News By Edition

As the fate of emergency video notarization (EVN) functions hang in the balance in North Carolina, Brady & Kosofsky Founding Partner Jaime Kosofsky detailed the technology’s importance with The Title Report.

EVN provisions, first enacted during onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, have been absent in North Carolina since June 30 when the bill’s temporary timeline came to an end.

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Attorney Janet Hocker, owner of Indianapolis-based Hocker Title and Hocker Law, detailed her son’s journey to record-setting Olympic gold with The Title Report.

Cole Hocker, 23, left Paris with an Olympic gold medal for his 1,500-meter record time of 3 minutes, 27.65 seconds, adding fuel to a prospering professional running career.

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“Bowtie Economist” Elliot Eisenberg shared his near-term outlook on the housing market, interest rates and more at the 2024 National Settlement Services Summit.

While unemployment and wage growth are key indicators for evaluating the health of the overall economy, housing inventory is also a vital piece, Eisenberg told attendees.

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A July Home Price Index report from First American Data & Analytics showed the trend of price growth slowdown extending into its seventh month.

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Doma Title Insurance picked a 25-year title insurance industry veteran as its new agency manager for Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

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The American Land Title Association has named DataTrace as an elite provider, which signifies the company’s promotion of highest industry standards and effective solutions.

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Zombie foreclosure rates have dropped to their lowest level in roughly three years, according to a new report from ATTOM.

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The recently established Blue Note Title has expanded beyond Tennessee and into Kentucky. Owner Andy Maloney spoke with The Title Report about the move and his local housing market.

Maloney maintains his law practice out of Brentwood, Tenn., and also previously worked as president of Nashville Title, LLC for nearly 20 years.

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Remote online notarization provider NotaryLive announced what leaders called a “groundbreaking” achievement in submitting an audio-video recording of a RON eClosing transaction to the MERS RON Video Storage repository.

The MERS RON Video Storage repository was established in 2021 by MERSCORP Holdings, aiming to provide secure storage of and access to copies of RON video recordings.

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Rocket Companies reported year-over-year increases in net revenue for the second quarter as well as a jump for its direct to consumer segment, which includes title insurance services.

Rocket Mortgage generated $24.7 billion in closed loan origination volume in the second quarter, a 10.4 percent increase over the same period last year.

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The U.S. Faster Payments Council has appointed a new board of directors chairperson as its current chairperson steps down after a five-year tenure.

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Digital banking platform Ibanera has added real-time payment capabilities through the Federal Reserve’s FedNow network.

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Median single-family homes and condo prices increased in the second quarter in more than 60 percent of Opportunity Zones, according to ATTOM.

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Fitch Ratings has affirmed the financial strength for title insurance subsidiaries belonging to First American Financial Corp. and Stewart Information Services Corp., including details on key ratings drivers. 

Affirmations on long-term issuer default ratings and senior unsecured debt ratings were also provided for Fitch for both First American and Stewart.

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Results from the National Federation of Independent Business’ quadrennial Small Business Problems and Priorities Report show great concern among surveyed small-business owners regarding inflation, taxes and general uncertainty.

The nationwide survey is conducted every four years and measures 75 critical topics. Unchanged since 1986, the cost of health insurance remained the number one chronic issue.

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Voxtur has appointed a new CEO who’s set to implement a new companywide vision and commitment to enhancing Voxtur’s financial reporting model.

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Mainspring Service’s titleLOOK SaaS platform has added a “select and share” feature, allowing title agents to highlight specific sections of title commitments and send requests directly to curative and underwriting resources.

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Competition for homes eased in July, with homes that eventually sold pending for 18 days, six more days than last year. An early August drop in mortgage rates should bring in more new buyers, according to Zillow.

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Florida Agency Network (FAN), the Sunshine State’s largest network of title agencies, has added Celebration Title Group, which operates 15 offices within the state.

With this move, FAN, which has developed multiple proprietary settlement services technologies, now offers more than 50 offices throughout Florida.

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Doma Holdings, Inc. showed quarterly increases in revenue, retained premiums and fees and gross profit in its second quarter earnings report.

The company awaits majority approval from shareholders on its pending acquisition by Title Resources Group, which company leaders expect to happen in the second half of the year.

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Digital mortgage point-of-sale provider Cloudvirga has formed an advisory panel that will act as an open forum to explore mortgage industry issues and “test-drive solutions.”

The Cloudvirga Advisory Panel includes both clients and non-clients and is open to mortgage lending professionals. It will host monthly virtual meetings for the ongoing initiatives.

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Modern Treasury announced it has expanded instant payments support for mutual customers of six large banks. Instant payments use the FedNow service and The Clearing House’s RTP network.

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Kensington Vanguard National Land Services has brought on a former New York Yankees catcher who’s carved a name for himself in the title insurance industry since his playing days, which included three World Series wins.

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Pending home sales remain down despite mortgage rates reaching their lowest point since April 2023, according to new data from Redfin.

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A pair of summer interns at Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Co. spoke with The Title Report about how they think the industry can better connect with younger workers.

Suggestions included broader outreach to students in business, HR, IT and finance programs. October Research’s summer interns provided additional insight.

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Investors Title Co. showed year-over-year increases in revenue, net income and premiums written across the second quarter in its recent earnings report.

Operating expenses increased 11.7 percent year-over-year, mostly driven by higher agent commissions and other expenses which fluctuate with the level of title-related revenues, the company said.

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A group of title industry veterans and attorneys have launched a new agency in Tennessee that will be serving clients across its home state as well as Kentucky.

The new business’ personalized services and title insurance solutions include comprehensive protection against unexpected claims and defects, according to the company.

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A new Pennsylvania branch manager has been appointed by 1031 CORP. The new hire will oversee the company's office in Collegeville, Pa., as well as client service on the East Coast.

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Orlando, Fla.-based Barry Miller Law has brought on a new senior attorney who will focus on residential and commercial real estate, regulatory compliance, employer/employee relations and civil litigation.

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A new Redfin report showed that the total value of homes gained $3.1 trillion over the past 12 months to reach a record $49.6 trillion.

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Flueid’s expanded purchase solutions suite aims to optimize the title search and exam process and enable a collaborative approach to title curative as early as a property’s listing.

Chief Technology Officer Matt Regan sat down with The Title Report to go over the solution’s benefits and its inner workings.

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Anywhere Real Estate’s second-quarter earnings report showed similar results to last year in terms of companywide revenue and title transaction volume.

Generated second quarter revenue of $1.7 billion was essentially flat year-over-year, with increases in combined home sale transaction volume that were offset by softness in relocation revenue, according to the report.

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Small businesses’ hiring plans remain stable while fewer plan to raise compensation, according to new data from the National Federation of Independent Business.

A net 18 percent (seasonally adjusted) of business owners in July stated plans to raise compensation in the next three months, down four points from June.

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A review of Alita Group’s AOLPro title insurance alternative product from Moody’s Investors Service found it to be “materially similar to title insurance from a credit risk perspective.”

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Open Title Texas has appointed a longtime title industry leader as president of operations in Houston. He will oversee multiple offices in the metro area.

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Nearly one in four Gen Z potential homebuyers said they are willing to live somewhere less safe for the right price, according to Redfin.  They were also willing to trade off access to healthcare services, restaurants, bars and coffee shops to find a home within their budget

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