News By Edition

A pair of title and settlement service industry professionals share observations with The Title Report regarding pay transparency requirements being instituted in more states and how that’s come with increased federal scrutiny toward no-poach agreements and non-compete provisions.

Both feel that younger workers entering the industry will continue to expect more up-front conversations regarding pay and general company culture.

Read on to find out more.

A recent fourth quarter earnings call from First American Financial Corp. reported title segment and company-wide revenue falling 29 percent year-over-year, with a full year 2022 company-wide revenue of $7.6 billion.

Net income in the fourth quarter was $54 million, or 52 cents per diluted share, roughly one fifth of the $260 million, or $2.33 per diluted share, reported during the final three months of 2021.

Read on for more from the earnings report.

California-based Landsea Homes Corp. is launching its own title agency, Landsea Title, which will conduct business in the company’s Arizona, Florida and Texas markets.

The new venture will act as an agent for First American Title Co. Landsea leadership said having its own title company will maximize efficiencies while ensuring a high level of customer service.

Read on to find out more.

Zillow and Opendoor’s partnership now allows homeowners on Zillow to compare selling options up front, including a cash offer from Opendoor and an estimate to sell on the open market with a Zillow partner.

The new service will reportedly launch in additional markets nationwide in the coming months, after an initial rollout in Atlanta and Raleigh, N.C.

Read on to find out more information.

A new chief strategy officer has been hired at Kriss Law/Atlantic Closing and Escrow, who will oversee national growth strategy at brick and mortar sites in new jurisdictions and entrée into new lines of business.

Read on to learn more.

An integration between Covius and Fluid Decision, Flueid’s title data and decisioning platform, aims to re-engineer loss mitigation workflows and expedite delivery of property reports.

Read on to learn more information.

New reporting from ATTOM shows median home values declining in more than half of Opportunity Zones during the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter.

Read on to find out more information.

A fourth quarter earnings call from Radian Group Inc. reported revenue declines in its homegenius segment.

For the full year 2022, the company reported net income of $742.9 million, or $4.35 per diluted share. That was up year-over-year from $600.7 million, or $3.16 per diluted share, according to the company.

Read on to find out more information.

Doma Title Insurance, Inc., has added in-person, mobile and remote notary services from First Class Signing Service to its AgentMarketplace vendor partnership program.

First Class Signing Service coordinates the entire signing process for title and settlement professionals, from scheduling the notary to confirming orders with clients and reviewing signed documents.

Read on to find out more information.

MooveGuru acquired Minneapolis-based competitor Relocator in an eight-figure transaction, according to company leadership.

The companies said they’re working to integrate service providers across both platforms and roll out the self-service solution to MooveGuru and Relocator brokerages and mortgage companies. Plans call for MooveGuru to begin offering Relocator’s mover dashboard.

Read on to find out more information.

Fintech firm PMI Rate Pro integrated its pricing tool with the Mortgage Cadence Platform, a new cloud-based digital lending option. Users can reportedly check pricing for private mortgage insurance from all six major underwriters.

Read on to learn more.

Kensington Vanguard National Land Services brought back a pair of familiar faces to fill senior executive vice president roles. The two boast combined industry experience of roughly 40 years.

Read on to find out more.

Overall foreclosure activity continued to increase month-over-month in January, according to new data from ATTOM. Activity has now increased for 21 consecutive months.

Read on to learn more information.

Corinthian Title Inc., a California-based provider of title insurance and escrow services, is set to be acquired by AgentHome LLC., a national network of independent title agents.

Corinthian currently operates 10 locations across southern California. The agreement remains subject to regulatory approval and satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Read on to find out more information.

A fourth quarter earnings call from Stewart Information Services Corp. reported declines in both total company revenue and title segment revenue, with company leaders attributing those results to continued market uncertainty.

Fourth quarter 2022 operating revenues for the title segment came in at $581.6 million, a 30 percent, or $254.8 million, year-over-year decline.

Read on to learn more.

Old Republic Title has promoted company President Carolyn Monroe to CEO, filling a vacancy left by the retirement of Mark Bilbrey at the end of January. She will serve as president and CEO.

Monroe has filled multiple leadership roles for Old Republic Title since 2009, which includes being the first woman to serve as company president in 2018.

Read on to find out more.

CoreLogic appointed a seasoned industry veteran as its new chief economist, promoting her after she’d filled that role on an interim basis since this past summer.

