News By Edition

Qualia CEO Nate Baker sat down with The Title Report to share details on his company’s strategic partnership with Old Republic Title, including its acquisition of the RamQuest and E-Closing platforms.

The talk included specifics on the future of multiple RamQuest services, employee retention, product plans, and Qualia’s future technology direction.    

Read on to find out more information. 

Old Republic Title Holding Co. and Qualia Labs, Inc. have entered a strategic partnership that includes Qualia acquiring Old Republic Title platforms RamQuest and E-Closing.

According to company leaders, this collaboration “combines Qualia’s technology solutions with Old Republic Title’s industry expertise to deliver greater efficiency and enhanced value to clients and stakeholders.”

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Old Republic International Corp. reported fourth quarter and full year 2024 earnings results, with title insurance net premiums and fees increasing year-over-year for both periods.

Companywide pretax income excluding investment gains or losses in the fourth quarter was $285 million, up from $237.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.

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Indigo, a recently established homebuying and homeselling negotiation platform, brought in $8 million in a new seed funding round.

In the three months following its launch, Indigo has experienced significant growth, recording a more than 20 percent market share of home offers in its initial markets, the company said.

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Ariel imagery provider EagleView is putting forth a new property data ecosystem designed to help real estate and lending professionals in areas such as risk assessment and streamlining operations.

EagleView’s property data ecosystem includes roof measurements and attributes like property and roof condition, structure identification, and solar suitability information.

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Illinois-based H.B. Wilkinson Title Co. has established a designation course scholarship honoring the memory of a longtime team member.

The scholarship will provide full financial support for a title agent employee in the state of Illinois to complete the Illinois Escrow Professional or Illinois Title Professional designation courses. 

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SoftPro has enhanced its integration with Proof to offer standalone identity verification services without having to leave the SoftPro 360 platform.

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A Year-End 2024 U.S. Home Sales Report from property data curator ATTOM shows a second straight year of annual homeselling profit decline, the first time that’s happened since the late 2000s.

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Long-time eRecording innovator Paul Clifford sat down with The Title Report to detail the formation of his new company Hopdox as it prepares to commence operations in February.

Unlike the early days of eRecording, where the focus was on educating counties about the basics of the process, Hopdox is concentrating on refinement, Clifford said.

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La Rosa Holdings Corp. announced preliminary unaudited revenue for fiscal year 2024, showing a more than 100 percent year-over-year increase.

In 2024, La Rosa acquired a prominent title agency operating out of Orlando, Fla., and announced intent to acquire a real estate brokerage firm employing nearly 1,000 agents across offices in multiple states.

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A fourth-quarter wire fraud analytics report from FundingShield showed a record high level of closing protection letter validation errors, including inaccuracies in borrower details and title information.

Wire-related errors persisted in 8.1 percent of transactions in the fourth quarter, marking the fifth consecutive quarter above the 8-percent threshold.

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The American Escrow Association is mourning the loss of Senior Policy Advisor Arthur Davis III, Esq., who had provided representation to the organization for more than 30 years.

A celebration of life is planned for early summer with further details to be shared at a later date, according to the American Escrow Association.

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Digital signature and remote online notarization provider SIGNiX is integrating with Integra Software Systems, allowing Integra users to access SIGNiX services without changing portals.

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New data from Redfin shows home prices rising in every major metropolitan area for the first time since 2022. In December, home prices posted their biggest gain in nearly a year.

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National Attorney Title, a new Ohio firm offering attorney opinion letter (AOL) services, launches in February. Its founder shared specifics with The Title Report.

The founder touched on potential cost savings for clients, discussed how he gained inspiration for the company at an annual industry event and responded to criticism often directed at AOLs.

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WealthBuilder1031 has launched a free 1031 exchange deadline calculator, which aims to help real estate investors track critical dates.

Company leaders said the new calculator will aim to respond to “the need for a straightforward, user-friendly resource to help investors stay on track during the 1031 exchange process.”

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Homebuilder and title insurance provider D.R. Horton reported year-over-year revenue and net income declines for its first quarter of fiscal 2025, which ended Dec. 31.

Consolidated revenues in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 decreased 1 percent compared to  the same quarter of fiscal 2024.

Read on to find out more about the earnings report.

