Blum will focus on empowering the underwriter鈥檚 regional agents to grow their businesses.
海角吃瓜黑料mpany, the title insurer that is uniquely responsive to the needs of independent agents, is excited to announce that it has hired Christina Blum as Underwriting Counsel Southwest Region.
For over 11 years, Blum has been a fixture in the title industry. Her career began in 2013 when she worked in the claims center of a national underwriter. Starting in 2018, she served as underwriting counsel for two national underwriters and worked as a real estate and banking attorney for a large, regional law firm in San Antonio.
In her new role as Underwriting Counsel Southwest Region, Blum will focus on supporting 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 policy-issuing agents with their underwriting needs. This will include extensive research, risk analysis, and issuing insurance decisions, as well as creating and disseminating educational and underwriting materials.
鈥満＝浅怨虾诹� is well-known in the industry for the unique support it offers independent agents,鈥� Blum said. 鈥淗aving the chance to join an organization like this during a period of rapid growth is an exciting opportunity. I look forward to navigating the evolving and challenging real estate landscape with the rest of 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 expert team.鈥�
鈥淐hristina will be a major asset for our team and for our policy-issuing agents,鈥� said Jean E. Bailey, VP, Regional Underwriting Counsel at 海角吃瓜黑料. 鈥淪he brings significant experience that will enhance our operations, grow our footprint and assist our agents in addressing their most critical underwriting priorities.鈥�
In addition to her professional roles and responsibilities, Blum is highly active in the title community. She is a member of the Louisiana Land Title Association and the Texas Land Title Association. On the latter, she sits on the institute committee, the legislative committee and acts as a local legislative liaison. In addition, she is part of the Oklahoma Land Title Association, the American Land Title Association and holds membership in the Commercial Real Estate Women, San Antonio Chapter.
Blum received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Elmhurst University and her Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University. She lives in the San Antonio metropolitan area with her family.
海角吃瓜黑料 supports its independent agents by combining expert residential and commercial underwriting with a passionate heart for service. The company delivers uncommon help that promotes the well-being of agents and the communities they serve.
About 海角吃瓜黑料mpany 海角吃瓜黑料 is on a mission to empower independent agents while protecting property owners with secure title insurance. The company partners with its agents and never competes against them with direct or affiliate operations. 海角吃瓜黑料 serves thousands of title professionals as a licensed underwriter in 32 states and the District of Columbia.
Westmoreland joins the team as Underwriting Counsel for the Southwest Region.
海角吃瓜黑料 is excited to announce Jamie Westmoreland has been hired as Underwriting Counsel for the Southwest Region. With extensive experience in the title insurance industry stretching back well over a decade, Westmoreland is a valuable addition to the team. She will play a pivotal role in supporting 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 independent agents and underwriting operations.
Westmoreland鈥檚 title insurance career began shortly after earning her Juris Doctorate from the South Texas College of Law. She worked for 10 years as an examiner and attorney for an independent agency. Later, she transitioned to a national underwriter, where she served as underwriting counsel for two years. These experiences afforded her strong knowledge in underwriting and agency operations, making her an ideal fit for 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 鈥渁gents first鈥� approach.
鈥淚 could not be more excited to join the 海角吃瓜黑料 family and help our agents be as successful as they can be!鈥� said Westmoreland when discussing her hiring. Jean E. Bailey, Vice President, Southwest Regional Underwriting Counsel, echoed that sentiment. 鈥淲e are excited for Jamie to join our Southwest Underwriting Team! Her experience will allow her to jump right in with assisting our agents. I know she will be a great fit with the team.鈥�
In this new role, Westmoreland will work closely with agents, providing them with education, answering questions and offering guidance on complex title insurance issues. Additionally, she will focus on risk analysis to assess title insurability and develop helpful insurance standards and guidelines.
Chad Harmon’s commitment to seeing every day as a new opportunity inspires and elevates.
Chad Harmon remembers quite clearly what he thought when he first attended an Oklahoma Land Title Association (OLTA) conference: 鈥淭his is an industry I want to be a part of.鈥� As someone committed to continually improving himself and the world around him, Harmon recognized kindred spirits amongst the event鈥檚 attendees. His experience launched his career and recently led him to joining 海角吃瓜黑料 as AVP, Agency Manager serving Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.
