News By Edition

UWM Holdings Corp. announced it has acquired Two Harbors Investment Corp. in an all-stock deal for $1.3 billion in equity value This transaction is expected to provide UWM with, among other things, an expanded mortgage servicing rights portfolio valued at about $400 billion, and the combined company will rank number 8 among servicers nationwide, according to UWM.

Home builder confidence inched up to end 2025 but was still in negative territory as builders contend with higher construction costs and tariff and economic uncertainty, according to a survey released by the National Association of Home Builders. But, there are some positive signs on the horizon, the association’s chief economist said.

Real estate platform Beycome’s leader says the $2.5 million in seed funding it raised will allow the company to accelerate product development, strengthen its technical leadership, scale its title services and expand into more states.

Homebuyers in Florida can now purchase homes while self-representing with the assistance of Homa’s artificial intelligence-powered full-service real estate platform. The company said the process addresses the new regulatory rules concerning buyer’s agents established by the Sitzer-Burnett settlement.

Clear Title Agency of Arizona selected a professional with 30-plus years of title and escrow experience to serve in the firm’s newly created position of vice president of operational growth.

Ardán Inc. has welcomed back a title insurance veteran to serve as the firm’s chief innovation officer.

There were 529,770 more homesellers than buyers in the housing market in November, according to Redfin, the largest gap in records dating back to 2013 aside from this summer.

Fitch Ratings’ outlook for the title insurance sector in 2026 includes a projection that industry revenues will increase and that commercial and residential origination volumes will be modestly higher. Fitch is anticipating continued stability for the sector in the new year.

October Research reached out to Craig Cheatham, president and CEO of The Realty Alliance, to find out how the Sitzer-Burnett v. NAR settlement affected compensation for real estate agents and changed the way brokerages conduct business.

A study released by Milliman Inc. revealed that more than 40 percent of all title insurer losses and expenses are tied to fraud and forgery claims connected with refinancing transactions.

Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. has promoted a 30-year title insurance veteran to serve as the firm’s Midwest regional manager.

Companies can upload data packages to Dono’s platform, where artificial intelligence unbundles documents, extracts relevant information, and generates customized reports.

Both active home-sale listings and new listings declined in November, according to Redfin. Economists noted home sellers are backing away because buyers are retreating.

Michigan-based Diversified National has rebranded as Acrisure Title and is setting up its operations under the national Acrisure Real Estate Services platform.

The Sitzer-Burnett v. NAR settlement in March 2024 has created numerous changes within the real estate industry. October Research reached out to Marx Sterbcow, managing attorney at Sterbcow Law Group, and Charles “Chuck” Cain, nationally recognized title attorney and president of Alliance Solutions, LLC, to ask about buyer agreements post-settlement.

First American Data & Analytics’ November 2025 Home Price Index report showed home prices decreased slightly from October, but those figures rose by a little more than one-half of 1 percent compared with November 2024.

Optimal Blue announced two of its veteran leaders have been moved up to the positions of chief financial officer and chief revenue officer.

FNF Agency Operations rolled out the FNF Academy, an on-demand education center exclusively for its title agents.

The housing market experienced a seasonal cooling in November after low mortgage rates in September and October pushed buyers and sellers to be more active than usual, according to Zillow.

Title Financial Corp. announced it has acquired a Butte, Mont.-based title firm. Title Financial also has offices in Idaho and Wyoming. Company leaders say the acquisition will provide clients with expanded resources, advanced technology, and continued local expertise.

As changes continue to come down from Washington, D.C., the compliance landscape for 2026 could be very different than in 2025. Mayer Brown's Kris Kully and Mother Lode Holding Co. CEO Lisa Steele discuss the latest developments from federal agencies as it relates to emerging litigation risks and how technology and legislative priorities will reshape the industry.

Ubitquity Inc. launched Crypto Audit Scanner — Title Company Edition, to help title agencies and real estate attorneys combat vacant land fraud. This product offers a combination of cryptocurrency source of funds verification and advanced seller identity defense.

Liberty Title’s newest hire has a background in customer service, commercial insurance, consulting and entrepreneurship.

LenderLogix has expanded its LiteSpeed point-of-sale platform with the addition of LiteSpeed eSign, which will allow lenders to tag and request documents for electronic signatures directly in Encompass.

Pending home sales fell 5.8 percent from a year earlier, the biggest decline since the start of 2025, according to a report from Redfin.

The Sitzer-Burnett v. NAR settlement in March 2024 has created numerous changes within the real estate and settlement services industries. The Title Report spoke with several industry leaders about how their transactional processes changed following the settlement.

American Eagle Title Insurance Co. (AETIC) has acquired a title plant in Okmulgee County, Okla. The new title plant joins AETIC’s growing portfolio of company-owned plants across Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.

FirstClose’s new vice president of sales has led sales organizations for more than 25 years. The executive is charged with refining the go-to market strategy and driving revenue growth.

Settlor has unveiled an integration with DataTrace that will provide users of Settlor’s title production system with access to DataTrace data-focused tools from within the Settlor platform.

