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Where we are, where we are going with eClosings
Posted Date: Thursday, August 2, 2018
Jaime Kosofsky, founding partner, Brady & Kosofsky PA, began a session on eClosings at the National Settlement Services Summit by stating that although eClosings are talked about as something of the future, they’ve been going on since the early 2000s.
This began an in-depth conversation with panelists from a GSE, major lender and national title agent about where eClosings stand and how to move forward.
Read on for more from their conversation.
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Median home price hits all-time high
Posted Date: Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Annual home price appreciation accelerated in 34 percent of markets, including in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco and Detroit.
Read on for more details.
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Old Republic’s title revenues hit all-time record
Posted Date: Thursday, August 2, 2018
Despite a nearly 17 percent decline in refinances, Old Republic International Corp.’s title business set an all-time record for revenues during the second quarter, according to the company’s latest earnings report.
Old Republic’s President of Title Mark Bilbrey said 2018 has been a very good year for his business even though the housing market is down slightly.
Read on for more details from Old Republic’s second-quarter earnings report.
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National title provider opens Houston office
Posted Date: Thursday, August 2, 2018
A national provider of commercial title insurance, real estate settlement and escrow services for both foreign and domestic transactions has opened a second Texas office in Houston.
The office was opened by a former associate senior underwriting counsel at Stewart Title Commercial Services.
The company’s CEO said the new office will help fulfill a need created by strong development throughout Houston. Read on for more details.
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National Investors hires Texas counsel
Posted Date: Thursday, August 2, 2018
National Investors Title Insurance Co. has hired a Texas underwriting counsel to provide underwriting support and educational services in that state.
Read on for more details.
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Altisource Portfolio appoints COO
Posted Date: Thursday, August 2, 2018
Altisource Portfolio Solutions has appointed a chief operating officer to expand its Origination Solutions business.
Read on for more details.
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First American acquires four companies
Posted Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2018
First American Financial Corp. spent $53 million in acquiring four companies during the second quarter of 2018, including Pittsburgh-based PCN Network.
CEO Dennis Gilmore said PCN’s product offerings for title agents will drive additional deposits to the company’s bank and improve the closing experience for our customers.
Read on to learn which other companies First American acquired during the second quarter of 2018.
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Amrock completes eClosing in North Carolina
Posted Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2018
The nation’s largest independent provider of title insurance, valuations and settlement services recently completed its first eClosing in North Carolina.
Using Pavaso’s digital platform, the mortgage closing also was the first by Amrock that used In-Person Electronic Notarization (IPEN).
Amrock President Brian Hughes said the company is working to make IPEN technology available to its clients throughout the country. Read on for more details about the eClosing
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Working with state regulators to make everyone’s life easier
Posted Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2018
The spotlight on state regulators is brighter than in the past with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) electing to focus more energy on functions other than enforcement under Mick Mulvaney’s leadership.
Richard Horn, principal attorney at Garris Horn PLLC and former senior attorney at the CFPB and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., shared the spotlight at the 2018 National Settlement Services Summit with two state regulators – John Lartz from Illinois and Chuck Myers from Virginia – as well as Michelle Korsmo, CEO of the American Land Title Association, to examine their approaches to the new regulatory environment, and taking an active role in shaping it.
Find out what matters the speakers explored in-depth during the session.
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CATIC adds claims counsel
Posted Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2018
CATIC has hired a former Massachusetts state representative to handle title claims.
Read on for more details.
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Mattamy Homes selects president
Posted Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Mattamy Homes has selected a former chief operating officer of CalAtlantic to serve as president of its U.S. Group.
Read on for more details.
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Proliant names VP of franchise sales
Posted Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Proliant Settlement Systems has named a vice president of franchise sales to develop its growth strategy.
Read on for more details.
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Rising home prices lift First American’s quarterly earnings
Posted Date: Friday, July 27, 2018
Home price appreciation throughout the country helped First American Financial Corp.’s title insurance segment post second-quarter increases in revenues and a 27 percent gain in profits, according to the company’s latest earnings statement.
First American also benefited from an increase in the average revenue per commercial order, and a shift in the order mix to higher-premium commercial transactions.
Read on for more details from First American’s latest earning report.
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Inside Meridian’s response to the CFPB’s investigation
Posted Date: Friday, July 27, 2018
During the 2018 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) in Detroit, Meridian Title CEO Mark Myers discussed the company’s response from the time it officially received an investigative notice from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
What documents did the CFPB require and how much time and effort was needed to respond?