Many people, when asked, struggle to sum up their personal and professional philosophies. Yet for Harmon, the answer is easy: 鈥淢y goal is always to 鈥榤ake yesterday jealous.鈥欌�� Harmon first heard this idea long ago from someone in his community, and it has continued to resonate with him throughout his life. 鈥淚 always interpreted this as seeing every day as filled with new opportunities, and that by recognizing those opportunities, you will be better off than the day before.鈥�
Harmon has long leveraged these principles in his interactions with others. As a self-described 鈥渟ocial butterfly,鈥� he notes that he often tries to 鈥渕ake yesterday jealous鈥� by helping others. 鈥淚t can be as simple as making a person smile in passing. You may have passed this person a million times before and never seen their smile.鈥� Harmon explains that it can also be applied on a larger level. 鈥淚 stay active in my community by serving and volunteering on several boards. I have helped these organizations expand and grow,鈥� said Harmon. 鈥淎s an executive officer on these boards, I have helped raise over $100K so far. I do not do these things for the recognition, but to help the organization be more sustainable and provide greater help for the community.鈥�
His mantra has also served him well in his professional life, especially as technology has become more integrated into our day-to-day work. 鈥淭echnology has made our lives and businesses better and more efficient, but also has caused challenges and errors along the way,鈥� he noted. 鈥淲e do better when we are working together diligently to resolve issues, while ensuring we still do it in a timely manner.鈥�
海角吃瓜黑料 agents will benefit greatly from Harmon鈥檚 worldview as he settles into his new role. From his perspective, trying to 鈥渕ake yesterday jealous鈥� will involve 鈥渂eing as transparent and honest with them as possible.鈥� He will also aspire to 鈥渢reat my agents as more than just a number or goal, but more like friends and family because ultimately that is who they are to me.鈥�
Not everything always runs smoothly in the title insurance industry, particularly when complex transactions are in play. However, 海角吃瓜黑料 agents will find reliable and trustworthy support by connecting with Chad Harmon, whose ability to leverage each new opportunity will improve their business outcomes day-after-day.
As a self-described 鈥渉istorical document geek,鈥� Rayni Scott loves examining old papers, leafing through personal journals and poring over household ledgers from time periods long gone. For her, discovering how people lived profoundly different lives from those we do in 2024 is fascinating. Her interest in tackling these historical puzzles also dovetails perfectly with her 20+ year career in title insurance.
As an Underwriting Counsel for the Southwest Region at 海角吃瓜黑料, Scott often spends her time exploring the history of properties the company is considering insuring. These records originally brought her into the field and continue to inspire her to deliver for the company鈥檚 independent agents.
To understand how Scott became the legal and title professional she is today, we must begin at the beginning. Following his retirement from the energy industry, Scott鈥檚 father became involved in real estate development. At the time, he would often bring his daughter to the county courthouse, where she would help him check ledgers to learn who owned different tracts of land that he and his business partners were interested in developing.
鈥淚 think I was the only middle schooler reviewing grantor-grantee indexes or putting together deed chains,鈥� said Scott of those days. These early experiences left a lasting impact. Later in college, Scott鈥檚 favorite classes were Constitutional Law and Real Property Law, and she would eventually parlay her interests into a career in title examination and later in underwriting. Today, Scott鈥檚 love for historical puzzles continues to animate her work. 鈥淥ne of the most engaging parts of my job is putting together the puzzle,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he job doesn鈥檛 get boring. Every file offers different facts and there is always something new to learn.鈥�
For Scott, a property鈥檚 historical details are not just meaningful in the abstract. Instead, just like the historical records she explores in her personal time, a property file can reflect the lived reality of real people. They can also certainly impact those involved in the transaction going forward. 鈥淚t isn鈥檛 just paper shuffling,鈥� she said of the profession. 鈥淯nderwriters can actually make a difference in people鈥檚 lives with our answers.鈥� The historical and the human sides of title examination and underwriting are both present in the various types of property transactions that come across Scott鈥檚 desk 鈥� including residential, commercial, multi-use and ranch land 鈥� although to varying degrees.
Residential sales, for instance, are often steeped in emotion. It is not uncommon, says Scott, for the seller to have 鈥渁ll their belongings in a moving van and need the sale to fund a new home 鈥� which are known as back-to-back closings.鈥� On the other side of a residential transaction, you can have someone who is 鈥渂uying their 鈥榙ream home,鈥欌�� Scott explains. If that wasn鈥檛 enough, these deals may also have problems that are 鈥渙nly discovered at the closing table鈥� and can 鈥渞eally pull on the heartstrings.鈥�
On the other hand, 鈥渃ommercial and multi-use transactions are 鈥榚asier鈥� in the sense that attorneys are usually involved,鈥� Scott notes. You can focus more squarely on the transaction鈥檚 particulars and 鈥渟peak the same language when discussing reasons for exception or requirement.鈥�
Finally, ranch land sales split the difference, which makes them 鈥渢he toughest yet perhaps the most interesting,鈥� according to Scott. These transactions require deep dives into the property鈥檚 history – including chain of title issues, mineral rights and surface estates, and waterway concerns. Yet they also frequently include lots of family members 鈥� property heirs who bring personal and emotional stakes to the table.
