News By Edition

New American Land Title Association (ALTA) President Don Kennedy sat down with The Title Report during ALTA ONE to discuss plans for the near and long term.

A third-generation ALTA president, Kennedy said all industry stakeholders need to be prepared for significant market changes and regulatory challenges.

Read on to find out more information.

Six digital title plants were added in Austin, Texas, and automated HOA certificates are now available in all major metropolitan areas in the Lone Star State through DataTrace Information Services.

Each of the six Austin-area title plants have a minimum of 67 years of geographically indexed history, and some have as much as 110 years, according to the company.

Read on to find out more.

Rhode Island-based title and settlement franchise business TitleEase added a Florida title company as its latest franchisee.

Since the start of 2022, TitleEase has brought on new franchisees in Texas, New York, Michigan and Arizona. The company was launched by the Lincoln Family of Companies in 2021.

Read on to find out more information.

October Research’s recent Evolving Tech webinar invited industry experts to demonstrate best methods of adopting new technology at your business, what to look out for in service contracts and how to gain optimal return on investment.

Read on to learn more.

CoreLogic has launched its integrated Digital Mortgage Platform, which was made possible through the company’s acquisition of mortgage tech solution Roostify earlier this year.

Read on to learn more.

Zillow Home Loans and The Knot find the share of couples including "home funds" as part of their wedding registry has increased 55 percent.

Read on to learn more.

Futura Title & Escrow of Boise, Idaho, acquired a title firm operating out of Kentucky and Indiana, serving 11 counties in the Louisville metro area.

Futura Title & Escrow is the largest independent title and escrow group in the Pacific Northwest and is the parent company of Alliance Title & Escrow, AmeriTitle, Kittitas Title and Escrow, and Pacific Alliance Title and Escrow.

Read on to learn more.

Security Service Federal Credit Union has added a new Texas location to its stable of more than 60 spread across the Lonestar State, Colorado and Utah.

In addition to title insurance, Security Service offers a full array of financial products including mortgage, investments, retail deposits, loan services and settlements.

Read on to find out more information.

New reporting from the Federal Reserve System’s Beige Book shows little to no change in nationwide economic activity as summer gave way to fall.

Little change occurred in real estate market conditions compared with July and August as the inventory of homes for sale remained low. Banking contacts reported slight to modest declines in loan demand.

Read on to find out more information.

Florida-based Foundation Title & Escrow appointed a new director of Florida operations, who brings more than three decades of title and real estate experience to the company.

Read on to learn more.

Zillow is adding a “search by school” feature to its app, allowing home shoppers to find homes within particular school districts and attendance zones.

Read on to find out more.

Sky-high mortgage rates and still-rising home prices have made it harder than ever to afford a home, especially for first-time buyers, according to Redfin.

Read on to find out more.

Texas-based title insurance and settlement technology provider RamQuest has launched Horizon, its new software-as-a-service title production system.

Horizon features include customizable reporting and a real-time dashboard providing fast access to information and better data management. Configurable screens, tabs and fields allow title agencies to meet specific transaction needs.

Read on to find out more information.

Payment platform Orum has introduced Verify, which according to the company is the first ever product built on top of the new FedNow instant payment rail.

Verify reportedly determines within 15 seconds whether a bank account is open and valid before initiating payments while covering 100 percent of all U.S.-based consumer and business bank accounts.

Read on to learn more.

Owners are pessimistic about future business conditions and continue to grapple with lingering inflation, according to new data from the National Federation of Independent Business.

Small business owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months deteriorated six points from August to a net negative 43 percent (seasonally adjusted).

Read on to find out more information.  

First National Title Insurance Co. has brought on a new Utah agency manager to join its Western Region agency team.

Read on to learn more.

Truv’s new integration with nCino’s Mortgage Suite enables simple income and employment verification for home loan applicants, according to the companies.

Read on to find out more.

Home prices are surging nationally as sellers sit on the sidelines and buyers chase what few homes are available for sale, according to First American Data & Analytics’ monthly Home Price Index Report.

