Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

But while a fraud attempt targeting such a famous structure and family would easily make national news, the vast majority of title theft and mortgage fraud schemes do not. Impersonation fraud has risen “sharply” over the past few years according to Sarah Frano, vice president and real estate fraud expert at First American Title Insurance Co.

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Housing Wire

JULY 22, 2024

In a recent episode of “Ten Minute Talks,” HousingWire President Diego Sanchez and Alita Group President Stacy Mestayer discussed an alternative option to title insurance. Sanchez addresses the current version of title insurance and why an alternative is needed.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 28, 2024

Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. The title firm has launched val-ID by Westcor, a tool designed to help title agents validate the identities of home buyers and sellers, according to an announcement on Wednesday. We believe val-ID will significantly benefit Westcor’s title agents and their clients.”

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Housing Wire

JULY 24, 2024

Attorneys general in 14 states have joined together to send a letter to Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) director Sandra Thompson that urges the termination of the agency’s title waiver pilot program. Title insurance is a state-regulated industry, and homeowners will be better served if it stays that way.

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Housing Wire

JUNE 17, 2024

The relative stability of the housing market in the first quarter of 2024 resulted in a fairly strong quarter for the title insurance industry. According to the American Land Title Association (ALTA) Market Share Analysis released Thursday, the industry generated $3.35 billion in title insurance premiums during Q1 2024, down only 0.8%

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Housing Wire

MAY 13, 2024

Title firm Mother Lode Holding Co. , a subsidiary of big four firm First American Financial , announced Monday that it has acquired Wisconsin Title Service Co. the acquisition includes Wisconsin Title Service Co.’s s sister company, Wisconsin Title Closing Service Inc., The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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Housing Wire

JUNE 28, 2024

Title insurance provides vital protection to the largest and most important purchase most Americans will ever make—their home. Director Rohit Chopra himself, in a recent appearance before the House Financial Services Committee , shook his head “no” when asked whether title insurance was a “junk fee” in questioning from Rep.

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Housing Wire

MAY 1, 2024

As existing home sales dropped to the lowest level it has seen in nearly three decades in 2023 , title insurance premium volume also took a hit. In 2023, the title insurance industry generated $15.1 In 2022 , the title industry generated $21 billion in premiums. with 22.0%; Old Republic National Title Insurance Co.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

For more than two years, a storm has been brewing in the title insurance industry. Last week, the first raindrops began to fall when the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG) announced settlements with four title firms over alleged kickback schemes. Because these title firms were all licensed by the D.C.

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Housing Wire

JULY 10, 2024

Despite having a 100-plus-year history, the title industry is now embracing some of the newest technologies on the market, including artificial intelligence. of title and escrow professionals surveyed have already adopted generative AI solutions, according to the State of AI in Title and Escrow published this week by Qualia.

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Housing Wire

MAY 14, 2024

Despite persistently high interest rates , big four title firm Fidelity National Financial recorded a much stronger start to 2024 than it did a year ago. The firm attributed its stronger results to better performance from both its F&G segment and its title insurance segment. The firm’s title segment reported $1.7

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Housing Wire

MARCH 6, 2024

The title insurance and settlement services industry directly generated $30 billion of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022, according to a report commissioned by the American Land Title Association that was published on Wednesday. economic impact of the title industry. The report measures both the direct and broader U.S.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 24, 2024

In fact, for many new buyers entering the market this year, this will be the first time they ever hear the words “ title insurance.” Against this backdrop, it is critical that new homebuyers and homeowners alike understand what title insurance is, its benefits and the importance of asking about discounts available to them.

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Housing Wire

JULY 5, 2024

Like many in title , Iain Bryant, the newly appointed president of Stewart Title’s agency division, found his way into the industry through family. Services , a title production business, in 1990, and after growing up surrounded by the title industry, Bryant said he was determined to never be part of the industry. “My

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 20, 2023

Title premium volume continued to drop during the third quarter of 2023, as limited housing supply and high interest rates took their toll on home sales. During the third quarter of 2023, the title industry generated $4.1 During the third quarter of 2023, the title industry generated $4.1 Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co.

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Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

Despite slower housing market conditions , Big Four title firms Stewart , First American and Fidelity National Financial all managed to earn profits in 2023. Despite declines in title transaction volume, Stewart’s title segment still reported an operating revenue of $503 million for Q4, down 14% annually, and a pretax income of $27.3

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Fidelity National Financial finished out third-quarter earnings reporting for the Big Four title firms this week, hosting its earnings call with investors and analysts Wednesday morning. While the firm’s title revenue was down 18% year over year to $1.9 Also reporting Q3 2023 earnings this week was title firm Doma.

