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Security Title Guarantee launches new website
Posted Date: Thursday, August 23, 2018
Security Title Guarantee Corp. of Baltimore has launched new website to better serve customers and showcase its agent network.
Read on for more details.
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Gildersleve joins Porter Keadle Moore
Posted Date: Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Porter Keadle Moore (PKM), an accounting and advisory firm that serves leading public and private clients nationwide, has announced today that Larry Gildersleve has joined the company as the Director of Practice Growth. Read on for more details.
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ClosingCorp partners with Stearns Lending
Posted Date: Tuesday, August 21, 2018
ClosingCorp. a leading provider of residential real estate closing cost data and technology for the mortgage and real estate services industries, announced today that Stearns Lending, LLC, one of the nation’s top 10 mortgage lenders, has selected ClosingCorp’s SmartFees as its rate and fee data solution. Read on for more details.
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Kerr County Abstract & Title Co. donates to veteran's center
Posted Date: Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Kerr County Abstract & Title Company was recently awarded $1000 from Alliant National Title Insurance Company to donate to charity. Kerr County Abstract chose to give back to their community by donating the $1000 to Hill Country Veteran Center. Read on for more details.
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Industry veteran launches marketing consulting firm
Posted Date: Monday, August 20, 2018
Renee (Becker) Bourbeau announces the launch of her new marketing consulting firm, Eiffel Marketing (Eiffel), which specializes in customer-centric marketing solutions to improve the overall CX (customer experience). Eiffel channels Amazon philosophy and techniques and helps settlement service companies flourish by advocating data-driven practicality, to improve the client experience and build loyalty.
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Stearns Lending leverages ClosingCorp SmartFees
Posted Date: Tuesday, August 7, 2018
ClosingCorp, a leading provider of residential real estate closing cost data and technology for the mortgage and real estate services industries, announced today that Stearns Lending, LLC, one of the nation’s top 10 mortgage lenders, has selected ClosingCorp’s SmartFees as its rate and fee data solution.
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Fidelity posts best title results in 15 years
Posted Date: Friday, July 20, 2018
An increase in purchase orders opened and closed during the second quarter helped Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (FNF) to its best quarterly, pre-tax title earnings and adjusted pre-tax title margin in 15 years.
Fidelity President Mike Nolan said FNF’s title business “is well-positioned to continue to deliver strong financial results through the remainder of 2018.”
Read on for more details from FNF’s second-quarter earnings report.
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CFPB nominee appears before Congress
Posted Date: Friday, July 20, 2018
President Donald Trump’s nominee as the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) this week made her much-anticipated appearance before Congress, even as Democrats continued to question her qualifications for the job.
During the hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Kathy Kraninger listed her qualifications for the job and outlined her priorities for the CFPB
Read on to learn why Democrats on the committee wanted the hearing delayed.
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Report: Trump tax cuts ‘windfall’ for real estate developers
Posted Date: Friday, July 20, 2018
A new report from Democrats calls President Donald Trump’s signature tax cuts a “stunning” windfall for real estate developers at the expense of taxpayers.
The report said the tax package penalizes homeowners by limiting the home equity interest deduction, limiting the property tax deduction, and by capping the size of mortgages with interest deductions.
Read on to learn how much the report estimates real estate developers gained from the tax cuts.
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Stewart promotes division president
Posted Date: Friday, July 20, 2018
Stewart Title has selected a division president to oversee direct operations and sales in Minnesota.
Read on for more details.
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Foreclosures down during first half of 2018
Posted Date: Friday, July 20, 2018
The number of U.S. properties with foreclosure filings, default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions dropped during the first six months of 2018.
Read on for details from the latest report from ATTOM Data Solutions.
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SoftPro partners with REDS
Posted Date: Friday, July 20, 2018
A partnership between SoftPro and Real Estate Data Shield (REDS) will provide SoftPro customers preferred access to REDS’ cybersecurity training.
Read on for more details.
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Korsmo resigns from ALTA
Posted Date: Thursday, July 19, 2018
The CEO of the American Land Title Association (ALTA) has resigned.
Under the leadership of Michelle Korsmo, ALTA doubled its membership and revenue and nearly tripled fundraising for the Title Industry Political Action Committee.
Korsmo also is credited with helping the association institute an industry-wide licensing program and a best-practices standard. Read on to learn where Korsmo is heading.
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Illinois title agency opens new office
Posted Date: Thursday, July 19, 2018
The second-largest title insurance agency in Illinois has opened a new office in a Chicago suburb to accommodate its growing customer base in that area.
The company said the new office opened in June and occupies a 2,400-square-foot suite on the first floor of the building. The company also has added a senior sales representative and an escrow officer.
Read on to learn where the new office is located.
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More small-business owners planning to add jobs
Posted Date: Thursday, July 19, 2018
Although their optimism dipped slightly last month, small-business owners continued to report plans to create new jobs and to increase pay levels to help fill open positions, according to the latest optimism index from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
NFIB’s June optimism index reached the sixth highest reading for that month in the survey’s history.
Read on to learn the factors NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan said have spurred such optimism among small-business owners.
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WFG names regional director
Posted Date: Thursday, July 19, 2018
WFG National Title Insurance Co. has named a regional director to oversee growth and management in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Texas.
Read on for more details.
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Mortgage Cadence integrates ComplianceAnalyzer
Posted Date: Thursday, July 19, 2018
A new integration enables users of Mortgage Cadence’s Enterprise Lending Center to audit loans for regulatory compliance without leaving the platform.
Read on for more details.
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Fannie Mae elects board director
Posted Date: Thursday, July 19, 2018
The former CEO of one of the world’s largest banks has been elected to Fannie Mae’s board of directors.
Read on for more details.
