News By Edition

Early projections of Hurricane Ian had it heading to Tampa, Fla., right into the heart of the Florida Agency Network’s (FAN) operations.

Fortunately, 2020 taught FAN CEO Aaron Davis to foresee such challenges and operate FAN in a way to be able to react quickly to such an unexpected event. FAN continued to close transactions even after the storm made landfall.

Read on for an exclusive interview with Davis.

Software-as-a-service platform CloseSimple is receiving a new multimillion-dollar investment from a Michigan-based growth equity firm.

CloseSimple leadership says the funding will allow for a fresh round of hiring, faster tech development and expanded outreach to potential clients. The platform has drawn praise from users including All American Title.

Read on to find out more information.

New reporting from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows labor quality remains a top concern for small-business owners. Labor cost also ranked high among respondents.

The share of small-business owners with unfilled job openings in November was almost double the 49-year historical average of 23 percent, according to the NFIB.

Read on for more information.

New reporting from Redfin indicates homebuying demand is climbing as mortgage rates come down from peak levels. Data also shows prices falling compared with last year in 10 of the 50 most populous metros.

Read on to find out more.

Mortgage services portal Milestones is now licensed to 250,000 real estate agents, loan officers and customers, the company recently announced. The company partners with title companies, among other industries, to offer the service.

Read on for more.

Notarize expanded its notary sourced transaction (NST) platform to four new states. NST functionality lets notaries make use of remote online notarization and set their own pricing structures, the company said.

Read on for more information.

Old Republic International Corp. reported a pretax income, excluding investment gains and losses, of $257.5 million in the third quarter, a 14 percent year-over-year drop from $298.6 million, according to its third-quarter earnings report.

The title group reported premium and fee revenue of $968.1 million in the third quarter, down 15 percent from $1.14 billion year-over-year.

Read on for more from the earnings report.

Orange Coast Title Co. named a new president of the company and all of its associated businesses. He worked previously as chief operating officer as well as president of numerous businesses under Orange Coast’s umbrella.

Company leadership credits him for leading multiple expansion operations over the past three decades after starting his tenure in a consulting position.

Read on to find out more.

Mortgage infrastructure platform Pylon brought in $8.5 million seed funding, provided by several sources including Peter Thiel, SoFi, and Zillow.

The product is currently only available to early customers via private beta testing. Features are now said to include end-to-end white labeling, regulatory compliance, lending support and built-in underwriting logic.

Read on for more information.

Old Republic International Corp appointed a claims executive and litigation attorney to its newly created role of senior vice president – claims, ORI, and senior vice president - chief claims officer for the Old Republic General Insurance Group.

Read on for more.

Secured Signing unveiled Notary Queue and Snapshot, the latest enhancements to its remote online notarization and digital signature platform.

Read on to find out more.

NestRange, a new automated valuation model from Altisource, allows for estimation of value for single-family homes, condominiums, townhomes, and multifamily dwellings/apartments.

Read on for more information.

Doma Holdings Inc. plans to eliminate more than 500 positions, according to a workforce reduction plan filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

This move comes after 310 employees were cut in May. Doma says its newest round of cuts should be completed during the first quarter of 2023.

Read on for more information.

Anywhere Real Estate Inc. revealed numerous changes to its executive leadership, including expansion of existing CEO duties and one retirement.

The company says the new leadership structure for its core real estate brokerage business and transaction services will help create more value for customers and deliver a better experience for all parties involved.

Read on to find out more.

Stewart Title is starting a national commercial services operation in Nevada. The company says that initiative is part of a continued goal to become Nevada’s, and the nation’s, leading provider of commercial real estate closing services.

A team of company veterans has already been appointed to lead the new operation.

Read on for more information.

November 2022 reporting from ATTOM shows foreclosure starts nearly doubling compared with November 2021. However, totals represent a 5 percent decline from October 2022.

Read on for more information.

Zillow ranked U.S. metropolitan areas’ level of ease for first-time homebuyers securing a purchase over the coming year, with six Midwest sectors landing on that list.

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Peoples Mortgage Co., an independent mortgage bank headquartered in Arizona, has picked SimpleNexus’ software suite for use in its homebuying mobile app.

Read on to find out more.

A newly launched strategic technology program from JLL Technologies aims to address increased demand for tech solutions among commercial real estate operations, according to the company.

According to JLL research, nearly half of large and mid-size organizations rely on external partners and service firms to accelerate their real estate technology implementation.

Read on to find out more.

Fintech startup Hitch launched a digital HELOC platform. Company leadership says it will allow homeowners to quickly access up to 90 percent of equity locked in their property.

Platform designers say the platform provides homeowners with an affordable way to access the equity locked in their homes without needing to refinance their mortgage.

Read on to find out more.

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) spoke on October Research’s webinar, “Manufactured Housing Supply and Financing featuring HUD and FHA.” They discussed their department’s involvement with the manufactured housing industry and how to maintain compliance with government regulations.

Read on for more.

Industry experts are forecasting a deteriorating 2023 sector outlook for U.S. title insurers, according to new data from Fitch Ratings. Fitch expects both operating revenues and margins to decline over the near term due to factors like inflation and higher interest rates.

Read on for more information.

Florida-based ActiveComply introduces Remote Office Inspection, a digital service aiming to help business comply with regulations when using remote employees.

Read on for more information.

International law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP added a partner in its real estate group in Phoenix. His litigation practice includes an emphasis on real estate, escrow and title company liability, title disputes and homeowner’s association disputes.

Read on for more information.

Radian Group’s first diversity, equity and inclusion report shows significant progress across multiple demographics, according to company officials, whether that’s total workforce makeup or representation in leadership roles.

The company’s efforts have earned several commendations, including a fourth straight year on Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index.

Read on to find out more about the inaugural DEI report.

Fidelity National Financial (FNF) reported net earnings of $289 million in the third quarter, a 61 percent year-over-year drop. 

In the third quarter, the title segment posted a total revenue of $2.3 billion, a 21 percent year-over-year drop from $2.9 billion. Commercial revenue was a bright spot in FNF’s third-quarter earnings report, according to the CEO.

Read on for more.

Bright MLS has brought on a long-time real estate tech executive to fill its newly created chief data officer role.

Company leaders say the C-suite position will entail working to advance data management capabilities, transform management of data assets, manage third-party data partnerships and develop broader data policy.

Read on to find out more information.

Primary Residential Mortgage is using Snapdocs eVault for its digital closing process. This comes after the two companies collaborated on the eVault development.

CoStar Group integrated Homes.com and Homesnap. It named a president of the new combined operation.

Read on for more information.

Launched this past summer, First American’s PRISM digital platform is paving new automated, time-saving paths for industry professionals

First American’s vice president of product and information technology provides insight on the platform’s origins, describes how it can help title agents and shares what’s on the horizon for the platform.

Read on to find out more.

Two new C-suite members and a fresh head of corporate legal have been appointed by @properties, the parent company of Proper Title. The new executives include a chief financial officer and a chief technology officer.

The trio will focus on strengthening tech initiatives and cementing ongoing growth, the firm said.

Read on to find out more.

Non-bank HELOC lender Figure and retail mortgage lender Movement Mortgage announced a partnership that will allow Movement’s borrowers faster access to home equity with approval in as few as five minutes and funding in as few as five days.

Movement will leverage Figure’s platform to help consumers tap into their existing home while preserving their low mortgage interest rate.

Read on for more.

First American’s September Real House Price Index shows home prices taking a double-digit leap. These findings come as consumer buying power falls under the weight of inflation and higher interest rates.

Read on for more.