ALTA Business Strategies Conference (Tech Forum 2.0)

It is a sad fact: No matter how carefully a title agent follows the law, unhappy clients can usually find legal fault with their agent’s conduct. This engaging course looks into reasons why title agents get sued, and how to avoid those “sticky situations.” Attendees will learn the basic elements of risk management, review and discuss professional and fiduciary responsibilities, analyze mandatory and voluntary disclosure, identify risky behavior and ways to lower your risk profile, and explore possible solutions through real world case studies.

Andy Maloney
Nashville Title Insurance Corporation

If a small business is to thrive and grow in this decade of change, it will have to embark on a number of strategic moves. Blue Ocean Strategies offer a seeming challenge to traditional Differentiation strategies, replacing “competitive advantage” with “value innovation” as the primary goal. This workshop examines the difference between these two models as applied to a title company. The seminar teaches agency owners how to determine and evaluate current strategies, offers examples of potential new markets for title companies, and a plan of action to become a Blue Ocean Company.

Roger C. Lubeck, Ph.D.
Corporate Behavior Analysts, Ltd.

Christopher Hanson, Ph.D.
Corporate Behavior Analysts, Ltd.

Transparency is a new buzzword in the Title and Escrow Industry. Come learn techniques, tips, tricks and methodologies for maintaining transparency in your business to help foster a long-term competitive advantage, reduce fraud, satisfy regulators and your underwriter, build new efficiency and accountability and to drastically increase profitability. Learn about workflow process design, coordination, mapping, and automation tools that build a “fishbowl” around your many business processes. Engage in a session where you will learn how to implement processes and technologies for accounting, trust and escrow, reconciliation, positive pay, and disbursement transparency. Attendees will leave this session with a roadmap of strategies and a playbook for thriving and working in transparent, “fish bowl” environment.

Curt Szymanski
WINDWARD CONSULTING | SOFTWARE, LLC

In this economic climate, it is imperative that title agents be prepared for new regulatory changes. Join this session for a review of the CFPB Know Before You Owe Initiative. The presentation will cover Phase I combining GFE w/ initial TILD and Phase II combining HUD-1 w/ final TILD, address how the initiative will impact operations and bottom lines of agencies and settlement services firms, and advise title agents on what to expect with regard to compliance costs and efforts.

Kimberly A. Manuelides
Saul Ewing LLP

Ryan DiClemente
Saul Ewing LLP

Daniel Wold
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company

Underwriters have been staggered by massive fraud losses and will no longer tolerate agent escrow problems. Industry underwriters, the Nationals Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and mortgage warehouse lenders are all reexamining the escrow process. This session will outline the complete escrow requirements and the best methods to protect against escrow losses. Attendees will learn to recognize escrow fraud red flags and learn about the proposed changes to mitigate risk to the lender and underwriter.

Ralph Toledo
RynohLive

Brent J. Scheer
Agents National Title Insurance Company

David Moore
D. W. Moore and Associates, Inc.

Title agencies are in the business of real estate title and escrow. We are experts at closing a real estate transaction. However, historically, our industry does not have a good track record of attracting new, quality customers. In today’s real estate market title agencies need a focused effort of attracting new customers. This session will focus on proven consultative selling techniques of title industry sales guru, Darryl Turner, that glue high-quality customers to your agency for the long haul.

Darryl Turner
The Darryl Turner Corporation

Mike Cranmer
Stewart Title Guaranty Company

This workshop is for ALTA members who wish to coach staff to better understand complex title topics. The participant-centered workshop focuses on understanding adult learning, body language and delivery styles. It gives tips for teaching specifically for title staff. A blueprint handout will show specific skills for teaching title abstractors, examiners and closers complex title issues. Instructor will actively demonstrate ways for you to teach to all four adult learning styles. The “rights, title and interests” section will provide specific knowledge so staff can identify title issues as “givens” or “problems” to be resolved.

Jeanine W. Johnson
Jeanne Johnson & Associates

Cheryl A. Jones
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company

Lender instructions are becoming more complex and bind the agent to certain coverages for the policy. It is critical that the title agent understand what they are agreeing to. Attendees of this session will understand their liability to the lender, identify potential areas for claims, and avoid potential pitfalls.

