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Timetable for completion of Fidelity-Stewart deal unclear
Posted Date: Thursday, May 30, 2019
Fidelity National Financial, Inc. is offering no timetable for the completion of its proposed acquisition of Stewart Information Services Corp. for $50 per share of common stock.
During a conference call Thursday with investors, analysts and journalists, Fidelity executives said they continued to work to provide the information requested by federal and state regulators. However, Fidelity did not provide an updated target date for completion of the deal.
Read on for more details.
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NotaryCam, Milo Credit complete remote online closing
Posted Date: Friday, May 10, 2019
NotaryCam recently partnered with Milo Credit to complete the lender’s first remote online closing, both companies announced.
The transaction involved a client in Venezuela, a lender in Miami, a notary in Virginia and a U.S.-based attorney from Brazil. The clients successfully completed a cash-out refinance.
Read on for more details about the remote online closing.
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J.P. Morgan accepting eNotes as collateral
Posted Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2019
J.P. Morgan’s Corporate Client Banking and Specialized Industries (CCBSI) mortgage group now is accepting eNotes as collateral to fund warehouse lending transactions.
The company said the use of eNotes improves data quality and security, speeds up the mortgage funding process by shortening loan origination times, reduces errors, and lowers costs by eliminating paper, shipping and storage fees.
Read on for more details.
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Simplifile statewide in Idaho
Posted Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2019
In addition to Idaho, 10 other states offer statewide eRecording through Simplifile.
Read on for more details.
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Loan defects rose in March
Posted Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Arkansas was the only state with a year-over-year decrease in loan defect frequency in March.
Read on for more details.
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First American Mortgage Solutions launches compliance suite
Posted Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2019
First American Mortgage Solutions has launched a flexible loan-level solution for mortgage lenders and servicers, investors, auditors, due diligence and quality control providers.
Read on for more details.
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Old Republic’s title premiums decline
Posted Date: Monday, May 6, 2019
Old Republic International Corp’s title premiums and fees earned dipped slightly during the first quarter, according to the company’s latest earnings statement.
The company, which reported an overall increase in quarterly earnings, said the drop in first-quarter title segment earnings “reflect a mild slowdown in housing and mortgage lending activity.”
Read on for more details about Old Republic’s first-quarter performance.
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NS3 Preview: Biggest names take the stage in Phoenix
Posted Date: Monday, May 6, 2019
The biggest names in the industry gather June 18-20 at the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) in Phoenix, with attendees getting to hear from top underwriters and lenders on stage.
Headlined by keynote speakers Brian Montgomery from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Chris George from CMG Financial and the Mortgage Bankers Association, attendees will hear from panels featuring seven of the top national underwriters in the country, industry titans from the title and lending world sitting down for a fireside chat, and state and federal regulators discussing consumer protection.
Read on for more details about the top speakers headed to NS3.
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Ohio settlement company launches routing platform
Posted Date: Monday, May 6, 2019
A Cleveland-based company has launched a title/escrow platform that uses artificial intelligence and analytics to monitor the workload of participating title agents and attorneys and routes orders to the agent with the least number of pending transactions.
The company said its platform is particularly helpful for dealing with distressed properties in urban areas with serious title issues.
Read on for more details.
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Alliant National hires underwriting counsel
Posted Date: Monday, May 6, 2019
Alliant National Title Insurance Co. has hired an industry-recognized speaker, instructor and author to serve as vice president, southwest underwriting counsel.
Read on for more details.
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Luxury-homes sales prices drop
Posted Date: Monday, May 6, 2019
According to Redfin, the annual decline in the sale price for luxury homes during the first quarter was the first in nearly three years.
Read on for more details.
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ClosingCorp integrates with Blue Sage
Posted Date: Monday, May 6, 2019
ClosingCorp’s SmartFees solution now is integrated with the Blue Sage Digital Lending Platform.
Read on for more details.
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Knight Barry acquires another Florida agency
Posted Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019
Less than two months after acquiring a Pensacola-based title agency, Knight Barry Title has acquired a second title company in the Sunshine State.
Knight Barry’s latest acquisition in Florida is a Crestview-based company formerly owned by a husband and wife team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Read on for more details about Knight Barry’s latest acquisition.
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Homeowner ROI decreased in first quarter
Posted Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019
The highest average home seller returns in the first quarter were in San Jose, Calif.; San Francisco; Seattle; Modesto, Calif.; and Salt Lake City.
Read on for more details.
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Agents National hires business develop manager
Posted Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019
Agents National Title has hired a Florida business development manager who will focus on cultivating agency relationships and building an agency base in South Florida.
Read on for more details.
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Houses slightly more affordable
Posted Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019
Real house prices decreased slightly between January 2019 and February 2019 and year-over-year.
Read on for more details.
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First American’s pretax margin improves
Posted Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019
Despite declines in closed title orders, in both refinances and purchase orders, First American Financial Corp. improved its pretax title margin during the first quarter, according to the company’s latest earnings statement.
The company benefited from a double-digit increase in average revenue per order and net realized investment gains due to the change in the fair value of equity securities.
Read on for more details.
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Simplifile to sell to MERS parent
Posted Date: Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Simplifile has agreed to sell the Utah-based company to Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of MERS, for $335 million, the companies announced late Wednesday.
The deal is expected to close in the third quarter, and upon closing, Simplifile and its 200 employees will continue to be based in Provo and operate under the Simplifile name, the companies said.
