News By Edition

An uptick in demand for home equity lines of credit and second-lien mortgages can pave the way to numerous benefits for title agents, according to PrivoCorp CEO Sam Verma.

The 25-year industry veteran walks through numerous ways to capitalize on this trend and help mortgage lenders offset declining first mortgage volumes.

Read on for more from Verma.

A new partnership between FundingShield, LLC, and Milestones.Ai will provide Milestone clients access to FundingShield consumer wire fraud protection, the companies recently announced.

Cyber-security risk management, fraud prevention and transaction closing automation tools for lenders and real estate firms to protect closings are among services offered by FundingShield.

Read on to find out more information.

Fintech software company Sagent appointed a new chief operating officer, with plans calling for her to spearhead development of cloud-native software.

She has served on Sagent’s board since 2020 and plans to maintain those duties as she takes over as COO. During previous work with Fannie Mae, she is credited with leading multiple real estate tech initiatives.

Read on to learn more.

Ohio-based Lower has put forth a mortgage-as-a-service platform, seeking partnerships to allow consumer brands to offer mortgage products to their customers.

The new platform is said to provide a solution for consumer finance, banking and real estate brands for digital home financing with white-label options available.

Read on to find out more information.

New reporting from ATTOM shows nationwide foreclosures in the fourth quarter of 2022 doubling year-over-year but remaining significantly below levels seen in the lead-up to the pandemic.

Read on for more information.

Analytics platform Plunk recently launched its self-service developer portal, allowing for real-time digital access to current housing data. Company leadership says data is available for more than 100 million homes nationwide.

Read on to learn more.

Energy cost estimates are now available through Redfin for roughly 85 million U.S. homes. Homebuyers can now find listings containing monthly electric usage, usage changes by season and how much could be saved with solar panel installations.

Read on to learn more.

Home equity technology company Splitero garnered $11.7 million in Series A funding, which company leaders said will allow for an expansion of services in Oregon and Utah.

Splitero currently operates in California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, with plans to expand this year. The company has taken in more than $1 billion in funding since its 2021 launch.

Read on to find out more information.

A newly created chief training officer position has been filled at Maryland-based Security Title Guarantee Corp., the company recently announced. She will also serve as South Carolina state manager.

That hiring comes with the addition of a new account manager in Security Title’s Maryland office, who will help manage and assist agents across multiple states.

Read on to find out more information.

Mark Bilbrey, Old Republic Title’s CEO since 2018, will retire at the end of January.

Bilbrey has worked for Old Republic Title for the past 16 years, serving in multiple roles including chief operating officer, executive vice president and president. He is also a former American Land Title Association president.

Read on to find out more information.

Growth in the price of single-family homes for the fourth quarter in 2022 was down significantly from the previous quarter, according to Fannie Mae.

Read on to learn more.

Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. recently announced a website redesign. Leaders say the revamp aims to maintain classic features while expanding interactivity.

Read on for more.

The typical home is now taking longer to sell than during any period since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and pending sales are at a record low, according to new reporting from Redfin. However, online home searches and tour requests are ticking up, early signs of demand that could translate into sales.

Read on for more.

Anywhere Real Estate, Inc. announced a round of layoffs on Jan. 9 with company leadership also revealing plans to shut down its iBuyer service, RealSure.

Further information on the company’s priorities and cost-savings initiatives are expected to be discussed during Anywhere’s full-year 2022 earnings call in late February.

Read on to find out more information.

Nevada-based Lane Guide Lenders On Line Inc. has been acquired by CATIC.

Headquartered in Reno, Lane Guide Lenders On Line, Inc. is the holding company for the Lane Guide online lender resource. Lane Guide is used, in part, to locate information on matters including payoffs, demands, discharges, loan verification and loss mitigation.

Read on for more.

Fintech company LenderClose of Des Moines, Iowa, rebranded as Coviance. The company’s home equity loan platform is used in more than 400 credit unions and community banks.

Read on for more information.

Indecomm expanded the jurisdictions eligible to receive its eClosing services. Company leadership says the move brings total eligible jurisdictions to more than 3,000, essentially the entire U.S.

Read on to learn more.

New reporting from Zillow shows Charlotte, N.C., Cleveland and Pittsburgh as 2023 hottest housing markets, a vast departure from 2021 results and a reflection of broad market changes nationwide.

Read on for more information.

Real estate technology company Blend has announced its fourth round of layoffs in 10 months, this one affecting 28 percent of its current workforce, including Blend Title.

The company also revealed a slew of leadership changes, including President Tim Mayopoulos leaving that role but staying on the company’s board of directors.

Read on to find out more information.

Stewart Title acquired multiple title companies operating in Central Ohio, including Elite Land Title and Aspen Land Title Agency.

