News By Edition

Following its announcement it has raised an additional $65 million in Series D financing, Qualia announced the acquisition of ResWare developer Adeptive Software.

 

Qualia said its latest fundraising increased its total funding to $160 million and values the company at over $1 billion. The latest round was led by existing investor Tiger Global, alongside other existing investors 8VC and Menlo Ventures.

 

Read on for more details.

Agents National Title Insurance Co. (ANTIC) has named a Midwest Region agency manager.

Read on for more information.

The largest title agency in Illinois recently named a chief underwriting counsel as well as a senior underwriting counsel.

Greater Illinois Title’s newest chief underwriting counsel previously served as a commercial underwriting attorney with Attorneys Title Guaranty Fund and also previously served as a real estate attorney for the Illinois Housing Development Authority.

Read on to learn who was selected for the position.

RedfinNow expands again, this time into Phoenix.

In late 2020 RedfinNow expanded into Seattle and San Francisco. It also has offices in the Inland Empire in California, Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, Sacramento, San Diego, markets in Texas and markets in Colorado.

RedfinNow Vice President Jason Aleem called the Phoenix market “red hot.” Read on for more details. 

Small businesses saw increases in workers and jobs in December.

Small businesses increased employment by 0.3 workers per firm on average over the past few months. Owners reported a historically high level of job openings in December. 

“Small businesses continued to prove that they are the engine of the economy as we closed a chapter on a challenging year,” said one NFIB economist. Read on for more details.

Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Settlement Index declined for the second straight month, hitting its lowest point since May. Read on for more details.

The percentage of millennial refinances  increased in November, according to Ellie Mae. Read on for more details.

Mid America Mortgage, Inc. has promoted its national support and training director to chief operating officer. Read on for more details.

SimpleNexus has secured $108 million in Series B funding. The company plays a role in 13 percent of all U.S. home loans. 

The funding is a follow-in investment from Insight Partners, which invested $20 million in the company in 2018. 

"SimpleNexus’ innovative solutions continue to change the mortgage industry in exciting ways," said one Insight executive. Read on for more details.

Capital Title grows again with acquisition of GPS Title.

Capital is the largest independent title company in the United States. It has over 90 branches in cities around Texas. GPS Title is doing business as Porter Title.

 “We are happy to have been a part of the team that was able to continue the 83-year-old legacy of Porter Title and could not feel more confident that it will continue with success into the future under the leadership of Capital Title,” said one executive. Read on for more details.

Foundation Title and Escrow Series, LLC expands into Alabama.

Foundation Title, headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., has merged with Paulus Title, LLC. Paulus was founded in 2007. 

“Paulus Title and Foundation Title and Escrow have so many shared values, especially the focus on constant improvement and customer service,” said Foundation Title’s CEO. Read on for more details.

SYNRGO said it has incorporated advanced automation into its PostClosing+ software. Read on for more details.

Tavant launches FinConnect on SalesForce AppExchange. Read on for more details.

Corporate Settlement Solutions recently named a new vice president of strategy and growth. Read on for more details.

Knight Barry expands with the addition of six offices around the Twin Cities.

Knight Barry bought Title One Inc. and its six offices to become one of Minnesota’s largest title agencies. Knight Barry is based in neighboring Wisconsin. 

Title One was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Bloomington. Knight Barry said it plans to keep all Title One staff members. Read on for more details.

Britehorn Partners is expanding. 

Britehorn, a middle-market investment bank with offices in Colorado and Florida, is expanding its title merger and acquisition practice. 

"A new buyer universe has awakened to the opportunity in title, and we are making significant investments to enhance our ability to execute for our clients,"  said one Britehorn executive. Read on for more details. 

Proliant Settlement Systems, LLC has announced more expansion across Michigan.

The company found a new franchisee, Signature Title. It is the company’s 11th in the state. 

“The back office support, their team, they’re there for any questions we have without a doubt. Proliant took the headache out of trying to do it all on our own,” said one Signature Title partner. Read on for more details.

CBC Mortgage Agency names new president. Read on for more details.

ReverseVision recently named a new CEO. Read on for more details.

One out of every four small-business owners reported they will have to close their doors in the next six months if things don’t improve.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses Research Center released its 14th survey since March on the impact COVID-19 is having on small businesses.

