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The Title Report
is the title insurance industry’s premier source of market intelligence on issues that matter to today’s title agent and settlement services professional. It provides up-to-the-minute, nationwide reporting on title insurance, settlement services,
e-commerce and title technology, real estate market trends, fraud reports, ratings actions and earnings reports, mergers and acquisitions, niche markets, competitive business strategies and regulatory and legislative updates.
Rocket, Compass team up to increase home listing inventory - The firms’ three-year alliance is designed to more than 500,000 additional home listings on to Redfin’s platform and enhance the affordable homebuying and selling experience.
Economist: Home affordability improved in all 50 states in 2025 - In December, the First American Data & Analytics Real House Price Index (RHPI) showed home affordability improved nearly 9 percent compared with December 2024.
Westcor Land Title works with Anderson | Biro to hire three new staffers - Anderson | Biro played a critical role in hiring an underwriting counsel, a state manager and a sales representative for Westcor.
Ubitquity launches AI platform to locate title defects - Ubiquity has a new platform using advanced AI models to search property titles for liens, forgery, chain-of-title gaps, encumbrances and other typical defects.
Zillow: Home buying power up by $30,000 from one year ago - With incomes rising and mortgage rates declining, a median-income household can now comfortably purchase a $331,483 home with a 20 percent down payment, according to a Zillow analysis.
First American reports year-over-year increase in title revenue in Q4 - First American Financial Corp. reported its title insurance and services revenue rose by 21 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2025. Company CEO Mark Seaton said his team is “reimagining” its title and escrow business with help from artificial intelligence.
CertifID expands platform to include closing processes - CertifID’s expanded platform gives users a place to open a file, verify an identity and send an information request with the eSign feature.
NFIB: Optimism rises for all industries except construction - The National Federation of Independent Business Research recently released a survey that revealed the Optimism Index for the manufacturing industry rose by 3.6 points from October, while that rating increased by 0.3 points for retail, and 3.7 points for service. The Index for construction dropped by 2.5 points.
CATIC announces promotions in Mid-Atlantic region - CATIC announces promotions. Operations, legal activities and business development are some of the responsibilities of the newly promoted leaders in the company’s Mid-Atlantic region.
Settlor, TRG launch integration to provide more resources for title agents - Settlor and Title Resources Group recently announced an integration. The agreement between the two companies will allow customers to order and cancel closing protection letters and policy jacket documents directly from their production platforms instead of having to enter a second portal.
Redfin: U.S. has 44 percent more home sellers than buyers - A recent report from Redfin showed the gap between home sellers and buyers is 14 percent higher year-over-year.
Fidelity loses legal challenge of FinCEN reporting rule - The legal challenge by Fidelity National Financial, along with its subsidiary Fidelity National Title Insurance Co., against the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) residential real estate reporting rule has come to an end.
Lawmakers questioning attorney general on review of Compass-Anywhere Real Estate merger - A contingent of U.S. Senate and House Democrats and one Senate Independent are raising concerns about the U.S. Department of Justice’s review of the $1.6 billion merger between Compass and Anywhere Real Estate and have asked U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to provide more information.
First American: Home prices drop in January but rise slightly year-over-year - First American Data & Analytics’ January 2026 Home Price Index report showed home prices declined from December 2025 but increased by about one-half of 1 percent compared with January 2025.
CATIC promotes leaders in New England region offices - The duties of CATIC’s recently promoted leaders include managing underwriting resources and influencing branding and sales efforts for ancillary services across the company.
PropLogix rolls out FinCEN reporting service to assist title agents - PropLogix’s new FinCEN reporting service handles all buyer outreach, entity data collection, form completion and filing. Editor’s note: This story is being re-run due to an error earlier this week. We apologize for the error; we were up late watching the State of the Union address Tuesday night.
PalmAgent adds FinCEN compliance features to mobile platform - PalmAgent has installed Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Anti-Money Laundering rule compliance features on its mobile platform flags transactions that may be subject to FinCEN reporting requirements.
