News By Edition

A group tech forum during the 2023 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) touched on ways the title industry can improve its communication culture using emerging technology.

October Research CEO and Publisher Erica Meyer along with Fidelity National Financial Agency IT Director Rick Diamond welcomed numerous industry leaders into the forum.

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Zillow Group has announced plans to acquire Spruce, an escrow and title firm established in 2016. Leaders said the move is part of Zillow’s plans to build a “housing super app.”

The acquisition comes after Zillow shut down its existing closing and title division earlier this year in favor of a more “tech-forward solution.”

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Doma Holdings, Inc. showed increased revenue and retained premiums in its second quarter earnings report. Total company revenue for the period was $89 million.

Leaders said a new company strategy will focus on licensure of instant underwriting technology with a goal of achieving EBITDA profitability this year.

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Arkansas-based Attorney’s Title Group is expanding its home state footprint and bringing on a director of operations for the new service area.

The 10-year-old company now operates four Arkansas locations and added it plans to open a headquarters in its new service region before the end of this year.

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A new executive vice president of enterprise sales has been appointed at Westcor Land Title Insurance, Co., X1 Analytics and Grid151.

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Jenesis Software, a provider of insurance agency management solutions, acquired title industry marketing agency Dalton Digital.

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A new report from property data curator ATTOM shows the number of vacant homes in foreclosure increasing for the sixth straight quarter.

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Iron Title Insurance Agency expanded its Oklahoma footprint and brought on new leadership to help lead its Sooner State push.

Since its establishment in early 2023, Iron Title has opened five locations across three states and said it plans a 50-state solution for its services through partnerships and further expansion.

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Anywhere Real Estate, Inc.’s second quarter revenue increased from the first three months of 2023 both at a companywide level and for its title group, Anywhere Integrated Services.

Leaders said year-over-year drops in revenue have been largely impacted by home sale transaction declines and the broader real estate market downturn.

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A new National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey tracked small business financial activities and expenses, showing continued elevated interest rate concerns for borrowing.

More than 20 percent of small-business owners reported they had borrowed or attempted to borrow from a bank or credit union over the past three months.

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Maine-based titleLOOK promoted a strategic advisor to president as the company continues its growth after launching in 2021.

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Closinglock has earned its SOC 2 Type II certification, which verifies the company’s security policies, procedures and controls meet the highest standards in place.

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Redfin reports homebuyers are turning to newly built single-family homes as overall inventory sits at an all-time low.

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True Title Co., LLC, is launching a separate commercial services division which will operate out of St. Louis, the company recently announced.

The Missouri-based company operates 13 satellite offices across the St. Louis metro area and is underwritten by Old Republic Title, Chicago Title and Westcor Land Title.

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Radian Group Inc.’s second quarter earnings report shows a year-over-year drop in net income but a quarterly revenue jump for its homegenius segment, which offers title and other real estate services.

The homegenius segment brought in second-quarter revenue totaling $15 million, up from $13 million in the first quarter.

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A new report from CertifID shows there were five times as many payoff fraud attempts in the second quarter of 2023 compared with the first quarter.

Real estate wire fraud, one of numerous sub-categories of business email compromise, has become a major focus of the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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CATIC has tapped a long-time title industry sales leader as its new senior agency advisor for Florida operations.

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Propel, Asurity Technologies, LLC’s mortgage document generation platform, is integrating with NotaryCam, which provides remote online notarization and eClosing technology.

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Median home values increased in the majority of Opportunity Zones during the second quarter after a period of decline, according to property data curator ATTOM.

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Investors Title Co. reported a sizeable net income increase for the second quarter compared with the first three months of 2023 and the second quarter of 2022.

Revenues decreased 17.8 percent year-over-year, which the company attributes to decreases title insurance business due to higher mortgage rates and housing inventory constraints.

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More than 20 percent of small business owners reported inflation as their top concern in July, according to new data from the National Federation of Independent Business.

The share of owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months improved 10 points from June to the highest reading since August 2021, but remained historically negative.

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A new senior vice president of enterprise sales has been appointed at Westcor Land Title Insurance Co., X1 Analytics and Grid 151.

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SoftPro has integrated its SoftPro Banking platform with BankUnited, allowing for automated sending and receiving of wire transfers.

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The share of million-dollar-plus homes is on the upswing after dropping to a 12-month low in February, according to Redfin, as scarce inventory drives prices up.

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Near North Title Group has acquired a regional title operation from Doma Holdings Inc. for the second time this year, now assuming ownership over Doma’s Florida agency branches, the companies announced.

Doma has now sold off four of its regional title operations this year, including an earlier deal with Near North Title for Doma’s Midwest locations.

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A long-time title industry leader has established All Star Title Services in Florida, with plans to work with clients across the Sunshine State.

Leaders say the ultimate aim is providing an untroubled customer experience. The company added it will work to ensure swift response to title customers and avoidance of unnecessary service delays.

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The Fidelity National Financial Family of Companies has brought on the former founder and CEO of an underwriting company as its new agency division senior vice president for the Midwest and Midsouth region, as his predecessor takes on a new role.

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Fintech startup iWallet has become of the first business payment processing apps to integrate with the Federal Reserve’s FedNow real-time payment system for mobile check deposits.

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New reporting from property data curator ATTOM shows nationwide foreclosure activity in July lower than totals seen in June, but still up year-over-year.

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A group discussion at this year’s National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) delved into new title industry technology, its benefits and reasons some may be slower than others to adopt it.

The interactive discussions were led by Fidelity National Financial Vice President and Agency IT Director Rick Diamond and October Research CEO and Publisher Erica Meyer.

Read on for more from the discussion.

Maryland-based Eagle Title announced its expansion of residential, commercial and builder services into Delaware and additional areas of its home state, with services also offered in Virgina and Washington, D.C.

Leaders said the company's expansion responds to increasing demand for title services in the Delmarva Peninsula region.

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The latest financing round for Flueid will support continued growth of its patented platform and associated verification of title (VOT) solutions.

Returning investor Aquiline Technology Growth led the new funding round, backing Flueid’s vision of VOT as the next phase of the title industry’s digital transformation.

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MyHome has promoted from within to fill its vice president of strategic partnerships role, tapping a longtime marketing and technology expert.

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Radian Group Inc. has brought on a former TransUnion chief human resources officer to fill one of its board of directors seats.

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Steady homebuying demand is keeping the heat turned up, but early signs point to a late-summer seasonal cooldown, according to new data from Zillow.

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