Read on to learn more.

Mortgage loan review tech company LauraMac completed its integration with LoanLogics IDEA, which specializes in intelligent document processing and data extraction.

Read on to find out more information.

New data from Redfin shows market activity ramping up among homebuyers and sellers as interest rates continue to remain below highs seen in the latter half of 2022.

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A new partnership between Landtrust Title Services and Caliber Title will allow for expanded services in Wisconsin and enhancement of options already available for clients, according to the companies.

Caliber Title, which is affiliated with Caleb Hayes Keller Williams Real Estate, operates five offices in Northern Wisconsin.

Read on to find out more about the partnership.

A Demotech commercial real estate rating of “highly recommended” was earned by WFG National Title Insurance Co. in recognition of its commercial real estate services and financial stability.

In December 2022, Demotech also affirmed the Financial Stability Rating (FSR) of A’ (A Prime), unsurpassed, to WFG.

Read on to find out more about the rating.

SOC 2, Type II certification has been earned by alanna.ai, creator of an AI virtual assistant for title agents. The company touts its technology as the title industry’s only conversational AI with the ability to engage via text messages or web chat.

The technology can also be used for functions requiring data extraction and processing.

Read on to find out more information.

Superior Financial Solutions, LLC, has tapped Total eClose technology from DocMagic for offering paperless mortgage loan closings. The eClose solution is already in use with remote online notarization functionality.

Read on to learn more.

Snapdocs and Mortgage Cadence completed integration of their platforms, which company leaders say will allow for streamlined closing processes with reduced operating costs.

Read on to find out more information.

Season four of FNF Unplugged, a podcast from the Fidelity National Financial Family of Companies, is underway. The company has produced more than 75 episodes geared toward title agents.

Read on to find out more information.

Florida-based CLOSED Title recently announced the opening of its first office in the state of Texas. The 5-year-old company has experienced significant growth in the Southeast with services now available in five states.

Its new office is located in Killeen, Texas, part of the greater Austin metro area.

Read on to find out more information.

A January jobs report from the National Federation of Independent Business points to nearly 60 percent of small business owners making new hires or trying to hire.

At the same time, the vast majority of those trying to hire reported finding few if any qualified applicants for their open positions.

Read on to find out more.

Tennessee-based Birthright Title, LLC. has launched a new website that it says will help better connect with customers while laying out various aspects of the title insurance and homebuying process.

Website features will also reportedly include team spotlights and explainers on why Realtors, lenders and consumers choose to work with Birthright Title.

Read on to find out more information.

Earnest money payment app Bank Shot has added digital disbursements that will let title closing teams send funds as digital checks.

Read on to find out more information.

Mortgage Connect LP of Pittsburgh tapped an industry veteran as its new national sales executive. The role’s duties will include working directly with clients to build greater efficiency into originations.

Read on to find out more information.

A $2,500 monthly budget is enough to make payments on a $400,000 home for the first time since September, according to new data from Redfin. The company points to interest rates dropping to at or below 6 percent.

Read on to learn more.

Iron Title LLC, a new title insurance agency from financial services firm Zimmer Financial Services Group, is up and running in Florida with a planned expansion into other markets.

Iron Title appointed multiple members to its leadership team, all with executive experience from First American Title or First American Financial.

Read on to find out more.

First American Financial Corp. acquired Colorado-based 1031 Solutions, LLC, a 1031 exchange company that provides qualified intermediary services for real estate exchanges to attorneys and other industry professionals.

All of 1031 Solutions’ capabilities will now be positioned under the First American Exchange Co. brand, according to company leadership.

Read on to find out more information.

Real estate tech firm Voxtur appointed a new chief operating officer (COO) with an extensive background in mortgage finance, real estate and lending services, the company recently announced.

Previous roles for the new COO include chief executive business officer at McCarthy & Holthus, LLP, and executive leadership positions at FIN Title, Xome and Lender Processing Services.

Read on to find out more information.

eRecording Partners Network renewed as an ALTA elite provider with the American Land Title Association. eRecording services include a web-based solution called eCourier.

Read on to find out more.

Pittsburgh design-build and tech solutions company PWCampbell announced the hiring of a new sales representative, who will help lead technology initiatives nationwide.

Read on to learn more.

Housing payments are dropping in all large metros recently analyzed by Redfin, showing the trend stretching from the West Coast well into the Midwest and Northeast.

Read on to learn more information.