Volt Title Services launches to tackle commercial real estate deals - Volt Title Services is a specialized title and closing firm that will support real-asset transactions across infrastructure projects, commercial real estate portfolios and capital markets.
Old Republic Title launches direct operations on Qualia’s AI platform - Old Republic Title took the first step to move its direct operations onto Qualia’s artificial intelligence-powered platform when its Oregon operations became the first state to go live on Qualia.
Draycott Place Partners enters strategic alignment with Britehorn Securities - A recently announced alignment will allow Draycott Place Partners access to Britehorn Securities’ broker-dealer platform, compliance infrastructure and capital markets capabilities — enhancing Draycott’s ability to support clients throughout their lifecycle.
Stewart Title hires VP, operations manager for Nevada sector - Stewart Title National Commercial Services has a new manager to oversee Nevada’s operational strategy and execution.
WFG launches suite of FinCEN reporting solutions -WFG National Title Insurance Co. has unveiled a suite of reporting tools that title agents can use to help them meet the requirements under the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Residential Real Estate Rule that goes into effect March 1.
SoftPro integrates with agentTRAX to offer new FinCEN product - SoftPro’s integration with Fidelity National Financial’s agentTRAX will support title and settlement companies in their effort to collect information that is required under the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network anti-money-laundering rule taking effect March 1.
Knight Barry CEO shares what buyers and sellers are looking for in M&A deal - The Title Report caught up with Craig Haskins, president and CEO of Knight Barry Title Group, after the Ohio Land Title Association’s yearly convention to learn more about successful strategies title operations can use when buying or selling an agency.
Alliant National Title names new CEO, COO - The new CEO and chief operating officer with Alliant National Insurance Co. told The Title Report they look forward to supporting their agents, elevating operational efficiency and expanding their footprint in certain markets.
FSBO.com acquired by new ownership group that plans to modernize platform - The new owners acquiring FSBO.com are planning to modernize the platform to create new opportunities for education, connection and collaboration across the housing ecosystem.
ATTOM appoints chief growth officer - ATTOM announces executive staffer’s promotion. In this expanded executive role, the staffer will oversee ATTOM’s full customer acquisition and revenue execution model.
Redfin unveils app in ChatGPT - Home searchers can use the new app, introduced by Redfin, to surface relevant listings and chat with the platform to explore additional homes.
Zillow: New homes are smaller, more affordable than 20 years ago - As affordability pressures mount, buyers are prioritizing homes that work harder — not larger homes that cost more to heat, insure and maintain, according to Zillow.
Industry mourns passing of Jack Rattikin III - Jack Rattikin, who was a third-generation title insurance leader at Rattikin Title, died on Feb. 9. Industry leaders say Rattikin was “a trusted friend,” and “a principled leader.”
Property Insight expands title plant coverage in Michigan - Property Insight’s geographic title plants now offer full coverage in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties in Michigan. Before this expansion, the firm had operated in 33 Michigan counties and is now doing business in 36.
NFIB: Small-business owners’ optimism dips, uncertainty rises in January - Of the 10 National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index components, three increased and seven decreased in January. The Uncertainty Index rose primarily because more business owners said they were uncertain about whether it was a good time for expansion.
Stewart Title hires operations manager for central and east Florida - The new operations manager for Stewart Title will oversee operational strategy and execution throughout central and east Florida.
Alanna.ai, Settlor offer technology to help title firms comply with FinCEN requirements - Alanna.ai and Settlor are working together to develop technology that will help title and escrow companies comply with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Anti-Money Laundering (FinCEN) rule’s reporting requirements that take effect March 1.
ATTOM: Prices of homes in Opportunity Zones grow at similar rates as homes outside the zones - ATTOM’s fourth-quarter 2025 report showed median single-family home and condo prices increased year-over-year in 46.4 percent of the Opportunity Zone census tracts.
SoftPro wins Gold Stevie Awards for customer service, marketing - SoftPro was named a Gold Stevie Award winner for both Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year - Technology Industries and Inbound Marketing Program of the Year in the 20th annual Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service.
1031 CORP. celebrates 35-year anniversary - 1031 CORP. marked 35 years of helping investors nationwide confidently pursue their investment goals, preserve equity and simplify their 1031 exchange experience.