Those and other included agencies, known collectively as the Elite Family of Companies, have been in operation for more than 20 years with locations in Columbus, Circleville and Dayton.

Read on to find out more information.

A new National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey found most small businesses reporting local economies are still below levels seen before the onset of COVID-19.

Almost one-third (31 percent) of owners reported that economic conditions are back to normal now in their area, up from 24 percent in March 2022.

Read on to see more results from NFIB’s survey.

Robotically printed homes are now available in Arizona from Century Communities, Inc., a Colorado-based company that also offers title insurance and lending services through its subsidiaries.

Read on to find out more.

Likely, best-case and worst-case scenarios for the 2023 housing market are provided by First American Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi.

Read on to find out more information.

LodeStar shared data showing that mortgage originators using its closing fee calculator last year averaged just one inaccuracy requiring a cure for every 22,000 fee estimates or quotes.

Read on to find out more.

Missouri-based Monarch Title Co. named a new president, as owner and CEO Chuck Bowman is stepping down after a decade serving in that position.

Monarch operates offices in Columbia, Jefferson City, Boonville, Marceline and Centralia. The company was founded in 2001 with current ownership taking over in 2020.

Read on to find out more information.

Florida-based title and tech company TitleEQ launched a website to connect with customers after starting operations in December 2022. Company leadership has expressed its desire to improve user experience for the title industry.

TitleEQ offers services including digital money transfer and virtual settlements in South Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Read on to find out more information.

A December 2022 jobs report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows nearly half of small-business owners raised compensation, when considering seasonal adjustment.

That’s up 4 percent over November, with a net 27 percent of owners planning to raise compensation within the next three months.

Read on to find out more from the NFIB.

A new integration between Covered Insurance Solutions and Househappy will reportedly allow users to obtain instant personalized quotes from more than 30 premium nationwide carriers. Househappy works with national partners in the title, mortgage, and real estate industries, including Black Knight and Fidelity National Financial.

Read on to find out more.

First American Financial Corp.’s Potential Home Sales Model for November 2022 recorded a 2.5 percent jump in potential existing home sales, with some data pointing to more growth in 2023.

Read on for more information

A 32 percent year-over-year drop for the last four weeks of 2022 have placed U.S. pending home sales at their lowest level since 2015, according to new reporting from Redfin.

Read on for more information.

The title industry can benefit from automation tools designed to make workflow more efficient, easy, and secure.

Contrary to popular belief, such innovations are not designed to replace people.

Read on to hear from paymints.io Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Perla Aparicio, TrueFocus Automation CEO and co-founder Jimmy Lewis and Alanna.ai Vice President of Sales Keith Wellman about how staff retention can be improved through automation.

New York-based real estate technology company Compass is laying off more employees, according to a Jan. 5 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Company leadership says its latest round of cuts is meant to achieve a non-GAAP operating expense level of $850 million to $950 million in 2023.

Read on to find out more details.

Title settlement services franchise business TitleEase earned title agency licensure through the Texas Department of Insurance, the company announced.

TitleEase has also earned that certification in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, New York, and Tennessee. It plans to add more states to that list in 2023.

Read on to find out more information.

New reporting from Redfin shows nationwide homeseller concessions climbing to nearly 42 percent, a new three-month record, during the fourth quarter of 2022. That was up from roughly 30 percent in the third quarter.

Read on for more.

An integration between real estate and fintech providers Flueid and FirstClose was recently announced. Company leaders say the partnership will allow for an accelerated home lending process.

Automation platform AREAL.ai has brought on a new product manager for its title and mortgage industry solution, the company recently announced.

Read on for more information.

A trio of legal department promotions has been announced by Stewart Information Services Corp. following the retirement of chief legal and compliance officer John Killea, including a new chief legal officer.

Killea’s planned retirement and a related succession plan were detailed by the company this past October, with his successor working alongside him since then to ease the transition process.

Read on to find out more.

Retirement has paved way for a new CEO at The Clearing House (TCH) with the leadership change set to go into effect in February.

Current CEO Jim Aramanda has led TCH for the past 15 years, drawing praise for his success in introducing new payment capabilities, including real-time payments.

Read on to find out more information.

Enhanced integration with Stewart Title will allow AccuTitle clients to request CPLs, AALs and jackets, as well as update multiple pieces of information after jackets are requested.

Read on for more information.

Old Republic appointed an executive vice president to BITCO Insurance Companies. In the newly created role, he will have direct oversight of underwriting, claims and operations.

Read on to find out more.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada, Arizona and California Properties has found a new general manager. He will oversee 34 offices with nearly 3,000 employees.

Read on for more information.