News By Edition

Osei Rubie knew he wanted to change the face of New York City’s title insurance industry when he established National Standard Abstract in 2015. In February, the firm passed $2 billion in transactions.

In an exclusive interview with The Title Report, Rubie explains how he and his son helped create one of the largest Black-owned title agencies in the country.

Read on for more from Rubie.

Doma Title Insurance, Inc. has added Tax Title Services to its AgentMarketplace program, providing clients access to services including issuance of due process certification during the tax foreclosure auction process.

To date, Tax Title Services says it has qualified more than 50,000 properties for title insurance. The company currently operates in nearly 40 states.

Read on to learn more.

Attorney’s Title Guaranty Fund hired a new chief operating officer (COO) who will oversee strategic growth and expansion as well as services provided to attorneys, consumers and other clients.

His previous roles include serving as chief financial officer (CFO) and COO at Agent’s National Title Insurance Co., CFO for Shaddock National Holdings and First National Title Insurance Co., and most recently as CFO for PropLogix.

Read on to learn more.

Zillow’s and Opendoor’s multi-year partnership has brought expanded homeselling options to new markets across the South and Southwest, the companies recently announced.

The integration of services allows homeowners to simultaneously request a cash offer and estimate. The dual services had previously been available in Atlanta and Raleigh, N.C.

Read on to find out more information.

The Federal Reserve announced that its FedNow Service, an instant payment solution, will begin operations in July, launching with core clearing and settlement functionality and value-added features. More features and enhancements will be added in future releases, according to officials.

Read on to learn more.

Atlas Title Co. named a new senior vice president of enterprise development, with company leaders saying the hire will help forward current and future growth initiatives.

Read on to find out more information.

A fourth quarter 2022 Special Housing Risk Report from ATTOM shows markets in California, Illinois and along the east coast as most vulnerable to decline. Southern and Midwestern states remain less exposed, data shows.

Read on to learn more.

Real Land Title of Texas is opening the doors at its first brick-and-mortar location in the Lone Star State, with a grand opening ceremony set for March 30.

Previously, the company conducted all property data and closing services from its Louisiana corporate headquarters. The new Texas office is located in Richardson, roughly 15 miles north of Dallas.

Read on to find out more information.

Qualia launched Qualia Atlas, an addition to its cloud-based title, escrow and closing solutions.

Atlas, which combines title and escrow production and vendor management along with client and homebuyer connectivity, is built with newly developed advanced configurability and automations to manage the unique complexity of national enterprise operations. 

Read on to find out more.

Old Republic International Corp. added a new member to its board of directors, appointing a former president of USAA Life Insurance Co. and Allstate Financial Services.

Read on to learn more.

RamQuest  is integrating its Closing Market digital network with Action Title Research, which offers support in title production.

Read on to find out more.

New data from Redfin for February shows median home prices falling year-over-year for the first time in more than a decade. Just under half of homes that went under contract in February did so within two weeks.

Read on to find out more.

Idaho-based Flying S Title & Escrow has merged with Summit Valley Title Co. in Butte, Mont., company leaders recently announced.

Flying S parent company Title Financial Corp. said it intends to bring advanced technology and underwriter flexibility to the table through the acquisition while continuing to provide consistent and dependable services.

Read on to find out more information.

Title and closing solutions provider E-Closing is launching ClosingVue, a cloud-based title and settlement production solution, aiming to modernize and simplify workflows.

The solution allows users to move through files with fewer clicks, have increased task visibility and take advantage of in-app communication for maximum collaboration and efficiency, according to the company.

Read on to find out more information.

Roc360 has closed on its acquisition of Finance of America Commercial, a division of Finance of America Companies, Inc.

Roc360 says it will refresh the brand with a new logo and run it under a new subsidiary using its Finance of America Commercial name. In 2022, Roc360 and Finance of America Commercial collectively funded more than $4.6 billion in business purpose loans.

Read on to learn more.

Kriss Law/Atlantic Closing & Escrow named a new senior vice president of national sales. He is an industry veteran with more than three decades of financial services and mortgage banking experience.

Read on to find out more.

First American Data & Analytics, a division of First American Financial Corp., announced its FraudGuard solution is now available through ICE Mortgage Technology.

Read on to find out more information.

Sale of U.S. luxury homes fell by roughly 45 percent for the three months ending Jan. 31 compared with that same period across late-2021 and early-2022, according to new data from Redfin.

Read on to find out more.