Read on to learn more about Meridian’s response to the CFPB’s investigation and subsequent consent order.
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Blockchain property deal completed in California
Posted Date: Friday, July 27, 2018
The global real estate entity Propy announced the recent completion of the first comprehensive, Blockchain-recorded property deal in California.
A Realtor represented both the buyer and the seller, and the buyer used Bitcoin to pay for 10 acres of vacant land in Kern County, Calif.
Read on for more details about the Blockchain transaction, a Bitcoin-to-Bitcoin sale executed through Ethereum smart contracts.
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Title Alliance adds escrow officer
Posted Date: Friday, July 27, 2018
Title Alliance has hired Tiffany Coston as an escrow officer for Title Alliance Elite Agency. R
ead on for more details.
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Home-price growth slowed in June
Posted Date: Friday, July 27, 2018
According to a report by the real estate brokerage Redfin, homebuyers in June were more selective about which homes to buy, and at what price.
Read on for more details.
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Adeptive, Signature Closers launch scheduling engine
Posted Date: Friday, July 27, 2018
Adeptive Software and Signature Closers have created a scheduling engine that allows title companies and lenders to manage notary signing agents and attorney signings within ResWare.
Read on for more details.
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Stewart’s title revenues up, profits soar
Posted Date: Thursday, July 26, 2018
Stewart Information Services Corp. credited rising home prices, commercial strength and agency traction for its second-quarter increase in title revenues, according to the company latest earnings report.
CEO Matthew Morris said the company “delivered a solid second quarter of title revenue growth in the face of tighter residential inventories and rising interest rates.”
Read on for more details from Stewart’s second-quarter earnings report.
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Title Resources, Notarize grow eClosings
Posted Date: Thursday, July 26, 2018
Title Resources Group has expanded its partnership with Notarize to enable nearly 265 million Americans across 38 states and the District of Columbia to conduct fully digital online closings through Notarize’s digital platform, the companies announced.
Notarize’s platform enables Title Resources agents to walk clients through the closing package online, or have Notarize do so
Read on for more details about the partnership.
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DataTrace to manage Central Texas title plants
Posted Date: Thursday, July 26, 2018
DataTrace Information Services LLC has signed a 10-year agreement to host and manage Austin Data, Inc.’s title plants in Central Texas, the companies announced.
Austin Data’s title plants are located in the Texas counties of Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Caldwell, Burnet and Llano.
Read on to learn what additional benefits the agreement provides to Austin Data users.
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NATIC hires agency manager
Posted Date: Thursday, July 26, 2018
North American Title Insurance Co. has hired a state agency manager for Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Read on for more details.
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WFG Blocks links with PropLogix
Posted Date: Thursday, July 26, 2018
PropLogix is the sole provider of surveys and payoff tracking services in WFG National Title Insurance Co.’s program that matches title agents with resources.
Read on for more details.
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Simplifile adds 1,800th jurisdiction
Posted Date: Thursday, July 26, 2018
Simplifile announced that Clallam County, Wash., is the 1,800th jurisdiction to join its eRecording network.
Read on for more details.
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ClosingCorp: Nationwide closing costs at $5,651
Posted Date: Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Homebuyers purchasing single-family properties in the District of Columbia, New York, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania can expect to pay the highest national average closing costs, according to an analysis by ClosingCorp.
CEO Bob Jennings said the company’s analysis will “help lenders better educate borrowers on closing fees and taxes, so that there are no surprises when they decide to buy a home.”
Read on for more details from ClosingCorp’s analysis.
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Korsmo moved ALTA from ‘industry club’ to Washington player
Posted Date: Monday, July 23, 2018
Many people in the title and settlement industry credit the American Land Title Association’s (ALTA) outgoing CEO Michelle Korsmo with helping transform the association from an “industry club” to a powerful voice in Washington.
Korsmo announced her resignation last week to become the CEO of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America trade association, based in Washington D.C..
Read on to learn what some of those who worked with her had to say about her tenure at ALTA.
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PropLogix names vice president
Posted Date: Monday, July 23, 2018
PropLogix has hired an industry veteran as its first vice president of product.
Read on for more details.
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Closed loans reach new high in June
Posted Date: Monday, July 23, 2018
The percentage of closed purchase loans reached a record high during June.
Read on for more details from the latest Origination Insight Report from Ellie Mae.
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Mulvaney appoints leader of innovation office
Posted Date: Monday, July 23, 2018
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau acting director Mick Mulvaney has selected an attorney to lead the bureau’s new Office of Innovation.
Read on for more details.
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