The American Land Title Association has recognized SoftPro as an Elite Provider for the 10^th straight year, recognizing its commitment to highest industry standards.

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California-based Atlas Title Co. has appointed a set of co-presidents as well as an executive vice president, head of marketing, as it enters its fifth year in business.

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Many homeowners are staying put because today’s housing costs are so high, with more than a third in a recent Redfin survey saying they’ll never sell their home.

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The 2024 tax year introduced stricter penalties for late or inaccurate filings of 1099 forms, prompting title insurance companies to refine their processes.

Several title insurance professionals offered advice for best practices during 1099 filing season, including ensuring compliance with updated IRS guidelines and requests for duplicate closing documents.

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New data from the  Federal Reserve System’s Beige Book shows residential real estate stalled by mortgage rates with some modest gains in the commercial real estate sector.

In the Atlanta District, demand for housing increased modestly, but the pace of growth was subdued compared to previous periods. Meanwhile, in the Dallas District, home sales rose slightly, offering a glimmer of optimism in an otherwise restrained market.

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Main Street uncertainty declined as owners felt more confident following November’s election results, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.

The net share of owners expecting the economy to improve rose 16 points from November to a net 52 percent (seasonally adjusted), the highest since the fourth quarter of 1983.

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Hopdox, a provider of eRecording services for title companies, banks and attorneys, announced the completion of its first eRecording following establishment of the company last year.

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Ohio-based Northwest Title has brought on a veteran attorney who will partner with title company teams and clients to support local real estate communities in southwest Ohio.

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Redfin reports that housing affordability didn’t worsen last year,  which was the first time in four years that outcome was avoided.

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A pair of experts shared insight on numerous issues affecting the commercial real estate sector and title insurance industry, including a new regulation on foreign investment and alternative financing structures.

Other issues touched on included the Uniform Special Deposits Act, incoming Financial Crimes Enforcement Network oversight, title insurance alternatives, green energy deals and more.

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Detroit-based Rocket Companies has announced a brand refresh, which includes name changes for Amrock and Amrock Title Insurance Co. Company leaders said the new visual identity aims to position Rocket to engage with key growth demographics.

Amrock CEO Nicole Beattie spoke with The Title Report about the changes.

Read on to find out more about the rebranding efforts.

DataTrace has significantly expanded its automated title search service net while adding new features to its data and product lines.

It expanded its automated title search capabilities to nearly 1,000 counties which are available via TitleIQ Search Automation, with additional title search access through the DataTrace System and through the DataTrace Digital Gateway.

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First American Title has used a promotion to fill its direct division president seat as the current president prepares for a March retirement.

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AccuTitle has announced its integration with eCheck solution provider Deluxe, allowing AccuTitle’s TitleFusion and Accuair customers to send escrow payments directly through the Deluxe Payment Exchange.

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A year-end report from property data curator ATTOM shows foreclosure filings down 10 percent year-over-year in 2024 and down 35 percent compared to 2019.

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As historic and devastating wildfire continues to move through the Los Angeles area, a leader of Anywhere Integrated Services’ West Coast operations shared an update with The Title Report.

As of Jan. 13, 24 people have been confirmed to have died as a result of the wildfires. That’s in addition to the displacement of thousands of others and destruction of 12,000-plus structures, including some of Anywhere’s offices and employees’ homes. .

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CertifID is acquiring digital money transfer platform Paymints.io, enabling extended security and enhanced consumer convenience for real estate transactions, according to the companies.

CertifID adds that as many as one in 20 homebuyers and sellers fall victim to fraud during real estate closings, with the FBI reporting nearly $2 billion stolen over the past decade due to real estate cybercrime.

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New data from the National Federation of Independent Business shows fewer small-business owners are planning to raise compensation over the next three months with labor costs reported as a top challenge.

The share of small-business owners reporting labor quality as their top operating problem was unchanged from November.

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AmTrust Title Insurance Co. has tapped a new Florida state counsel who brings more than a decade of experience in the title and real estate law industries to his new position.

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GridBase announced its advanced solution aiding migration for Encompass Partner Connect (EPC), which follows GridBase’s order management integration with EPC more than a year ago.

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Homeowners with kids living under their roof are much more likely to receive help from family with down payments and/or monthly mortgages than their no-kids counterparts, according to Redfin.

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