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Report: Housing market on ‘sound’ footing
Posted Date: Monday, July 16, 2018
A report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies said employment levels and rising household incomes have the housing market on sound footing.
However, the report also warns of an impending affordability crisis if the federal government doesn’t address problems that have contributed to soaring home prices.
Read on for more from the latest version of the annual State of the Nation’s Housing report.
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Panelists discuss how collaboration can lead to better closings
Posted Date: Monday, July 16, 2018
Opening and maintaining effective lines of communication in the real estate business has proven easier said than done but it is a worthwhile endeavor according to participants in the 2018 National Settlement Services Summit session entitled “Perfecting Closings Together.”
Sally Freudenberg, vice president at Wells Fargo Home and Consumer Finance Group, moderated the discussion, which featured insight from Daniel Coles, senior vice president of fulfillment enablement and program manager at Bank of America, and Tom Mace, senior manager of closing and funding operations at Flagstar Bank.
Read on to find out what the industry insiders had to say.
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Technology-driven real estate firm expands
Posted Date: Monday, July 16, 2018
Less than two months after it purchased an interest in a national escrow and title company, a technology-driven real estate firm has expanded into two additional states.
The real estate company now has a presence in eight states and is looking to expand further. “Now is the ideal time”to have a presence in the two additional states, the company CEO said.
Read on to learn the CEO’s explanation for selecting the latest markets.
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Weiner Brodsky Kider adds Markison
Posted Date: Monday, July 16, 2018
Weiner Brodsky Kider has added Ken Markison, an attorney who was formerly a mainstay at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Read on for more details.
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NotaryCam partners with Accurate Group
Posted Date: Monday, July 16, 2018
NotaryCam has partnered with Accurate Group to provide remote online notarization services for the latter’s NotaryWorks.
Read on for more details.
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Title Alliance promotes closing manager
Posted Date: Monday, July 16, 2018
Title Alliance, Ltd. has appointed a closing manager for its Keystone Premier Settlement Services in Bethlehem, Pa.
Read on for more details.
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President includes CFPB in joint task force to combat fraud
Posted Date: Friday, July 13, 2018
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing a joint task force to combat consumer fraud that will include the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The task force will target fraud against the elderly, service members and veterans, as well as corporate fraud victimizing the government and the general public.
Read on to learn what the heads of various agencies had to say about the effort.
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Michigan title agency introduces lien waiver system
Posted Date: Friday, July 13, 2018
A Grand Rapids, Mich.-based title agency has launched a construction draw and lien waiver system designed to eliminate the hours of time and effort spent matching payments to separate lien waivers.
The president of the title agency said combining the practicality of check acceptance with the statutory requirements for the lien will simplify and speed the process in Michigan.
Read on to learn how the waiver system assists title agents.
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Utah title agency expands footprint
Posted Date: Friday, July 13, 2018
American Secure Title has expanded its footprint in Utah with the acquisition of a Salt Lake City-based title agency.
The acquired company has eight offices and about 40 employees. The companies have begun merging their operations but the acquired company will continue to operate under its current name.
Read on learn what American Secure’s general manager had to say about the acquisition.
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Investors Title selects vice president
Posted Date: Friday, July 13, 2018
Investors Title has hired a vice president for its Commercial Services Division who has held positions with several national underwriters.
Read on for more details.
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ClosingCorp integrates CoreLogic
Posted Date: Friday, July 13, 2018
ClosingCorp has integrated CoreLogic’s Property Tax Estimator into its closing platform.
Read on for more details.
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Visionet hires senior vice president
Posted Date: Friday, July 13, 2018
Global services provider Visionet Systems Inc. has hired a senior vice president who will focus on mortgage business process management.
Read on for more details.
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Fed urged to improve wire fraud prevention policies
Posted Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2018
A Republican congressman is urging the Federal Reserve Board to step up its game when it comes to preventing wire fraud, including considering mandating financial institutions adopt payee matching.
The congressman said he is concerned that Fed policies on wire fraud may not be adequate, and that evidence suggests the board should take a more active role.
Read on for more details of how the change in process would affect agents.
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A.M. Best drops AmTrust review, citing balance sheet strength
Posted Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2018
A.M. Best has removed the AmTrust Group from under review with negative implications and downgraded both its Financial Strength Rating (FSR) and its Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR).
The credit rating agency affirmed the FSR and Long-Term ICR of AmTrust Title Insurance Co. A.M. Best said AmTrust’s recently approved privatization plan had a “neutral impact on the rating” and said AmTrust’s balance sheet was “very strong.”
Read on for more details about the company’s credit rating.
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Bay National completes SOC 1 Type 1 exam
Posted Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2018
National title agent and settlement services provider Bay National Title Co. has passed an audit of its Service Organization Controls 1 Type 1 standard.
Bay National said the audit demonstrates its consistent commitment to create and maintain the most stringent controls needed to ensure the highest quality and security of services provided to its clients.
Read on for more details about the company’s results from its latest audit.
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WFG names president of Colorado division
Posted Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2018
WFG National Title Insurance Co. has hired a division president to spearhead its growth throughout Colorado.
Read on for more details.
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AmTrust selects Florida counsel
Posted Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2018
AmTrust Title Insurance Co. has hired an attorney with more than 30 years of experience in title insurance and regulatory compliance.
Read on for more details.
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Title agent helps warn consumers about wire fraud
Posted Date: Friday, June 22, 2018
Frank Pellegrini, past president of the American Land Title Association and Illinois Land Title Association, as well as CEO of Oak Park’s Prairie Title, appeared in a WGN-TV investigative report that warned the homebuying public about real estate wire fraud. The FBI estimates there were 17,000 cases of wire fraud in 2017, and the problem is growing.
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