News By Edition

Doma Holdings, Inc. announced plans to merge with Title Resources Group (TRG), with TRG acquiring all outstanding shares of Doma in an all-cash deal.

The transaction, which was unanimously approved by Doma’s board of directors, acting on the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of the board of directors, is expected to close in the second half of 2024.

Read on to find out more.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reached a settlement, still subject to court approval, in the case brought by home sellers related to broker commissions. In 2023, a jury found the defendant organizations had violated antitrust laws by following NAR’s cooperative compensation rule.

Industry experts weigh in on what the settlement might mean for the title industry.

Read on for more details.

Cybersecurity fintech provider EquityProtect is now offering comprehensive data on various properties’ vulnerabilities when it comes to title fraud and other financial crimes.

CEO Ryan Marshall shared details about the new product in an exclusive interview with The Title Report and showed how it’s already proving to be a vital tool for title agents, property owners and homebuyers.

Read on to find out more information.

Title industry cybersecurity provider CertifID has brought in new capital financing, which it says will be put toward the expansion of wire fraud protection services.

CertifID announced $20 million in new Series B funding this past fall, with lead investors there also contributing to CertifID’s $12.5 million Series A round in May 2022.

Read on to find out more information.

The Clearing House’s RTP Network reported record transaction volume for the first quarter of 2024, continuing a strong quarterly growth trend dating back nearly five years.

Introduced in 2017, RTP Network surpassed one million daily transactions for the first time this past September, with March 1 now holding the daily record.

Read on to find out more information.

New data from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows small-business job openings in March back to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The share of small-business owners reporting labor quality as their top operating problem rose two points from February to 18 percent.

Read on to find out more information from the NFIB report.

Blockchain and digital asset investment provider Spirit Blockchain Capital is making an investment in Vesta Equity, which specializes in tokenization of residential equity.

Read on to find out more information.

National Investors Title Co. has promoted from within to fill the role of senior vice president – Texas operations and education.

Read on to find out more information.

New data from Zillow shows the number of cities where the typical home value is $1 million or more hit a record level.

Read on to find out more.

Unisource Joint Ventures is acquiring MFI Data, allowing Unisource to pair MFI’s credit reporting services with title and escrow offerings under a new brand.

Utilizing the combined technologies of both technologies, Unisource will help lenders increase volume and expand their service offerings to grow revenue, leaders added.

Read on to find out more information.

October Research CEO and Publisher Erica Meyer and Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster were invited to speak to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Title Insurance Task Force about the daily challenges faced by title insurers.

Schuster shared some of the specifics of the presentation, which aimed to give state regulators necessary context to best spot potential threats to title shops and overall market health.

Read on for more.

EPN, the Clearing House’s ACH network, reported significant transaction volume growth in 2023 with more than 19 billion processed last year.

Read on to find out more information.

Alabama-based Empire Title AL has launched its new website as it eyes expansion beyond the northern portion of its home state.

Read on to find out more.

Buyers must earn nearly twice as much as before the pandemic to afford the typical starter home due to the one-two punch of high prices and mortgage rates, according to Redfin.

Read on to learn more.

An annual State of Homebuying Report from ServiceLink shows sizeable demand among millennials and Gen Z, but also significant hurdles related to affordability and economic turmoil.

Gen Z and millennials were the only generations with a majority favorable outlook toward homebuying conditions in 2024, with baby boomers’ share of that expectation coming in at just 18 percent.

Read on to find out more.

First American Title Insurance Co. announced enhancements to its commercial real estate closing transaction solution. Users can now securely upload, view and manage project documents and artifacts for multiple properties within a single platform.

Read on to learn more.

Pythonic Corp. is partnering with a Washington State-based title company to enhance its tech capabilities and order entry process. among other areas.

Read on to find out more information.

Today’s buyers need to earn $114,000 to afford the typical home — 35 percent more than the typical household makes, according to new data from Redfin.

Read on to learn more.

Rhode Island-based title franchise business TitleEase continues to expand its service scope. CEO Joseph D’Urso sat down with The Title Report to talk growth and the development of a blueprint for a title franchise agency.

TitleEase expanded into Arizona in late-2023, which came after establishing footprints in areas such as Texas, New York and Michigan.

Read on to find out more information.

A Tennessee-based attorney and title group serving that state as well as Kentucky, Alabama and Virgina announced they’re forming a joint venture.

Leaders added that the partnership will allow both businesses to expand combined offerings, streamline operations, enhance efficiencies and provide a higher level of service to clients.

Read on to find out more information.

Fathom Holdings Inc. saw year-over-year revenue declines for both the fourth quarter and full year 2023, according to its recent earning report.

Total company revenue in the fourth quarter decreased year-over-year by 11.2 percent while full year 2023 revenue dropped by 16.4 percent compared with 2022.

Read on to find out more information.

SoftPro released a new integration with United Tax Services, which will allow for access to nationwide tax reports and lien searches through the SoftPro 360 portal.

Read on to learn more information.

Doma Title Insurance has appointed a new agency manager for its west Texas region who brings roughly 20 years of sales and financial management experience to the position.

Read on to learn more.

ATTOM says housing areas in California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois remain at elevated risk for market decline.

Read on to find out more information.

Tennessee-based Authority Title & Escrow is expanding its footprint in Alabama with a new location and gearing up to open an additional office in Nashville, Tenn.

Founded by a pair of industry veterans in 2022, the company offers services including title examinations, 1031 exchanges, private lending transactions and deed preparations.

Read on to find out more information.

New data from the Federal Reserve System’s Beige Book shows economic activity growth in most districts, but also remaining hurdles with available real estate inventory.

The most recent report was prepared at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia based on information collected on or before Feb. 26 and stretching back to early-January.

Read on to find out more information.

Kriss Law/Atlantic Closing & Escrow is launching a pilot program for eClosing and digital notarization thanks to a pair of new integrations.

Read on to find out more.

Old Republic International Corp. made a new appointment to its board of directors, tapping a long-time chief information officer and insurance industry veteran.

Read on to find out more.

While mortgage rates remain elevated, they’re not as volatile as they were at the height of the pandemic, which has helped stabilize home price growth, according to Redfin.

Read on to find out more.

Fidelity National Financial (FNF) has announced a new acquisition in North Carolina, taking over a title company that’s renowned statewide and has been operating in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region since 2005.

Since the start of this year, FNF also announced acquisitions or mergers in Colorado and New Mexico.

Read on to find out more information.

In advance of the 2024 Voice of The Title Agent special report being made available next week, nine survey participants were chosen as winners.

Read on to find out who won an NS3 registration, one of three subscriptions to The Title Report and one of five quick-charge portable power banks.

Remote online notarization (RON) provider NotaryCam reported record growth in its customer base and volume of loss-mitigation-related RON transactions over the past year.

With the passage of California’s RON legislation in late 2023, NotaryCam said it’s also prepared the platform to begin supporting transactions in the Golden State.

Read on to find out more information.

Cloudvirga has expanded its integration with a verification platform that will allow for quicker access to employment and income data and analytics.

Read on to find out more information.

Stewart Title has appointed a new underwriting counsel who will provide support and guidance for agents and partners in Texas.

Read on to find out more.

New listings rose annually in every major metro, and total housing inventory rose 12 percent year-over-year, according to a March report from Zillow.

Read on to find out more.