Two young professionals embark on a career in title insurance.
The title industry is all about passion and people. Those who are most successful often have a strong connection to the field and can effectively navigate the intricate web of relationships that go into every successful real estate transaction. 海角吃瓜黑料 has long prioritized building a close-knit team of people who embody those qualities. Take two of its most recent hires as an example. Jace Coffie and Aaron Figueroa recently joined the 海角吃瓜黑料 team as associate agency representatives. Both have strong industry ties and professional backgrounds rooted in service, preparing them well to help 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 agents grow their business.
A close connection and a commitment to service
First, let鈥檚 introduce Jace Coffie. Having grown up around the industry due to a family connection, Coffie is no stranger to the world of title insurance. When an opportunity to join the profession arose, he jumped at the chance. To Coffie, transitioning to the title insurance industry was a natural progression. 鈥淢y previous professional positions have a shared theme of customer service,鈥� he said.
The second new hire is Aaron Figueroa, who also joined the team as associate agency representative. As with Coffie, the title insurance community has long been on his radar due to a family member鈥檚 experience in the field. After years of working in the service industry where he delivered exceptional customer care, he has quickly adapted to the responsibilities of his new role.
Finding a home at 海角吃瓜黑料
海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 unique culture has resonated deeply with both new hires. 鈥淚 have always wanted to work for a company that allows you to show your full personality,鈥� Coffie said. He鈥檚 confident a place like 海角吃瓜黑料 is 鈥渨here I want to spend my career.鈥� Figueroa shares Coffie鈥檚 zeal as well. He specifically highlighted how 鈥渋nvolved and caring everyone is鈥� at 海角吃瓜黑料 as the reason why he is so excited to further build his career with the underwriter.
Tackling their new roles
Coffie and Figueroa have begun channeling their enthusiasm into their new responsibilities. Coffie, who will support agents in 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Great Lakes-Central West Region, stated that he loves 鈥渢o learn from the ground up,鈥� and has already taken the company鈥檚 鈥淎gents First鈥� outlook to heart. He hopes to contribute to that mission, saying, 鈥淚 want to learn everything I can to support those around me.鈥�
Figueroa will be supporting agents in the Southwest Region. He seconded Coffie鈥檚 sentiments, remarking that 鈥渉e would like to be a sponge and absorb as much information as possible to become an asset to 海角吃瓜黑料.鈥� He believes a strong 海角吃瓜黑料 benefits agents by assuring them that 鈥渢hey will be taken care of,鈥� allowing them to focus on growing their operations and strengthening their communities.
Staying in touch with what鈥檚 important
When building a team, it can be difficult to know what to prioritize. But for 海角吃瓜黑料, the answer is clear. Time and time again, it has seen the benefits of bringing people on board who have strong connections to the industry and a genuine commitment to serving others. By hiring Coffie and Figueroa, it has continued that valuable tradition, and 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 agents will only stand to gain.
How a small agency deals with the big problem of fraud.
As a small, three-person office, is no stranger to collaborating on difficult challenges. 鈥淲e all work together in getting things done,鈥� said Jessica Taylor, Closing Officer at Asbury Land Title. The agency鈥檚 employees are also no strangers to trusting each other鈥檚 intuition. When someone has a 鈥済ut feeling鈥� that a transaction may not be entirely legitimate, for instance, the entire team pitches in to conduct necessary research and follow-up.
This potent mixture of collaboration and intuition proved instrumental when Asbury Land Title recently was confronted with a fraudulent transaction. They successfully stopped the bogus deal and earned recognition from 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Crime Watch Program.
Trusting your gut
In the beginning, nothing appeared amiss with the transaction. 鈥淚t was a single-family home in a nice neighborhood,鈥� said Taylor. But as with many illegitimate transactions, it didn鈥檛 take long for red flags to emerge. The first warning sign was the buyer鈥檚 address, which was in Canada. Then, there was the issue of earnest money, which was much higher than the normal range. Finally, the transaction order itself raised concerns, such as the signatures and dates appearing in different fonts. These details were more than enough for Taylor to intuit that greater scrutiny was warranted.
Sleuthing out the truth
After deeming the transaction suspect, Taylor began collaborating with the rest of her team to verify whether it was truly fraudulent or not. They looked up the buyer鈥檚 address on Google Earth, which returned what appeared to be a restaurant. Reviewing the result, the team thought there might be 鈥渁n apartment above the restaurant but couldn鈥檛 be sure.鈥� Spotting a REMAX office on the same street, they thought about contacting the business to see if they could verify whether it was indeed an apartment above the restaurant and to potentially 鈥渕ake contact with the buyer in person.鈥� However, before they could reach out, new information emerged about the seller.
Stopping the 鈥渟eller鈥�
While hunting down information on the buyer, Taylor was also simultaneously working to verify the seller. 鈥淚 had originally found the property on a 鈥榝or sale by owner鈥� website and had sent a message to the seller asking them to please contact us.鈥� She also noticed that information about the seller鈥檚 wife was missing. Additional research revealed that the seller鈥檚 wife鈥檚 mother had passed away recently, which gave Asbury Land Title another lead to pursue. They called the funeral home, which eventually put them in touch with the actual seller and allowed them to terminate the transaction.
An emotional journey
This transaction had a positive resolution, in addition to a few lessons applicable to anyone working in title insurance. First, finding the truth required Taylor and the Asbury Land Title team to trust their instincts and leave no stone unturned while conducting additional research into the transaction.