Read on for more details about the acquisition and reaction from both companies.
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ALTA names new CEO
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2019
The American Land Title Association (ALTA) has named a former executive in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush to serve as its CEO, effective July 1.
The advocacy’s new top executive has more than two decades experience in the housing industry, having served at Fannie Mae and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Read on for more details about ALTA’s new CEO.
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NS3 Preview: Technology the future of compliance management
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Attorneys Sean Burke and Marx Sterbcow have worked closely with regulators, having been involved representing an individual or company in a number of title-related cases that agencies have brought.
The highlight of their lessons: That technology is the way forward for compliance management in the industry.Burke and Sterbcow will be speaking at the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) this summer in Phoenix on “Compliance Management Systems for Tomorrow.”
Read on for a session preview.
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SoftPro integrates with CloseSimple
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2019
SoftPro has integrated CloseSimple’s text messages, branded emails and tracking capabilities into its platform.
Read on for more details.
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LenderClose adds to its team
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2019
LenderClose has added a senior vice president of sales and a relationship manager to its team.
Read on for more details.
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CertifID expands coverage
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2019
CertifID now is protecting all wire transfers that are initiated by buyers in real estate transactions for up to $1 million for a single fee of $4.95.
Read on for more details.
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Stewart’s first-quarter losses increase
Posted Date: Friday, April 26, 2019
Mostly attributable to expenses related to its proposed acquisition by Fidelity and tax changes in fair value of equity securities investments, Stewart Information Services Corp.’s losses nearly doubled during the first quarter, according to the company’s latest earnings statement.
Stewart CEO Matt Morris said the company continues to work through the ongoing regulatory approval process for its acquisition by Fidelity.
Read on for more details about Stewart’s first-quarter performance.
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NS3 Preview: Separating fact from fiction with eClosings
Posted Date: Friday, April 26, 2019
Fortunately for attendees at the 2019 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) June 18-20 in Phoenix, Equity National Title President and attorney James K. O’Donnell will be bringing his ground-level experience doing all manner of eClosings to the stage during the NS3 session “eClosing: Just do it”
Read on for more details.
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Hightide Settlement selects Pavaso for eClosings
Posted Date: Friday, April 26, 2019
California-based Hightide Settlement Services recently began offering eClosings through Pavaso, both companies announced.
Hightide CEO Keith Murray said Pavaso’s platform enables his company to improve the customer experience and adapt to the demands of a changing industry.
Read on to learn what Pavaso Executive Vice President Cheryl Baillis said about the options available through Pavaso’s eClosing platform.
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Cook & James adds attorney
Posted Date: Friday, April 26, 2019
Atlanta-based real estate law firm Cook & James has added an attorney to its team whose focus will include purchase closings and title reviews.
Read on for more details.
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2019 Voice of the Title Agent winners announced
Posted Date: Thursday, April 25, 2019
Thanks to the strong participation of hundreds of respondents, the ninth annual Voice of the Title Agent survey and special report has provided a wide look at the industry from those directly involved. Read on to learn who won the free registration to the 2019 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) in Phoenix.
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SafeChain launches Blockchain-based network
Posted Date: Thursday, April 25, 2019
SafeChain is partnering with independent title agents in Ohio in launching a Blockchain-backed network that enables peer-to-peer transfers of prior title insurance policies.
SafeChain CEO Tony Franco told The Title Report the intention is for the network to be used across the entire state and the company “would welcome the participation of other members of the supply chain.”
Read on for more details.
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Refinances up, 30-year note drops
Posted Date: Thursday, April 25, 2019
The 30-year note rate dropped for the third consecutive month during March.
Read on for more details.
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FAN acquires Florida title agency
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Florida Agency Network (FAN) has acquired a Florida title agency with multiple locations in Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties, the company announced.
FAN Chief Operating Officer Mike LaRosa said the acquired company “has great people and a great reputation, and we couldn’t picture a better strategic fit for both of our companies.”
Read on for more details.
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Premium Title, Springhouse launch HELOC
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Premium Title has partnered with appraisal management company Springhouse to launch a home equity line of credit (HELOC) hybrid solution that provides combined title search and valuation data for lenders.
The new product is designed to help lenders shorten the amount of time it takes to close a HELOC loan by consolidating title and valuation information in one report.
Read on for more details.
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Report: Property price increases to slow in 2019
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
A new report from Veros Real Estate Solutions predicts that properties in the nation’s 100 largest markets will appreciate at a rate of 3.7 percent over the 12 months ending March 1, 2020.
If Veros’ forecast is correct, the slowing of property price appreciation would continue a trend that began during the fourth quarter of 2018.
Read on for more details.
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First National adds underwriter
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
First National Title Insurance Co. has added an industry veteran to its underwriting team.
Read on for more details.
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Churchill Mortgage hires senior vice president
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Churchill Mortgage has hired Tim Broadhurst as senior vice president of loan officer development and senior home loan specialist, the company announced.
Read on for more details.
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SafeChain integrates with ResWare
Posted Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
SafeChain’s wire fraud prevention software and Blockchain applications for land title have been integrated into Adeptive’s ResWare title and escrow production software.
Read on for more details.
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Least and most disaster prone metros
Posted Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2019
A new report from Redfin ranks the country’s metropolitan areas according to their frequency of earthquakes, fires, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
Read on for more details.
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