|
What’s the future for Stewart?
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Following the collapse of Fidelity National Financial, Inc.’s bid to acquire Stewart Information Services Corp., Fidelity is flush with cash, an estimated $750 million with which it can return to shareholders or use to pursue mergers and acquisitions.
But what’s next for Stewart, which was paid $50 million by Fidelity as part of the deal’s breakup?
Read on to learn what some analysts anticipate for Stewart and their view of the company’s new CEO.
|
|
|
Second-best second quarter in 18 years
Posted Date: Friday, September 20, 2019
One of the best second quarters in the industry’s history produced a significantly decline in profits compared with last year, according to an analysis by the American Land Title Association (ALTA).
ALTA said the top-producing states during the first six months of 2019 were Texas, California, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania.
Read on for more details from ALTA’s analysis.
|
|
|
Demotech affirms ATG’s ‘unsurpassed’ rating
Posted Date: Friday, September 20, 2019
ATG said it has maintained the highest financial stability rating Demotech assigns to any regional title insurer in the United States for 24 consecutive years.
ATG President and CEO Peter Birnbaum said the company has achieved and maintained its rating through consistent and effective management practices along with the loyalty of customer base.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
Vantage Point Title integrates with Mortgage Cadence
Posted Date: Friday, September 20, 2019
Vantage Point Title has integrated Mortgage Cadence’s platform that automates processes and facilitates the exchange of documents and data, the companies said.
Vantage Point CEO Robert Jackson said the platform greatly reduces the amount of manual work required from his team, increases document accuracy and gets borrowers to the closing table quicker.
Read on for more details about the integration.
|
|
|
|
Median home price continues to rise
Posted Date: Friday, September 20, 2019
The metropolitan areas that had the biggest price increases in August were Knoxville, Tenn.; Camden, N.J.; and Greenville, S.C.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
Texan Title supplements underwriting team
Posted Date: Friday, September 20, 2019
Texan Title Insurance Co. has added four vice presidents to its team, including two agency consultants and two agency coordinators.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
California real estate company launches escrow agency
Posted Date: Thursday, September 19, 2019
A California-based real estate technology company that has launched three related companies since April 2019 now has added an escrow agency, the company announced.
The company’s CEO said the escrow agency will help make closing services much more transparent, efficient and consumer-friendly. The new agency is available to customers in California.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
Recession fears weighing on small-business owners
Posted Date: Thursday, September 19, 2019
Optimism among small-business owners decreased slightly during August, as fewer owners said they expect better business conditions and real sales volumes in the coming months, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB) Optimism Index.
NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan said manic predictions of recession are having a psychological effect and creating uncertainty for small-business owners throughout the country.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
Zillow Group announces Home Loans president
Posted Date: Thursday, September 19, 2019
Zillow Group has hired a president of its Zillow Home Loans who will oversee its mortgage portfolio, which includes Marketplace and Mortech.
The company also announced several other senior leadership appointments, including vice president of strategy and operations, senior director of product development and vice president of compliance.
Read on to learn more about the newest members of Zillow’s team.
|
|
|
Foreclosure starts plummet in August
Posted Date: Thursday, September 19, 2019
Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia had monthly decreases in foreclosure activity in August.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
NATC hires sales executive
Posted Date: Thursday, September 19, 2019
North American Title Co. has hired a sales executive for its San Diego region.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
Potential existing-homes sales increase
Posted Date: Thursday, September 19, 2019
Potential existing-home sales in August increased slightly in August, according to First American’s proprietary Potential Home Sales Model.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
What’s the future for Fidelity?
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Analysts say Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (FNF) is in the enviable position of having tons of cash and many options after this month’s collapse of its deal to acquire Stewart Information Services Corp.
Fitch Group Director Gerry Glombicki told The Title Report any deals involving Fidelity most likely would be on a much smaller scale than the $1.2 billion Stewart deal.
Read on to learn what analysts predict for Fidelity.
|
|
|
Title Alliance selects Phoenix for regional headquarters
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Title Alliance, Ltd. has selected Phoenix for its regional headquarters in the western U.S., the company announced.
The company already has 10 title and escrow offices in the Phoenix area. The new office will house about 30 employees with plans to add another 20 by the end of 2020.