CATIC Foundation announces year-end charitable contributions - The CATIC Foundation announced its 2025 year-end charitable contributions, reaffirming its commitment to the communities where CATIC’s employees, agents and partners live and work.
Dono raises $6.5M to expand property record infrastructure, technology - Dono is planning to use the money to expand county-level infrastructure for its property records platform market-by-market, with a goal of covering nearly 50 percent of states by population by the end of 2026.
CATIC Holdings completes $15 million equity capital raise - CATIC Holdings Inc. raised $15 million in equity capital in a collaboration with Mutual Capital Investment Fund LP. CATIC’s CEO said the investment will help expand the firm’s market presence.
National Integrity Title Agency launches new version of digital assistant - National Integrity Title Agency rolled out Robin 2.0, a digital assistant powered by CloseSimple that will enhance communication, security and transparency throughout the closing process.
Westcor promotes staffer to regional agency manager role - Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. recently appointed a staffer to a new managerial position. In this new role, the manager will guide his team in providing support and service to title agents.
NotaryCam now has more than 2 million successful notarizations - NotaryCam also doubled both its credit card transaction volume and the number of servicers using loss mitigation-related remote online notarization transactions through its real estate vertical.
ATTOM: Homeowner equity sees slight decline in Q4 - While the amount of mortgaged residential properties that were considered equity-rich dropped by 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter, there was a slight rise in the number of seriously underwater properties, according to the ATTOM fourth-quarter 2025 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report.
Flying S Title & Escrow will merge with another Montana firm - Flying S Title & Escrow, a Montana-based title and escrow services firm, plans to merge with a Big Timber, Mont., title company to expand its services to more customers across the state.
Economist: Home sales improving but remain below pre-pandemic level - While existing home sales are trending upward, this development should not be seen as a “return to normal” in the housing market, according to First American’s deputy chief economist.
NFIB: Percentage of small-business owners with unfilled jobs drops - The latest jobs report from the National Federation of Independent Business showed that 31 percent of small-business owners reported job slots they were unable to fill in January, down from December 2025.
Lighthouse Title Insurance hires two staffers - Lighthouse Title Insurance Co. has brought in an industry veteran and a recent college graduate to work as a sales and marketing specialist and an account executive, respectively.
ATTOM unveils two new tech tools - An ATTOM leader said the new ATTOM MCP Server and Databricks delivery will expand ATTOM data usage and strengthen the firm’s technology platform.
Zillow: Home values declined for sixth consecutive month in January - According to the recently released Zillow Home Value Index, the drop in home values mirrors a monthly decline that occurred from August 2024 to February 2025.
Stewart reports increase in Q4 revenue, net income - Stewart Information Services Corp. reported its fourth-quarter revenue was $125 million higher than it was in the fourth quarter of 2024. Net income in the fourth quarter rose year-over-year by $13.6 million.
Forget the Super Bowl. Does Boston or Seattle win the Housing Bowl? - First American Senior Economist Sam Williamson examines the housing market data in Boston and Seattle and declares a winner in the 2026 Housing Bowl.
FNTI starts preferred vendor program for agents - First National Title Insurance Co. leaders say they launched the preferred vendor program to assist title agents by connecting them with vetted, trusted industry partners.
Advocus fills two leadership roles - Advocus National Title Insurance Co. has filled two leadership positions as part of an effort to scale its underwriting platform nationwide.
Westcor partners with FinCEN Real Estate Report - Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. is doing the collaboration to help title agents navigate and comply with the new FinCEN regulations that start March 1.
Redfin: Homebuyers paying below list price saw biggest discount since 2012 - The typical homebuyer who purchased a home for below the list price in 2025 saw a 7.9 percent discount, the most since 2012, a Redfin report said.
Westcor announces scholarship program to honor life of former CEO - The program honors the life of Westcor’s former CEO, Mary O’Donnell, her leadership, and the excellence she exemplified.
