Topics

Stewart Title Group and its parent company, Stewart Information Services Corp., received revised outlooks from A.M. Best Co., bumping both entities’ outlook to positive from stable. Read on for more information on the rating and a lengthy explanation of the rationale from A.M. Best.

Alliant National Title Insurance Co., a title insurance underwriter that partners with independent agents to improve their competitive position in the marketplace, announced the hire of a vice president, Tallahassee and Northwest Florida agency manager.

United Lender Services Corp., a national title insurance, settlement services and appraisal management company announced it has expanded their services and is now licensed in the state of Texas. With a branch office located in San Antonio, ULS will be able to fulfill orders and write policies throughout the state of Texas.

Fidelity National Financial is pretty much always in the news in the title industry and here are the latest two announcements that came across our news desk: The company has added a new member to its board of directors, and is implementing a new software to streamline its investment analytic process.

The owner of an Alabama title firm was arrested on several fraud-related charges this week. He is alleged to haveturned$400,000 in payoffs due to Wells Fargo into personal cash, according to the Montgomery Advertiser .

Associates at more than 1,700 Stewart Title Guaranty Co. agencies and Stewart Agency Services banded together to raise more than $45,000 in the company’s Community of Sharing program. The 2013 campaign supports HelpingaHero.org, an organization committed to helping wounded veterans attain homeownership.

While every attorney and every title agency owner has faith that the people they hire are trustworthy and able to do the task before them, it is critical to remain vigilant of the business being conducted by all employees and the processes the company has in place. The Legal Description traveled to the Attorneys Title Insurance Fund’s 49th Annual Assembly and heard Margaret Williams, Fund risk manager, provide tips on how to provide that level of awareness, from pre-hire throughout the staff member’s emp...

ISGN Corp. announced the addition of a former Xerox executive as its chief product officer who will oversee ISGN’s technology business unit, which includes all aspects of the mortgage life cycle from loan origination to servicing and default management, as well as construction lending, settlement services and vendor management.

Ernst Publishing Co., a provider of technology and closing cost data for the real estate and home finance industries, has been selected for the 2013 Best of Albany Award in the Publishers category by the Albany Award Program.

FirstClose, an aggregator in mortgage settlement services, announced that it hired someone to manage the company’s Southeast territory. The company said this addition will help satisfy a growing demand for FirstClose’s end-to-end settlement services offering and supporting technology solutions for use by mortgage lenders.