Read on to learn where the office is located.
|
|
|
Legal 1031 Exchange announces general counsel
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Legal 1031 Exchange Services, a division of Kensington Vanguard National Land Services, has named a general counsel.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
|
eTitle expands Michigan presence
Posted Date: Friday, September 13, 2019
A title agency headquartered in Troy, Mich., has expanded its footprint with the opening of a new office in a historic building in downtown Detroit.
The company’s founder and executive chair said it wants to “evolve past the typical land title company,” bringing resourcing and extensive expertise for a modern approach to title.
Read on for more details from the company’s expansion.
|
|
|
Costs of data breaches expected to soar
Posted Date: Friday, September 13, 2019
The cost of data breaches is expected to will rise 11 percent annually through 2024, according to a new report from Juniper Research.
The report said the rise in the cost of data breaches primarily will be driven by increasing fines as regulation tightens, as well as a greater proportion of business lost as enterprises become more dependent on the digital realm.
Read on for more details from the report.
|
|
|
loanDepot opens Hawaii locations
Posted Date: Friday, September 13, 2019
California-based mortgage lender loanDepot announced that it has opened a pair of retail locations in Hawaii.
The company said the new offices are part of its goal to establish a localized presence in every U.S. market it serves. The lender has more than 150 local retail offices around the country.
Read on for more details of the new Hawaii locations.
|
|
|
|
Simplifile adds 31 jurisdictions
Posted Date: Friday, September 13, 2019
Simplifile has added 31 recording jurisdictions in 13 states throughout the Midwest, southwest and western U.S. to its eRecording network.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
Texan Title announces C-Suite appointments
Posted Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019
Texan Title Insurance Co. (TTIC) has appointed a chief operating officer and a chief strategy officer.
The company’s new COO has more than three decades of title insurance experience.
The new CSO more than 18 years of experience in the title industry and has been instrumental in developing TTIC’s systems and processes. Read on for more details.
|
|
|
ALTA, NAR back housing-reform plan
Posted Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019
The American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Association of Realtors are praising a proposal released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to reform the housing finance system.
ALTA CEO Diane Tomb said the association is encouraged by a plan that acknowledges the need to have sound underwriting standards to prevent future taxpayer bailouts and to minimize risks to financial stability.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
ATG releases new app for its agents
Posted Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019
Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (ATG) has released a proprietary web application and mobile app designed to “revolutionize” how the company and its lawyer agents do business, share information, and interact.
ATG said the app is available to lawyer agents in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake and Will Counties in Illinois.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
NATC hires sales executive
Posted Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019
North American Title Co. (NATC) has hired Brad Brittain as a sales executive for its San Diego region, the company announced.
Read on for more.
|
|
|
|
Beige Book: Most businesses optimistic about near-term outlook
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2019
On balance, reports from Federal Reserve Districts suggested that the economy expanded at a modest pace through the end of August.
Although concerns regarding tariffs and trade policy uncertainty continued, the majority of businesses remained optimistic about the near-term outlook.
Read on for more details from the Fed’s latest Beige Book.
|
|
|
Closed Title expands into Tennessee
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Closed Title has expanded its reach past Florida with the opening of a new office in Nashville, the company announced.
Closed Title specializes in eClosings facilitated by remote online notary.
Founder and CEO Devan Spinelli said the company is tremendously excited to play a part in the growth and adoption of online closings across Tennessee.
Read on to learn where the new office is located.
|
|
|
Stewart, SnapClose integrate
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Cornerstone Management Solutions has integrated Stewart Title Guaranty Co.’s policy jackets and closing protection letters into its SnapClose platform.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
|
Real estate brokerage launching lending division
Posted Date: Friday, August 30, 2019
An iBuyer that purchases homes directly from sellers has launched its own mortgage lending division in Texas and Arizona, with plans to expand elsewhere.
The company said the loans will be available to qualified customers even if they do not buy from its platform, and that the loan option is designed to be cheaper and quicker than alternatives.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
LenderClose adds to its team
Posted Date: Friday, August 30, 2019
LenderClose has added a relationship manager and a sales representative to its team in Des Moines, Iowa.
Read on for more details.
|
|
|
|
|