What’s the next big technological innovation in title? - After discussing the state of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI) and technology within the title industry, panelists from TitleCON 2025 turned their attention to the future. The Title Report caught up with the experts to talk with them about where things are headed in 2026.
Teleo Title opens for business in Texas - Based in Georgetown, Texas, Teleo Title will be a full-service title agency specializing in personalized service and high accuracy closings, according to a LinkedIn post.
Florida Hometown Title & Escrow acquires title firm to expand footprint - Doug Richardson, co-owner of Florida Hometown Title & Escrow, said this recent acquisition will aid in his firm’s commitment to offer a “relationship-driven approach” to their clients.
Bowe Digital adds new sales rep, promotes staffer to content director - These personnel moves reflect Bowe Digital’s “investment in both our people and our partners,” according to CEO Heather Lunsford.
SoftPro releases recording fees service - SoftPro’s new integration with Fidelity National Financial’s agentTRAX will help agents with the Fidelity underwriter family calculate recording fees and taxes.
Redfin: New listings of homes for sale rose for first time in two-plus months - New listings of homes for sale were up by about 1 percent year-over-year, partly due to an improvement in homebuying demand, Redfin reported.
MegPrime founder sees new payment token as ‘Amazon for real estate’ - Zach Ipour, co-founder of MegPrime and Megatel Homes, spoke with The Title Report about the imminent launch of the MegPrime Token, a crypto asset consumers can use as a payment for everyday expenses such as groceries and rent.
Experts give insight on the state of AI in title - A panel of industry veterans recently shared their thoughts on the state of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and technology within the title and banking environments. The Title Report caught up with the panelists after their conference to get their in-depth views on the overall climate of the industry.
No Agent List using $10M private investment to launch AI-powered platform - No Agent List announced the investment as the company eyes a spring 2026 launch of its new product. The firm’s founder said the organization is focused on “removing gatekeeping” from the real estate transaction process.
Westcor hires four new professionals to New York team - Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. recently hired four professionals reflecting Westcor’s commitment to supporting agents with experienced leadership, underwriting strength, and responsive service, according to a release.
Alanna.ai launches tool to help agents access historical data - The Alanna Legacy Data Connector solution will help title firms access historical data that resides on legacy title production systems.
ATTOM: National median sale price of homes up year-over-year - ATTOM’s Year-End 2025 U.S. Home Sales Report showed the median price hit a record high, while the profit margins on the sales showed a 6 percent decline in the return on investment.
Propy raises $100M to consolidate title, escrow firms into AI platform - Propy will use the funding to acquire title and escrow firms generating $5 million to $20 million in annual revenue across California, Texas, Tennessee and other states, retaining local teams while using automation to increase volume and expand margins.
Economist: Housing affordability hit strongest level since summer of 2022 - House price growth falling to near zero, mortgage rates no longer climbing and household incomes continuing to rise are three reasons why affordability sits at its strongest level in more than three years, according to First American’s chief economist.
D.R. Horton reports decline in net income, revenue in Q1 - The homebuilder and title insurance provider reported its net income per diluted share and its revenue decreased when comparing the first quarter of 2026 to the first quarter of 2025.
Westcor hires new agency rep for Midwest regional team - Westcor hired a veteran leader to work with and support agents in Wisconsin.
SoftPro offers data tools to help title professionals comply with new FinCEN rule - With the unveiling of its new buyer/seller collection forms, SoftPro is helping title professionals make sure they are in compliance with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s new anti-money laundering rule.
Redfin: Homeownership among Gen Zers, millennials sees slight rise - Twenty-seven percent of Gen Zers owned their home in 2025, while 55.4 percent of millennials counted themselves as homeowners, according to a report from Redfin.
SoftPro signs on as first corporate sponsor of Women in Title - SoftPro announced its investment in Women in Title (WiT) as the first corporate sponsor of the growing national organization.
American Eagle Title Insurance unveils online education platform - American Eagle Title Insurance Co. unveiled a state-approved online education platform designed to provide accessible, compliant real estate training.
Old Republic reports year-over-year rise in title insurance net premiums in Q4 - Old Republic International Corp. reported its title insurance net premiums and fees were $788.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, the firm’s highest-performing quarter of the year in the title sector.
