicating with all of the parties to a transaction. Inside the edition, we have the year-end financial results for First American, Realogy and Investors Title. We also have the debut of our Title Talk feature. |
|
Communication innovation: Giving power to the consumer
Posted Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Mortgage transactions are a muddled concoction of interests, and the
title agent is the straw that stirs it to make the end product palatable
for all parties. The title industry needs to send documents, relay
information, explain nuances and rules, be courteous and do it all in a
timely fashion. The key ingredient in this entire process is
communication, and here in 2012, there are no shortage of new strategies
and technologies available for doing so more effectively than ever
before. Read on for part two of this series, which looks at
GreenFolders’ integration with a third-party communication platform.
|
|
|
Editor's Note: Don't be like me; adopt new technology
Posted Date: Monday, March 19, 2012
Just going by my birth year, I would probably be classified as a
“millennial” or “Generation Y,” but a key in those classifications is
having a love for new technology – and that ain’t me. My technology
adoption habits would probably put me more in line with the baby boomers
or whatever we call the generation that rode around in horse-drawn
carriages and churned butter. OK, maybe that’s a stretch, but my point
is I’m always resistant to “the new thing.”
|
|
|
Communication innovation: Providing portals for real-time access
Posted Date: Monday, March 19, 2012
Mortgage transactions are a muddled concoction of interests, and the
title agent is the straw that stirs it to make the end product palatable
for all parties. The title industry needs to send documents, relay
information, explain nuances and rules, be courteous and do it all in a
timely fashion. The key ingredient in this entire process is
communication, and here in 2012, there are no shortage of new strategies
and technologies available for doing so more effectively than ever
before. Read on for part one of this series, which looks at Advantage
Title’s Title365 technology.
|
|
|
WFG adds agency sales rep in Virginia
Posted Date: Wednesday, March 7, 2012
WFG National Title Insurance Co. has added an agency sales
representative in its Southeast Regional agency office in Virginia
charged with growing and maintaining relationships with agencies in
Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Read on for more.
|
|
|
DataTrace completes title plant for all of California
Posted Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Data services provider Data Trace Information Services LLC announced the
completion of its title plant expansion project in California. Read on
for more about the company’s expansion.
|
|
|
Percentage of underwater borrowers increases to 2009 levels
Posted Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The economy might be showing signs of turning, but the number of
underwater homes is still increasing, according to a report from
CoreLogic. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2011, the data and
analytics provided noted that 11.1 million homes, or 22.8 percent of all
residences with a mortgage, were experiencing negative equity. Read on
for how this compared to Q3, the top states for negative equity and
what this might mean for HARP 2.0.
|
|
|
ClosingCorp, RamQuest integrate services
Posted Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2012
ClosingCorp, a provider of residential real estate closing cost data and
technologies for mortgage lenders, real estate professionals and
consumers, announced a partnership with RamQuest. Read on for details of
this new service.
|
|
|
|
Vote in the 2012 Voice of the Title Agent survey
Posted Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The big themes of 2011 included anxiety about the economy, the
importance of marketing, the concern (or lack thereof) of private
transfer fees, the doubts about the combination of the Good Faith
Estimate and Truth in Lending disclosure documents and more. What will
be the big themes this year? Well, that’s up to you. Read on for
information on how to vote in this year’s Voice of the Title Agent
survey and enter to win a FREE subscription to The Title Report.
|
|
|
Lenders start to favor short sales over REO
Posted Date: Monday, March 5, 2012
One-fourth of the market in the final four months of 2011 was dominated
by sales of properties in some stage of foreclosure. This is surprising
to those in the industry only because it wasn’t higher. However, a new
revelation from RealtyTrac is pre-foreclosure have started to rival the
dominance of real-estate owned (REO) sales. Read on for more from this
report.
|
|
|
ClosingCorp pushes latest version of SmartClosing calculator to consumers
Posted Date: Friday, March 2, 2012
ClosingCorp, a provider of residential real estate closing cost data and
technologies for mortgage lenders, real estate professionals and
consumers, keeps looking for new ways to make its information available
and is bolstering its consumer push with its latest announcement.
|
|
|
Total Title Solutions opens two new offices, promotes iPad app tech
Posted Date: Friday, March 2, 2012
Tampa Bay title company Total Title Solutions announced the opening of
two new offices in New Port Richey and Jacksonville, Fla., and a
company-wide focus on advancing technology to improve internal
operations and customer service. Read on for more from the company.
|
|
|
Stewart adds agency services manager in N.J.