The study also focused on Paycheck Protection Program loans. Read on for more details.

NES Financial JTC announced it has contracted to provide 1031 Exchange Accommodator Services to Sanchez and Rivera Title, LLC.

1031 exchanges enable investors to reduce or eliminate taxes on the sale of business or investment real estate.

“As the first Hispanic title company in the U.S., it was also really important for us to work with NES Financial JTC as we continue to help our investors venturing into real estate ownership and investments for the first time,” said Sanchez and Rivera Title’s CEO. Read on for more details.

zavvie and Samson Properties have partnered to bring iBuyer and bridge access to more D.C.-area homebuyers. 

The two companies are working together to bring more options to Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Samson Properties is headquartered in Chantilly, Va., and the company employs over 3,700 people across 30 offices. Read on for more details.

Luxury home and second home sales far outpaced the sales of affordable and mid-range housing. Read on for more details.

Six of the top seven most-competitive home-buying markets in the U.S. are within one state: Washington. Read on for more details.

The median mortgage payment in the United States hit a yearly low in November. Read on for more details.

Agents National Title Insurance Co. recently (ANTIC) promoted its controller to CFO.

“Elizabeth [Blake] earned the confidence of our leadership and accounting teams through her hard work and collaborative approach. As a result, she was our first choice for the CFO role when it became available,” an ANTIC executive said.

ANTIC also recently introduced REalSearch, a property underwriting decision engine. Read on for more details.

Demotech recently affirmed AmTrust Title’s ‘A Prime’ financial stability rating.

AmTrust first earned the A Prime rating in 2017, and it has held it since.

“An A Prime rating is a signal to the marketplace that they can have the utmost confidence in AmTrust’s underlying financial strength and stability. We are extremely pleased to have this mark of excellence affirmed,” an AmTrust executive said. Read on for more details.

SLK Global Solutions names new national vice president of business development. Read on for more details.

Home prices were up 15 percent in the four-week period ending Dec. 13, according to research done by Redfin. Read on for more details.

AmTrust Title Insurance Co. hires senior underwriter. Read on for more details.

A recent survey found homebuyers are becoming increasingly frustrated with time-to-close.

“The ideal closing solution considers the entire closing process, end-to-end, and allows for each unique case to be fully optimized in terms of speed, efficiency, security, and finally, scale–all behind the scenes,” said Spruce CEO Patrick Burns.

Read on for more details from the survey.

First American launched Secure Portal in 2018 as a way for buyers and sellers to complete paperwork online simply and safely.

The company launched a pilot this summer, and after seeing success has gone through with the expansion. The company called Secure Portal a simple, mobile and secure solution for sharing transactional information with the participants in a real estate transaction.

Read on for more details.

AccuTitle has launched a new cloud-based product: Landtech Lime.

The company said Landtech Lime can offer all of what the original Landtech has offered for “over four decades.”

“We built this offering at the request of our loyal customer base, and we believe we have created an intuitive user experience that will exceed their expectations,” said one AccuTitle executive. Read on for more details.

Homes sold in November sold quickly and for more money.

Read on for more details. 

LenderClose announced three new personnel additions.

Read on for more details.

Wolters Kluwer has agreed to acquire cloud-based digital lending software eOriginal.

A Wolters Kluwer executive said the acquisition positions us as the leading provider of digital lending solutions

eOriginal was founded in Baltimore, Md. in 1996. Read on for more details.  

Quisitive Technology Solutions has begun working with Stewart Title.

The two companies have formed what they are calling a “strategic relationship” to streamline application development.

“Our integration will equip Stewart Title with the necessary tools to more seamlessly grow its top line and expand its consumer base,” one Quisitive executive said. Read on for more details.

AmTrust Title Insurance Co.’s underwriting software, AmTrust Search and Production, has been integrated with ResWare to increase efficiency and accuracy.

“We want to make sure our customers are utilizing ResWare to its fullest and being as productive as possible,” said one Adeptive executive.

This comes on the heels for Adeptive Software integrating with CertSimple. Read on for details.

Over half of Redfin home offers faced competition in November.

Read on for more details.

Home flipping declined in third quarter, but profits soar.

Read on for more details.