Webinar will feature a demo of filling out FinCEN’s real estate report - Florida Agency Network President Amy Gregory and FincenRealEstateReport.com CEO Charles Wismer answered questions in advance of October Research’s Feb. 5 webinar titled “Countdown to Compliance: A Demo on FinCEN’s Real Estate Report,”
Zynova Tech rolls out automated workshare platform for title industry - The new proprietary workshare platform unveiled by Zynova Tech includes compliance features such as automated checks, secure routing, and built-in safeguards
New CEO comes to Go Companies - The new CEO hired by Go Companies has a mandate to modernize mortgage origination through automation, data-driven decisioning and scalable growth across multiple channels.
First American will offer its customers free property title monitoring service - First American Title Insurance Co. leaders say that eligible customers can receive the firm’s new free property title monitoring and fraud alert service.
Zillow predicts mortgage payments will be affordable in 20 major metro areas by year-end - A market report from Zillow anticipates that a mortgage payment on a typical home will be more affordable by the end of 2026 due to a combination of home value growth, falling mortgage rates and rising incomes.
WFG survey shows company employees in large part feel engaged, empowered - Williston Financial Group’s 2025 employee engagement survey reported the employee experience score rose from 34.4 to 42.4 year-over-year.
First American mourns passing of First American Title vice chairman - Kurt Pfotenhauer, who served as executive vice president and vice chairman of First American Title Insurance Co., is being remembered as “a distinguished leader in our industry” by First American CEO Mark Seaton.
ATTOM acquires ResiShares to strengthen data, analytics platform - ATTOM has acquired the assets of ResiShares in an effort to boost its analytics and technology foundation.
Alliant National Title Insurance promotes staffer to chief underwriting counsel - Alliant National Title Insurance Co. is promoting a new chief underwriting counsel. This individual will be responsible for guiding the firm’s entire underwriting team.
SoftPro announces new integration with First National Title Insurance Co. - SoftPro’s integration with First National Title Insurance Co. paves the way for agents to order title production services from their SoftPro environment and receive the completed documents via the SoftPro 360 vendor portal.
Redfin: Home prices experienced small rise in December - The Redfin Home Price Index found that while prices rose by 0.1 percent month-over-month in December, there has been a gradual slowdown in the rate of price increases since early 2025.
SEC letter clears way for Megatel Homes to launch universal payment token - The MegPrime token will be marketed as a crypto asset. Consumers can use the tokens for everyday purchases and earn digital rewards.
First American: Home prices decline in December, but slightly increase year-over-year - The data shows home prices declined somewhat from November to December, but those numbers increased by one-half of 1 percent compared with December 2024.
Benutech rolls out software to digitize, streamline validation process - Benutech has unveiled ClientVerify.ai, a workflow software that digitizes documentation validation and compliance protocols to bring more speed and accuracy to real estate transactions.
Westcor promotes staffer to senior VP, east area manager - Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. elevated a staffer with more than two decades of title experience to the position of senior VP, east area manager.
Chaves Perlowitz Luftig hires new senior counsel - Chaves Perlowitz Luftig LLP hired a new senior counsel who has almost 20 years of experience in real estate law.
Redfin: Pending home sales at lowest level since April 2020 - Pending home sales decreased by 5.9 percent month-over-month in December, according to a report from Redfin.
WFG tool to help real estate agents simplify financial concepts for clients - WFG Key will help real estate agents respond to consumer queries about topics such as affordability, long-term value and monthly payments.
New Venture Escrow expands California presence - The new location will boast a staff of experienced escrow officers and a sales representative who have decades of combined experience working in the market.
Majority of Federal Reserve Districts report uptick in economic activity - Overall economic activity is up in a majority of Federal Reserve Districts, marking an improvement over the previous three reporting cycles, according to the new Beige Book report.
AmTrust Title hires senior VP, regional manager - AmTrust Title recently hired a senior vice president and regional manager. The person stepping into the role brings more than three decades of expertise in title insurance and real estate services to AmTrust Title.
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