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Housing Wire

MARCH 29, 2024

Publicly traded real estate technology company Doma Holdings has entered into a definitive agreement to sell to title insurance underwriter Title Resources Group (TRG) and become a private company. Its most recent endeavor is Upfront Title , launched during the third-quarter earnings call with investors and analysts.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 16, 2022

For most real estate industry professionals, title insurance needs no introduction. A trusted product , title insurance has been used to protect real estate transactions and property rights for over a century. Title insurance is different than most other insurance products. Title insurance is a comprehensively regulated product.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Just days after announcing its acquisition of Michigan-based Devon Title Agency , Stewart Title is back at it, announcing its acquisition of Greater Illinois Title Co. Chicago-based GITC is the largest title company in Illinois. Roughly a month ago, Stewart acquired New Mexico-based Las Cruces Abstract and Title.

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Housing Wire

MAY 16, 2024

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) has launched a new service to handle all the title work for its brokers on refinancings. As a result, brokers no longer need to deal with a title company or settlement agent to close a refi. It said TRAC+ will allow the lender to “manage title review, closing, and disbursement.”

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 19, 2023

Title insurance is one such proven product with a long history of protecting homeowners’ right to property. Before title insurance, property rights were not guaranteed. But in 1868, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision led to the codification of the incorporation and regulation of title insurance companies into law.

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Housing Wire

JUNE 12, 2024

But when we say this is the Ultimate Resource Guide for title insurance professionals, we mean it! Associations American Land Title Association (ALTA) ALTA serves as the national trade association and voice for the title insurance industry, representing over 6,000 title insurance companies, agents and real estate attorneys.

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Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

When people think about the title insurance industry , what comes to mind is often its core products – title insurance policies that protect property rights of homeowners and lenders. As an industry, our commitment to protection goes beyond title insurance policies. The bill is being considered in several states nationwide.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Specifically, title and settlement fees have been characterized as a high-burden and regressive (costing proportionally more for low- and moderate-income borrowers) cost to borrowers. The research found that title and settlement fees are neither regressive nor represent a significant component of the overall closing costs.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 29, 2024

Four title insurance firms have agreed to pay nearly $3.3 area, according to the Attorney General for the District of Columbia Allied Title & Escrow, LLC (Allied), KVS Title, LLC (KVS), Modern Settlements, LLC (Modern), and Union Settlements, LLC (Union) will pay $1.9 million, $1 million, $325,000 and $65,000, respectively.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 14, 2023

The American Land Title Association (ALTA) is celebrating a huge win in its ongoing war against title insurance alternatives. News of the rumored pilot program came in March, roughly a year after Fannie Mae first announced that it would be accepting attorney opinion letters (AOLs) in lieu of title insurance in limited circumstances.

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Housing Wire

MARCH 8, 2024

Despite the protests of the title insurance industry, Fitch Ratings does not believe the lender title insurance waiver pilot program for certain refinance transactions announced by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Thursday will have an impact on title insurer ratings.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 17, 2023

Some say that the nearly 150-year-old title industry has a difficult time adapting and evolving. However, the title industry has proven these critics wrong over the past decade, and importantly, it has done so without leaving homeowners vulnerable to unnecessary risks. Think an old dog can’t learn new tricks?

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Housing Wire

MARCH 11, 2024

For title agency owners and professionals, finding the time and resources to train your team can be challenging. For instance, a blending training program could include in-person sessions on the fundamentals of title insurance , followed by online modules that reinforce and add context. ” We agree.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 11, 2023

When Thaddeus, the American Land Title Association’s eagle mascot, landed in Colorado Spring at The Broadmoor Hotel after a month-long virtual journey across the country from Washington, D.C., This was the biggest issue we’ve ever faced in my 40-year career in the title industry,” Rattikin said. “It he did so with a new look.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

Title premium volume continued to trend downward during the second quarter of 2023 as high mortgage rates and low housing inventory continued to plague the real estate industry. During the second quarter, the title industry generated $3.91 billion in title insurance premiums, down from $6.21 Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 18, 2024

Closing software provider Qualia is accusing a former employee and startup title production software firm Settlor of stealing trade secrets. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in U.S. In the complaint, Qualia states that is reached out to Myers on Sept.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Ron Frasier, a title industry veteran and CEO of title startup Atlas Title , has been watching the commission lawsuit saga closely. “If Instead, he is focusing his efforts on potentially having to adapt to where Atlas Title’s business comes from. It’s easy to see why Frasier is concerned.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 28, 2021

Mid-Atlantic title company Community Title Network LLC has acquired Colony Title Group LTD, an agency in Columbia, Maryland. It’s the third acquisition made by Community Title Network, which acquired Virginia-based The Settlement Group in June 2019 and Baltimore’s Continental Title Group in July 2016.

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Housing Wire

JULY 21, 2023

Related to its goal of achieving profitability , title insurer Doma announced Thursday that it had sold its title operations in Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana to two different companies. Chicago-based title firm Near North Title Group acquired Doma’s 30 offices in the Midwest. million, compared to $50.0

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Senate and the House of Representatives introduced new bills requiring title insurance on mortgages purchased by government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). The new language prohibits GSEs from purchasing conventional mortgages for one- to four-unit properties unless the loans have primary-lien title insurance. On Thursday, U.S.

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