Doma Title Insurance, Inc. is partnering with Red Button Media on production of marketing content for Doma’s AgentMarketplace program.

The partnership offers Doma’s title agent and attorney customers nationwide access to customizable video marketing and company brand services. An introductory video service package is included in the deal.

Read on to learn more information.

A February jobs report from the National Federation of Independent Business shows nearly half of small-business owners reported job openings they’ve been unable to fill.

The percentage of small-business owners reporting labor quality as their top small business operating problem remains elevated at 21 percent, down 3 points from January.

Read on to find out more information.

Silicon Valley-based Tavant launched Proptech 3.0, which it calls the next phase in its real estate technology.

Over the past year, Tavant has delivered real estate tech solutions including MLS data optimization, large digital transformations through aggregations and integrations, and algorithm transformations adapting to unique market shifts that resulted in higher levels of accuracy and consumer engagement.

Read on to learn more.

Dallas-based Allegiance Title Co. appointed a new company president while finding a new role for that seat’s former occupant.

Read on to find out more information.

CertifID has been renewed by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) as an ALTA elite provider, which signifies association approval as meeting highest industry standards and providing effective solutions for members’ critical needs.

Read on to find out more.

New reporting from Zillow shows the U.S. losing 58 “million-dollar cities,” where the typical home is worth at least $1 million, since hitting peak numbers this past July.

Read on to find out more information.

New reporting in the Federal Reserve System’s Beige Book shows some districts with moderately increased economic activity during the first quarter of 2023.

While housing markets remained subdued, restrained by exceptionally low inventory, an unexpected uptick in activity beyond the seasonal norm was seen in some districts along the eastern seaboard.

Read on for more information.

MoxiWorks announced it will be providing all customers with a starter edition of homeownership management portal Milestones.

Milestones features include tracking documents, key contacts, maintenance tasks and the many parts, systems, and belongings in a home. Users can also seek local service providers to help maintain, repair, or improve their home.

Read on to learn more information.

JLL has appointed a new Markets Advisory CEO and Americas Markets Advisory executive chairman, with both moves coming through internal promotions.

JLL's Markets Advisory business offers services including agency leasing and tenant representation; property management for owners of office, industrial and logistics, retail, multi-housing and specialty properties; and advisory and consulting such as location and portfolio strategies.

Read on to find out more.

PrivoCorp brought on a mortgage industry veteran with more than two decades of executive management experience as its new executive vice president of sales and marketing.

Read on to learn more information.

Constellation Insurance, Inc. chose SS&C Precision LM to help manage its expanding commercial mortgage portfolio. Constellation expects the implementation to increase efficiency in the loan process, improve profitability and control risk.

Read on to find out more.

Economists and housing experts recently surveyed by Zillow overwhelmingly agreed that zoning reform is one of the best ways to make homes more affordable.

Zillow data shows that while monthly mortgage costs are now just under $1,600 for a typically valued home after a 20 percent down payment, payments are still 46 percent higher than last January.

Read on to learn more.

A fourth quarter and full year 2022 earnings call from Anywhere Real Estate Inc. reported both companywide and title group revenue declines.

For the fourth quarter of 2022, Anywhere reported net revenue of $1.32 billion, down 33 percent year-over-year from $1.97 billion. That contributed to a fourth quarter 2022 net loss of $453 million.

Read on to learn more.

A new report from AM Best revised its title insurance industry market segment outlook from stable to negative, citing drops in home sales and refinancing activity as primary contributors.

Home sales declined year-over-year by 18 percent through the third quarter of 2022 and are expected to decline further in 2023, according to the report.

Read on to learn more information.

CoreLogic International entered into an agreement to acquire real estate marketing and lead generation firm Plezzel, pending regulatory approval, as part of its expansion across real estate technology solutions.

Plezzel currently provides customizable digital advertising and marketing support and an inquiry response platform to thousands of real estate agents nationally.

Read on to learn more information.

Phoenix-based ROC Title appointed an executive vice president in Arizona and Nevada, a team member who’s been with the company since its 2016 launch.

Read on to learn more.

Cloud-based loan origination system LendingPad integrated with Stewart Lender Services, providing streamlined access to title insurance, closing and escrow services.

Read on to learn more.

New reporting from Redfin shows a large decline in the number of affordable homes for sale in 2022 compared with the previous year. Data also revealed racial inequities regarding households’ ability to afford homeownership.

Read on to learn more.