Posted Date: Friday, March 2, 2012
Stewart Title Guaranty Co. announced the appointment of a vice president
and agency services manager for the state of New Jersey. Read on for
more about this announcement.
|
|
|
|
Fidelity in the news: Restaurant offer tendered, fined in Washington State
Posted Date: Friday, March 2, 2012
Fidelity National Financial and its subsidiaries were in the news this
week for the company’s latest restaurant acquisition and for a slap on
the wrist from a state department of insurance. Read on for more details
on for more about its SEC anti-trust clearance and for the details of
the state fine.
|
|
|
Alabama title owner sent to prison for mail fraud
Posted Date: Thursday, March 1, 2012
The owner of a Birmingham, Ala., title company was sentenced to prison
by a federal judge Feb. 27 for his connection to a mortgage fraud
scheme. Read on for sentencing information and details of the scheme.
|
|
|
Realogy shows $441M loss; Title Resources Group increases revenue
Posted Date: Thursday, March 1, 2012
Realogy Corp., a global provider of real estate and relocation services
and parent company of Title Resources Group, showed a net loss in 2011,
but TRG showed an improvement in its average price per unit and
increased its revenue. Read on for more from the company’s year-end
earnings, including who was appointed its new chairman of the board.
|
|
|
MBA: Purchase activity up, still at 'anemic' levels
Posted Date: Thursday, March 1, 2012
According to the Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey, mortgage
applications are down slightly overall, but purchase applications
finally saw a rise in activity. Read on for the latest snapshot of
market activity from the Mortgage Bankers Association.
|
|
|
LPS increases HARP 2.0 support through LSI Title Division
Posted Date: Thursday, March 1, 2012
HARP 2.0 has generated some excitement among the title industry’s
national providers with national lender relationships. Enter this
announcement from LPS to increase its piece of the HARP pie with an
extension of its streamlined settlement solution to its LSI Title
Division.
|
|
|
Perception problems persist for VMCs
Posted Date: Monday, February 27, 2012
Our look at vendor management companies so far examines the road VMCs
traveled — from the boom through the bust and to where they are today.
The elephant in the room when it comes to VMCs is their perception among
vendors in the title industry. Many title agents across the country are
small businesses, and VMCs can look like just another large, faceless
entity that is gobbling up the market. What affect to these perception
problems have on business? Read on for more.
|
|
|
First American talks HARP 2.0 business, 2012 opportunities
Posted Date: Monday, February 27, 2012
First American Financial released its fourth quarter financial results
on Feb. 23, and chief executive officer Dennis Gilmore answered several
questions about the coming year during the company’s investor conference
call. Read on for what he had to say about HARP 2.0, the company’s
business structure and its outlook for 2012.
|
|
|
Stewart receives outlook upgrade from Fitch Ratings
Posted Date: Friday, February 24, 2012
Stewart Information Services Corp. revealed its Q4 and year-end 2011
financial results on Feb. 16, and on Feb. 23, Fitch Ratings affirmed the
company’s Issuer Default Rating, senior unsecured debt rating and the
Insurer Financial Strength rating of its insurance subsidiaries. The
rating company also improved the company’s outlook. Read on for more
form Fitch.
|
|
|
Chicago Title adds experience to builder services department
Posted Date: Friday, February 24, 2012
Chicago Title Co. has moved a company veteran into the position of
consultant for its builder services department of real estate team in
order to replace a departing team member. Read on for more information.
|
|
|
reQuire Release Tracking expands into N.Y., shuffles managers
Posted Date: Friday, February 24, 2012
Release tracking company reQuire made a few adjustments to its
management roster to bolster its latest expansion moves. The company
moved a regional manager to New York City and hired an account manager
in Northern Virginia. Read on for more about the company’s growth and
personnel moves.
|
|
|
Investors Title shows big jump in revenue after 2011 move into Texas
Posted Date: Friday, February 24, 2012
Investors Title Co., one of the larger regional underwriters, increased
revenue by nearly $20 million and premiums written by 32.6 percent in
2011, largely due to the company’s move into Texas. Read on for the full
results from the company’s fourth quarter and year-end earnings report.
|
|
|
First American Q4 2011 results strong but hurt by BofA settlement
Posted Date: Thursday, February 23, 2012
First American Financial reported a 3 percent decline in revenue in the
fourth quarter of 2011 but had its earnings bolstered by a strong
performance from its commercial division, both in volume and fee per
file. These results also include the conclusion of its Bank of American
settlement charges, which put a damper on the overall numbers. Read on
for a closer look at the results.
|
|
|
Mortgage applications slide in weekly survey
Posted Date: Thursday, February 23, 2012
According to the Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey from the Mortgage
Bankers Association, mortgage activity has declined for both purchases
and refinances. Read on for more of this week’s data.
|
|
|
Existing-home sales up, total inventory on decline
Posted Date: Thursday, February 23, 2012
Foreclosure and delinquency numbers continue to show declines while the
existing-home sales index continues to rise. According to the National
Association of Realtors, January marked the third month in the past four
that have showed an increase in existing-home sales.
|
|
|
LPS reports a 10 percent drop in mortgage delinquencies
Posted Date: Thursday, February 23, 2012
Lender Processing Services Inc. (LPS) reported its "first look" at
January 2012 month-end mortgage performance statistics derived from its
loan-level database of nearly 40 million mortgage loans. Read on for the
numbers.
|
|
|
|
|