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Guardian Consumer Services to separate from RamQuest Inc.
Posted Date: Monday, January 27, 2014
Guardian Consumer Services (GCS), producer of Pavaso and Digital Close, will spin off into its own company. Once under the RamQuest Inc. umbrella, GCS will now operate independently serving the real estate market. RamQuest Inc., a provider of solutions for the land title industry, will continue to offer its full suite of products.
Read on for more details.
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An effective sales team focuses on attraction first, maintenance second
Posted Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2014
In the title industry, sales teams seem to be focused on maintaining existing clients rather than attracting new ones.
Peter Johnson, vice president of sales and marketing at Pioneer Technology Group, and Darryl Turner, chief executive officer of The Darryl Turner Corp., spoke to The Title Report about how to properly build an effective sales team.
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Complaint management a top priority
Posted Date: Monday, January 27, 2014
Dick Reass, president and founder of Reliant Title, Segin Software and RynohLive spoke to The Title Report about the importance of complaint management and the required documentation. He said everyone gets complaints; it’s how the complaints are handled that matter.
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Recruitment still important in running a successful business
Posted Date: Friday, January 24, 2014
The recruitment process has changed over the years according to Anderson | Biro LLC Founding Partner Ryan Anderson. He told The Title Report there has been a major shift in the title and appraisal industry and he is seeing the demand for hiring in the traditional residential and commercial purchase market area increase.
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Old Republic declares fourth quarter and 2013 earnings
Posted Date: Friday, January 24, 2014
Old Republic International Corp. reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2013.
Read on for more information on the company's performance in the title insurance industry.
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Fidelity National Financial announces fourth quarter 2013 earnings release, conference call
Posted Date: Monday, January 20, 2014
Fidelity National Financial Inc. a provider of title insurance and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries will release fourth quarter 2013 earnings after the close of regular market trading on Feb. 12. A conference call will follow at 11 a.m. Feb. 13.
Keep reading for a recap of Fidelity’s third quarter and fourth quarter dividend.
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Secure Settlements Inc. released second annual survey
Posted Date: Monday, January 27, 2014
Secure Settlements Inc. conducted its second annual confidential survey of thousands of lawyers, notaries, escrow agents and title agents to examine the status of closing professionals in the increasing regulatory environment.
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Alliant National Title Co. passes SOC 1SN exam
Posted Date: Monday, January 27, 2014
The American Institute of CPAs issued a report stating that Alliant National maintains effective controls over its Agent Quality Management System.
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RamQuest and Fort Dox announce integration
Posted Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
RamQuest Inc., a provider of solutions for the land title industry, announced Fort Dox is now integrated with the company’s Closing Market digital network. Closing Market is RamQuest’s application-to-application interface that electronically connects business partners allowing each to work from within their own software.
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Kroll Factual Data announces spike in potential mortgage fraud
Posted Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Kroll Factual Data Inc., a provider of credit, risk mitigation and verification services to mortgage lenders, banks and credit unions, announced an increase throughout the country of possible fraudulent activity in loan applications submitted to the company for review between the second and third quarters of 2013.
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Home prices decline in November, but up year over year
Posted Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Agencies across the industry are reporting a drop in home prices in November and December but an increase in 2013 over 2012. The Title Report researched the data from the Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, Black Knight Financial Services and DataQuick to see what the industry experts are saying.
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Builder confidence slips in January
Posted Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes fell in January, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI).
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Foreclosure filings in 2013 down 26 percent to lowest annual total since 2007
Posted Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
RealtyTrac released its year-end 2013 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report showing foreclosure filings, default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions were down 26 percent from 2012 and down 53 percent from the peak of 2.9 million properties with foreclosure filings in 2010. The 1.4 million total properties with foreclosure filings in 2013 was the lowest annual total since 2007, when there were 1.3 million properties with foreclosure filings.
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Federal Housing Administration to accept more documents with e-signatures
Posted Date: Friday, January 31, 2014
The Federal Housing Administration is granting expanded authority to lenders to accept electronic or e-signatures on documents associated with mortgage loans. Until recently, e-signatures were only permitted on third party documents such as sales contracts and other documents not controlled by the lender.
Keep reading to learn why the FHA is changing its policy.
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Old Republic appoints new chief operating officer, executive vice president
Posted Date: Friday, January 31, 2014
John Magness, executive vice president of Old Republic National Title Insurance Co. (ORNTIC) and president of the Central Title Group, was promoted to chief operating officer for Old Republic Title Insurance Group. He will oversee and administer the title group’s agency and direct operations throughout the country, in order to maximize each component’s profitability. He also will be responsible for assisting in the ongoing growth of the title group as well as developing, implementing and achieving business objectives and corporate strategies.
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Title industry reacts to State of the Union address
Posted Date: Friday, January 31, 2014
President Barrack Obama delivered the State of the Union address Jan. 28, where he said the most important investment many families make is their home. On Jan. 29, several industry associations released statements. Read on to see what they thought of the address.
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SoftPro opens registration for 15th Annual User Group Conference
Posted Date: Monday, January 27, 2014
SoftPro, a provider of title, closing and escrow software, announced that registration is now open for the 2014 SoftPro User Group Conference to be held April 2 – 4 at the Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort in Fort Myers, Fla. Held annually for users of SoftPro’s award-winning software, the conference will focus on preparations for implementing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Final Rule that will affect real estate transactions nationwide.
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Mortgage Information Services Integrates with Ellie Mae
Posted Date: Friday, January 24, 2014
Mortgage Information Services Inc. announced the integration of its full line of products and services into Encompass360, Ellie Mae’s mortgage origination and management system. Users of Encompass360 can now take advantage of MIS’s one-stop shop for real estate information without having to move to an external website or submit the order request via phone, fax or e-mail.
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Voice of the Title Agent 2014 survey open - Make your voice heard
Posted Date: Friday, January 24, 2014
The Title Report's 2014 edition of Voice of the Title Agent survey is now open! This anonymous survey is meant to capture the mood of title agents in 2014 on topics ranging from the economy and marketplace to escrow security, technology, vetting concerns and more. Please take the next 5 to 10 minutes to answer honestly, thoughtfully and provide us with any additional commentary you find necessary. This is your industry, and we want to know how you feel about it.
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CoreLogic releases January edition of MarketPulse Report
Posted Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
CoreLogic, a residential property information, analytics and services provider, released its January MarketPulse report. In this report, CoreLogic economists review the residential mortgage financial performance that defined 2013 and discuss significant trends that could affect the industry in 2014.
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Commercial mortgage lender appetite expected to exceed that of borrowers in 2014
Posted Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Commercial and multifamily mortgage lending is expected to increase in 2014, as lenders’ appetites to place new loans grow even stronger, according a new Mortgage Bankers Association survey of the top commercial and multifamily mortgage origination forms. The association also lowered its forecast for mortgage originations in 2014 by $57 billion to $1.12 trillion for the year, based on declining mortgage application activity and increasing interest rates.
Read on for more information on the association’s reports.
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Federal Reserve’s Beige Book reports expanding economic activity
Posted Date: Monday, January 20, 2014
The Federal Reserve released its January Beige Book from the 12 Federal Reserve Districts. The report said economic activity continued to expand across most regions and sectors from late November through the end of the year.
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