News By Edition

The coronavirus outbreak throughout the U.S. and the government’s response to it already have significantly impacted the real estate and mortgage industries, according to a recently released whitepaper by Black Knight.

 Black Knight said negative impacts thus far have included supply-chain disruptions, decreased home sales, and uncertainty to the housing market, home affordability, refinance incentive and portfolio retention risk.

 Read on for more details from the whitepaper.

A charitable organization founded and facilitated by Empire Title Co. of Colorado Springs has donated $25,000 to Springs Rescue Mission.

Read on for more details.

The cloud-based title management and real estate closing platform AccuTitle has acquired title software company Closers’ Choice, the company announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 AccuTitle said the acquisition expands its customer base and reach in the southeast. Jointly, the companies have more than 1,100 clients processing more than 450,000 transactions annually.

 Read on for more details.

AmTrust Title Insurance Co.’s title search products have been integrated into Qualia’s Marketplace, the companies announced.

As a result of the integration, data and documents returned by AmTrust automatically will be imported into a user’s file in Qualia, without any re-keying required.

Read on to learn what Qualia CEO Nate Baker and AmTrust Regional Manager Michael Frederick had to say about the integration.

Punctual Abstract has selected a company veteran to serve as its chief technology officer (CTO).

Punctual Abstract CEO Ted Woloszyk said the executive selected as CTO has helped the company win business and increase the speed and efficiency with which it can title agency customers.

Read on to learn more about the newest member of Punctual Abstract’s executive team.

Austin, Texas-based National Investors Title Insurance Co. has hired an executive vice president for market development.

Read on for more details.

Ellie Mae has rebranded both its Encompass Digital Lending Platform and its Capsilon solution.

Read on for more details.

NewDay USA has launched a program that allows veterans and servicemembers to sign mortgage closing documents without having a notary signing agent enter their home.

Read on for more details.

A report from the Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) predicts the coronavirus will cause significant headwinds for title insurers but reiterates the agency’s stable outlook for the sector.

KBRA said title insurers’ balance sheets are vulnerable bceause of elevated exposure to equities, but an expected surge in mortgage refinances should offset investment declines.

Read on for more details from the report.

Mortgage Cadence has integrated Stewart’s title services into its Collaboration Center solution.

 Mortgage Cadence said its customers now can place title orders, receive automatic status updates, and make changes to orders from Stewart, while the communications between Mortgage Cadence customers and Stewart are securely transmitted and automatically organized into the loan record.

 Read on for more details.

Many title companies and settlement firms throughout the country have modified their closing practices because of the coronavirus, including National Integrity Title Agency in New Jersey, Cook & James in Atlanta and Greater Illinois Title in Chicago.

 Cook & James said creative, mobile spots where it recently has closed transactions include a front porch, a garage, a driveway and even a neighborhood pool amenity complex. 

 Read on for more details.

Adeptive Software has integrated SimpliRisk into its ResWare platform.

Read on for more details.

Simplifile processed its 100 millionth document April 1, and added more than 2,400 new submitters in March.

Read on for more details.

Realogy Title Group subsidiary TitleOne has acquired a Washington title company whose history dates back to the late 1800s. Exact terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

TitleOne President Jason Vickrey said the acquired agency “is the perfect fit for TitleOne in terms of geographic desirability, rich history and great customer service.”

Read on for more details about the acquisition.

SYNRGO has tapped a former Old Republic and ePN executive to serve as its president and chief operating officer.

 Chairman and CEO Karl Klessig said the company’s newest C-Suite executive was hired to manage SYNRGO’s next phase of growth. All departments will report to him.

 Read on for more details about the industry professional hired to promote SYNRGO’s company culture and vision.

Alliant National Title Insurance Co. recently completed the Service Organization Control (SOC) 1 SSAE 18 Type II examination for the sixth consecutive year, the company announced.