David Townsend
Agents National Title Insurance Company

William Burding
Orange Coast Title Company

Understanding the process and requirements of a lawsuit allows for smart decision making throughout the legal process. This seminar will focus on two different viewpoints: an attorney either defending or suing a title company, and a title company encountering litigation. This seminar will present various lessons that will aid title and escrow companies in preventing claims and being party to a lawsuit. Topics discussed in this presentation will include regulatory and legal items, search and examination issues, closing and fiduciary matters, order production and file management concerns, E&O Insurance and fidelity bonds, and using the right attorney.

David Moore
David W. Moore & Associates

Gone are the days of title agency “marketing reps” that attract business by simply taking customers to lunch. In today’s highly competitive marketplace, title agencies must employ the latest effective marketing techniques to attract new customers and demonstrate their value. This session will present a panel discussion on how to implement a social media program, including the associated pitfalls, security, monitoring, and crisis management. The panel discussion will focus on the value of an effective website, social media marketing, and other online media to gain the attention of prospective clients and demonstrate value to retain customers long term.

Larry Godec
First American Title Insurance Company

Rob Chapman
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company

John Arcidiacono
Stewart Title Guaranty Company

Stephanie Silcott
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company

This panel discussion will cover the sound accounting and financial practices an independent title agency should focus on to assure good financial standing in the eyes of their underwriter. The session will focus on the financial practices that are appealing to title insurance underwriters and that lead to high marks during an underwriter audit.

George Houghton
Stewart Title Guaranty Company

Elizabeth Dantin
Fidelity National Financial, Inc.

In today’s market, agents need to do more than just fill out applications to maintain an old, or secure a new, agency relationship. They should proactively provide underwriters (and customers) with tangible evidence of their routine exercise of best practices. Showcase the experience of your staff, the quality of your reconciliation practices, the depth of your searches, etc. in an effort to clearly identify your agency as one that stands out in a crowd (in a positive way)! This program will discuss the evolution of the agent/underwriter relationship and why changes have occurred over time. Attendees will learn to effectively market their operations in order to remain attractive to underwriters.

Eugene R. McCullough
Southern Title Insurance Corporation

In a recent survey, lawsuits from short sales are a leading compliance issue facing the industry today and in the immediate future. This course examines the legal issues effecting short sales, reviews actual cases and provides the student with a set of risk management protocols to help avoid unnecessary liability. Armed with this information, a title agent can avoid the legal backlash and liability when navigating the rough waters of a short sale transaction.

Andy Maloney
Nashville Title Insurance Corporation

Title claims resulting from less than optimal search work are not just the problem of the underwriter. Obviously, they have a profound effect on your agency’s standing with your underwriter. But they also have a major impact on your general reputation as a quality title agency and customers’ decisions on whether or not to bring you their next big deal. This session will focus on the techniques and tools you can employ that will enhance the quality of your outsourced search and examination and improve your claims ratio and ultimately improve your reputation and profitability.

Don Mosby
Stewart Title Guaranty Company

Pat Vaden
PropertyInfo Corporation

Scott Chandler
Westcor Land Title Insurance Company

Margaret Cook
Alliant National Title Insurance

Title professionals can improve workflow, save money, reduce costs and improve service by embracing paperless processing through simple technology. Efficiencies include preparedness for eMortgages, reduced supply costs, increased employee efficiency, elimination of lost files/paper, real-time auditing, and reduction in fraud. Staff can do more work in less time with less cost.

Vicki DiPasquale
Simplifile

Mike Kirby
Greenfolders

Tim Conley
Softpro

Mark Monacelli
St. Louis County Recorder

With so many regulatory changes occurring everyday, it’s hard to keep up with them all. This session will give a summary of the most recent regulatory changes from both the CFPB and the NAIC. Participants will learn how to ensure they are compliant by gaining a better understanding of the new regulations and requirements. They will also learn how best to communicate with their software vendors to help ensure their software stays in compliance. Overall participants can expect to gain a better understanding of the ever changing title industry and how it affects their business.

Leslie Wyatt
Softpro

Loretta Salzano
Franzen and Salzano, P.C.