Read on to learn more.

New data from FundingShield shows nearly half of transactions recorded in the third quarter had issues opening them up to wire fraud risk.

On average, problematic loans had roughly two issues each, indicating a lack of appropriate controls by closing agents to identify and fix issues, the fraud prevention company said.

Read on to find out more information.

The American Land Title Association (ALTA) showed off a new logo and updated website at ALTA ONE 2023 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

ALTA originally introduced an eagle into its logo in 1949 and had been using the same version of that mascot since at least 1964, leaders said.

Read on to find out more information.

Mainspring Services titleLOOK SaaS solution is expanding its capabilities, adding automated title reviews for lenders, government sponsored entities and other mortgage banking organizations.

The company has also brought on a new director of lender services to help spearhead efforts in the automated title review arena. titleLOOK was launched in 2021.

Read on to find out more information.

Stewart Lender Services has appointed a new senior vice president for its sales and product enablement division. He comes from previous leadership roles at Incenter and Bank of America/LandSafe.

Read on to learn more.

National Integrity Title Agency has found a new account executive who brings years of entrepreneurial experience to the position.

Read on to find out more.

U.S. home values fell slightly in September, the first monthly dip since February. Homes are on the market a median of 15 days before sellers accept an offer, according to Zillow.

Read on to learn more.

A new real estate and title application by AccuTitle, which promises increased adaptability and convenience, will be available early next year.

Company President Alice Bell sat down with The Title Report at ALTA ONE to discuss the application’s features, which include integrations with all major underwriters and vendors.

Read on to find out more information.

Despite lower premium volume, title insurers continue to post solid results, according to a new market report from AM Best.

In 2022, the title segment’s underwriting income declined by one-third to slightly over $1.7 billion, down from slightly more than $2.5 billion in 2021.

Read on to find out more information.

FundingShield has entered into a partnership with SitusAMC to deliver integrated fraud prevention services amid recent fraud increases, the companies recently announced.

Clients of SitusAMC’s warehouse lending platforms ProMerit and WLS will have direct access to FundingShield’s ecosystem via API and data integrated solutions. ProMerit became SaaS-enabled in early October.

Read on to find out more information.

Stewart Title continues to add to its Florida leadership team with the appointment of a new senior division president and division president for the region.

Read on to learn more.

Vanderbilt Mortgage & Finance, Inc. has tapped Mortgage Cadence Platform as its loan origination system of choice.

Read on to find out more information.

Nationwide foreclosure activity has continued to rise in the third quarter, approaching levels seen before onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to property data curator ATTOM.

Read on to find out more.

ALTA ONE 2023, the American Land Title Association’s signature annual event, will take place this week in Colorado Springs, Colo., welcoming more than 1,000 title professionals. The Title Report will be live on the ground attending education sessions and taking the opportunity to sit down with industry leaders. Follow us on social media all week for live updates. Read on to find out more information.

Comprehensive wire verification service is now standard for First American policy-issuing title agents thanks to the company’s addition of PCN Network’s SAFEvalidation service.

Accessed via a secure portal, the SAFEvalidation service authenticates payee wire and bank account information using proprietary payoff authentication technology. 

Read on to find out more information.  

Nearly half of small-business owners have unfilled job openings, with the National Federation of Independent Business reporting an increase in openings with the start of fall.

The share of small-business owners reporting labor quality as their top business operating problem remains elevated at 23 percent. Owners’ plans to fill positions also remain elevated.

Read on to find out more information.

Sun Title of Grand Rapids, Mich., has added a pair of title industry veterans as part of efforts to expand its commercial transaction solutions division.

Read on to find out more.

The American Land Title Association (ALTA) announced a partnership with Gridbase’s Closing Agent Management database, with the entities planning to bring an integrated solution to market. Read on to learn more.

Record-high monthly mortgage payments are motivating sellers to drop asking prices to attract buyers, who are unwilling to pay a dollar more than necessary for their new home, according to Redfin.

Read on to learn more.