: A majority of home buyers seek quotes from just one mortgage lender and by doing so, may cost themselves thousands of dollars during the life of a loan, according to a Zillow analysis.

For those in the industry who lived through RESPA Reform and TRID, the challenges of the current marketplace probably feel familiar, says October Research Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster. As external forces again change the cost of doing business, the question for companies is the same: Who absorbs the cost?

AM Best has affirmed financial strength and credit ratings for both subsidiaries of Investors Title Co., Investors Title Insurance Co. and National Investors Title Insurance Co. The two subsidiaries are collectively known as Investors Title Co. Group. Read on to find out more.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index rose 0.8 points in November while the Uncertainty Index increased by 3 points. The NFIB attributed the rise in uncertainty partly to the continued lack of qualified workers. Read on to learn more.

PropLogix hired a former employee to fill the role of vice president of marketing. Read on to learn more.

First American Data & Analytics announced that its loan-level regulatory compliance tool, RegsData, is integrated into the MeridianLink Mortgage loan origination system. This integration will help ensure loans meet regulatory and investor requirements before closing. Read on to learn more.

New listings of homes for sale fell 1.7 percent year-over-year during the four weeks ending Dec. 7, according to Redfin. Read on to find out more.

Voxtur Analytics Corp and its U.S. subsidiaries have filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy. The company obtained an initial order from the court that approved a $2.35 million interim financing loan facility and appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. as a monitor. Read on to learn more.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools help make companies’ title production systems more efficient and productive, but they can also play a role in improving firms’ bottom lines. The leaders of four different companies spoke with The Title Report about the ways that title firms can benefit monetarily from using their tools. Read on to find out more.

Razi launched RaziTV, a product that turns everyday calendar and meeting information into a professional display for office televisions at title agencies. By connecting directly to a team’s existing calendar workflow, RaziTV updates continuously without requiring staff to manually build or manage slides. Read on to learn more.

Legal 1031 Exchange Services has hired a new counsel who will be charged with assisting clients and their advisors with forward and reverse IRC §1031 tax-deferred exchanges. Read on to learn more.

FirstClose is partnering with Stewart Lender Services to enhance its order management system with an increased amount of home equity fulfillment capabilities. Read on to learn more.

ATTOM’s November 2025 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report showed the number of foreclosures in the country rose year-over-year but dipped from October. November was the ninth straight month foreclosures increased year-over-year. Read on to learn more.

Meridian Title Co. acquired a family-owned title company based in Indiana. Leaders of the acquired company said they decided Meridian Title was the best partner aligned with its mission, culture and future goals. They noted this collaboration allows them to continue working with the same clients while providing additional opportunities for them. Read on to find out more.

Fitch Ratings announced its title insurance sector outlook for 2026, examining the industry’s expected profitability and ratings. Commercial real estate transactions remain a key driver of title insurer revenue, according to Fitch, and commercial loan originations are expected to grow in the new year. Read on to learn more.

Hometap has raised $50 million in funding that will be used to speed up the adoption of its products including its core home equity investment product, which provides homeowners with cash in exchange for a percentage of their home’s future value. That allows homeowners a way to access equity without monthly payments. Read on to learn more.

PropLogix announced the hiring of a Florida International University graduate to work as a business development manager in the Miami market. Read on to learn more.

ACES Quality Management announced the general availability of ACES DATABRIDGE, which makes ACES customer data fully portable. Read on to learn more.

The average buyer’s agent commission for homes sold in the third quarter rose by about one-half of one percent year-over-year, according to Redfin. The third quarter marked the one-year anniversary of the enactment of new commission rules after the National Association of Realtors’ announced settlement in response to a class action lawsuit brought by home sellers. Read on to learn more.

A title insurance executive founded a group designed to help her fellow female leaders tackle professional and personal challenges. WFG (Williston Financial Group) Vice President Jaime Johnson, director of WFG Agent 3.0, spoke with The Title Report about her goals for the Women at the (Closing) Table organization, which was inspired by October Research’s Women in Leadership breakfast at the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) and the Women’s Leadership Summit (WLS). Read on to learn more.

Financial technology company Splitero announced the closing of a $283.3 million rated home equity investment (HEI) securitization on Nov. 25. Many new investors entered the HEI space, resulting in a 9.25x oversubscription of the entire transaction. Read on to learn more.

The National Federation of Independent Business’s November jobs report found about one-third of small-business owners reported job slots they could not fill, which is 1 point higher than it was in October. “On Main Street, job growth continues to be constrained by a lack of qualified employees,” NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said. Read on to find out more.

AgentHome has hired an industry veteran with more than 15 years of experience to serve as its vice president of operations. Read on to learn more.

Elite Closing Solutions, in partnership with national transaction coordinator Andrew Farnell, has relaunched its contract-to-close service geared toward real estate investment companies.

Investor home purchases rose by 1 percent year-over-year in the third quarter, coming in at a total of roughly 52,000, according to Redfin. Read on to find out more.