Alliant National President and CEO David Sinclair said the company is the only title insurance underwriter to achieve compliant status for six consecutive years.

Read on for more details.

The American Land Title Association has appointed a senior vice president of public affairs.

Read on for more details.

The Northeast has the largest concentration of the counties most vulnerable to adverse housing impacts of the coronavirus, according to a report from ATTOM Data Solutions.

Read on for more details.

New home listings across the U.S. have significantly declined since March, according to an analysis by Zillow.

Read on for more details.

A national title company that says it prides itself on its innovative technology and its ability to process full online closings for its mortgage lending partners and borrowers has named a chief operating officer.

The company’s newly named COO has more than 20 years of experience in the mortgage and title industry and is considered a business-expansion expert.

Read on for more details.

A survey by the NFIB Research Center found that 70 percent of small-business owners have tried to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan with varying degrees of success.

 NFIB said both the PPP and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan have yet to deliver loans, frustrating small-business owners who are in immediate need of financial support.

 Read on for results from NFIB’s latest survey.

Community Title Network, LLC recently performed what it said it believed was the first remote online notarization (RON) closing in Maryland.   

 Community said the transaction was an all-cash purchase of a property in Montgomery County. It coordinated with Notarize to complete the RON closing. The closing followed an executive order from the governor authorizing RONs.

 Read on for more details about the closing.

RamQuest, Inc. has launched a new communication tool it said enables title companies to more efficiently and effectively connect with their customers during the closing process. 

Read on for more details.

A report by Veros Real Estate Solutions forecasts the average projected appreciation rate for residential real estate in the nation’s largest 100 housing markets will increase through the first quarter of 2021.

Read on for more details.

ZOCCAM has received notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its platform that provides mobile payments into escrow accounts for real estate transactions, the company announced.

 ZOCCAM founder and CEO Ashley Cook said the patent is the first of several for which the company has applied, and it plans to continue to strengthen its intellectual property.

 Read on for more details.

Prior to onslaught of the coronavirus in the U.S., the small-business labor market was steady in March with strong hiring, additional open positions, and historically high employee compensation, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB) monthly jobs report.

NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said the coronavirus is likely to have a lasting impact on the small-business economy.

Read on for details from NFIB’s latest report.

First National Title Insurance Co. has added underwriting counsels, an agency representative and a director of compliance to its team.

Read on for more details.

Refinances among millennials surged in February as interest rates dropped to near-record lows.

Read on for more details.

An increasing percentage of Americans are concerned about losing their job within the next 12 months.

Read on for more details.

AEGIS Land Title Group has acquired a Washington agency which provides service in Pierce, King, Snohomish and Thurston counties. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 AEGIS owner and President Paul Hofmann said the acquired agency is one of the most-respected firms in Washington with a tradition of customer-centric service.

 Read on for more details about the acquisition.

During the webinar “Conducting Business in Uncertain Times,” three industry experts discussed how industry participants should be adapting to the changing times and advocacy efforts they should be backing to ensure they can continue to provide essential services.

 Speakers included Florida Agency Network CEO Aaron Davis; Jaime Kosofsky, managing partner, Brady & Kosofsky, PA; and Edward McDonnell, CEO, McDonnell Law Firm.

 Read on to learn what they had to say.

Knight Barry recently completed the first full-loan, paperless real estate transaction using remote online notarization (RON) in Wisconsin, the company announced.

 Knight Barry Title said it was instrumental in Wisconsin moving up its timetable and immediately authorizing the use of RON because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Read on to learn what mortgage company was involved in the closing.

Affordable East Coast and Midwest cities have the lowest overall economic risk in the 2020 coronavirus-spurred recession, according to a new report from Redfin.

Read on for more details.

Real house prices increased 0.1 percent between December 2019 and January 2020, according to the latest First American Real House Price Index.

Read on for more details.

LenderClose has expanded its team with the addition of a data analyst and two project managers.

Read on for more details.