Given her passion for navigating both the historical and human dimensions of property transactions, it is not surprising that Scott found a professional home at 海角吃瓜黑料. The company is defined by its comprehensive capabilities, meticulous title reviews and responsive underwriting. Although for Scott, 海角吃瓜黑料 also views title insurance as being about community in addition to historical and legal analyses.
Scott relates to the company鈥檚 community focus on multiple levels. Personally, joining 海角吃瓜黑料 was a reunion of sorts: 鈥淚鈥檝e worked with many on the 海角吃瓜黑料 team before,鈥� she said. But it also has a larger dimension. Recognizing that title insurance can profoundly impact people is one thing, but you also must back up such beliefs with action. Scott notes that this makes 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 investments in education and industry development so important, as they enable agents to improve service delivery and strengthen the industry overall. 鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about our webinar series,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was also excited to learn my law school alma mater created a Real Property Clinic and that 海角吃瓜黑料 is instituting a paid internship program to open avenues for new professionals to join our field.鈥� Martin Luther King Jr. once said, 鈥淲e are not makers of history. We are made by history.鈥� This principle is self-evident in real estate and title insurance. In these industries, historical records speak volumes about the forces that shaped a property and what meaning the property may have for those who lived there. Additionally, the level of care, consideration and effort put into dealing with those documents can leave a lasting mark on both the buyer and seller. Her love for historical records and acute understanding of that fact have empowered Scott to build an enviable career. They are also qualities that will help her continue to execute on behalf of 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 agents in the years to come.
For over two years, Russell Gonzales has served as Assistant Vice President and Southwest Agency Representative for 海角吃瓜黑料mpany. Although the role encompasses many responsibilities, Gonzales鈥� main priority has been signing policy-issuing agents for 海角吃瓜黑料 and helping them grow their businesses. It is a demanding position, requiring expertise in agent examination, escrow, marketing and policy reconciliation. But thankfully, this is hardly Gonzales鈥� first rodeo.
In fact, Gonzales鈥� time in the title insurance field began long before 2020. He got his start back in high school when he enrolled in a cooperative education program during his junior year. The title company he worked for during this program eventually hired him as a full-time employee. The rest, as they say, is history.
Having spent his professional life in title insurance has afforded Russell a unique perspective on industry trends. Unsurprisingly, the technology associated with the field has advanced considerably, with Gonzales noting that new technology solutions have 鈥渃hanged the way we do business for the better.鈥� However, Gonzales emphasized that certain qualities that make a successful agent or agency have largely remained the same and are just as important as ever: 鈥淭he biggest trends I have noticed are all related to service,鈥� he said. 鈥淐ustomer service and hard work really continue to pay off,鈥� he said. He added that successful industry people always 鈥渞emember to have a servant’s heart.鈥�
Service and hard work are qualities that Gonzales is pleased to see reflected in 海角吃瓜黑料. The company is 鈥減ositively different,鈥� he said, discussing how the firm stacks up against its competitors. 鈥淓veryone at 海角吃瓜黑料 knows that home ownership is one of the biggest investments someone can make.鈥� Because of that understanding, everyone is 鈥渢ruly eager to help. Whether you are internal or external to the company, you will always be treated like family.鈥�
Being able to deliver this level of personalized service to families pursuing the dream of home ownership is a benefit for Gonzales, whose own family is his greatest joy. 鈥淥utside of work, I really enjoy spending time with my family,鈥� he said. 鈥淗aving a 26-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter allows my wife Grace and I to focus on ourselves. Together we enjoy working out with our personal trainer, watching great movies and shows and building our relationship with God.鈥� For nearly 30 years, Gonzales鈥� family, industry expertise and service-oriented mindset have allowed him to build an enviable career. His work in the title insurance field has benefited companies, individuals and the industry as a whole. As one of the leaders of 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Southwest operations, he has found the perfect home to continue applying his passion for the industry and helping the company solidify its position as the premier independent underwriter for the independent agent.