The story also highlights the emotional impact agents can make when they take all necessary steps to protect their transactions from fraud. As Taylor explained: 鈥淭he seller was grateful to us for tracking him down. And I was excited as well. It was like solving a puzzle. Once that final piece was found, we were able to glue it together.鈥�
Having that type of effect at your work is a rare thing indeed. While stopping fraud can be challenging and require additional effort, the payoff at the end of the day makes it work well worth doing.
Would you like to learn more about the 海角吃瓜黑料 Crime Watch Program or submit your own experience for consideration? Find out more here.
If there is one thing real estate and title insurance professionals know, it鈥檚 that fraud is a massive problem. In fact, nearly 3 in 4 firms reported in 2023 that they had experienced an increase in seller impersonation. The serious threat has long been on the radar of the folks who work at Texas Secure Title Insurance Agency. 鈥淲e put the security of our transactions at the top of our priority list. This is a shared responsibility 鈥� from the time the file opens until it is closed,” said Renee Hicks, Vice President of Operations.
Having a collective commitment to security paid off recently when Texas Secure confronted two suspicious real estate deals. By adhering to their tried-and-true policies, they foiled the fraudulent transactions and were recognized by the 海角吃瓜黑料 Crime Watch program. Let鈥檚 look at what happened during each transaction.
Well-founded caution
Texas Secure鈥檚 title examiner was already on high alert when they began working on the first of the two fraudulent transactions, as it was vacant property. Their caution soon proved well founded. Worrisome details emerged during the initial examination process. When the examiner searched for more information about the owner, they found a court history littered with fraudulent deeds. One of these deeds shared the same notary public and GF number as the deed involved in Texas Secure鈥檚 file. The transaction鈥檚 deed had also been submitted by the owner and not the title company 鈥� a peculiar feature that further indicated the deal was likely fraudulent.
Teasing out the connections
The second fraudulent transaction also had clear red flags, including a possible connection to the first property described above. 鈥淭he Affidavit of Heirship used had a 鈥楪F Number鈥� that looked like those used in the fraudulent deeds our examiner had seen the day before,鈥� Hicks explained. The fact that the property was conveyed outside of the title company was another strike against it.
Digging into the details, Texas Secure found that the property owner had allegedly signed a 鈥淭exas General Warranty Deed鈥� in 2022 to another party and filed an Affidavit of Heirship (AOH) for someone deemed to be his wife. By utilizing the online database 鈥淔ind a Grave,鈥� Texas Secure cross-referenced the name of the owner鈥檚 wife and discovered that the owner had died in 2018 鈥� meaning that he could not have signed the deed, and that the transaction was fraudulent. Corroborating this further was that signatures on the deed and the AOH did not match.
Always adhere to policy and protocol
鈥淚t can be tempting to bypass certain standards, steps, or protocols to save time or because of long-standing relationships with other real estate or financial professionals,鈥� said Hicks, reflecting upon the fraudulent transactions. 鈥淗owever, our team understands the impacts to all stakeholders when proper protocols are not followed. There is more at stake than closing the deal.鈥�
Indeed, Texas Secure鈥檚 experience during this ordeal is a crucial reminder of how important it is to scrutinize each aspect of a given transaction. Moving methodically and always adhering to protocol is key to combatting fraud, preventing future claims, and most importantly, protecting transaction stakeholders from becoming victims.
A never-ending fight and a worthy payoff
Texas Secure鈥檚 story also speaks to the frustrating, albeit necessary, fight against fraud within the title industry. As Hicks remarked, 鈥淲ill we ever be able to eliminate fraud? Of course not! However, we as an industry can rally together and have each title professional accountable for carrying out the necessary steps to secure real estate transactions.鈥�
While there may never be a cure-all for this endemic problem, adhering to company policies, staying mindful of industry best practices, and remembering the stakes involved for property buyers and sellers can make a major difference.
And as Hicks highlighted, the emotional payoff for doing so can be tremendous. 鈥淚t is rewarding to know the efforts and time we put into continuously creating new policies and procedures to safeguard our company and our underwriters is paying off,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur examiner, Lizzie Angle, was especially excited. She felt her daily efforts were validated. Thorough, accurate and proper examination is part of the defense strategy against fraudsters.鈥�
Want to learn more about the 海角吃瓜黑料 Crime Watch program or submit your agency鈥檚 story. Check out the details here.
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.
海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Rae Jeanne Steele discusses the values that have defined her career.
Rae Jeanne Steele is no title industry newbie. Having built a successful career spanning several decades, she has a vivid perspective on how the field has changed over time. Yet Steele鈥檚 story also speaks to the age-old saying: 鈥淭he more things change, the more they stay the same.鈥� While technology, processes and workflows have shifted from year-to-year, Steele鈥檚 commitment to persistence, relationship-building and service have remained just as relevant as ever. These values are front and center in her work today at 海角吃瓜黑料.
Steele鈥檚 first exposure to the industry was in the 1980s when she started helping at her mother鈥檚 Texas-based real estate agency. Back then, the industry barely resembled what it is today. As Steele explains, 鈥淚 can remember when we had an MLS book that was printed once a month. Nothing could be updated digitally the way it is now, and so, by the time you wanted to show a property, it might already be unavailable. Then there was the actual process of getting into a home, where you would have to call individual brokerage offices to schedule a showing and pick up the keys.鈥� Over time, of course, technology started to change the industry. According to Steele, today 鈥淎I, mobile apps, smart home technology and digital lock boxes are all being used to streamline operations.鈥�
Even amid such profound technological transformation, Steele鈥檚 approach to her work has remained remarkably consistent year-after-year. Many of her professional values originated from the period when she returned to working at her mother鈥檚 real estate agency in the mid-1990s, this time as a fully licensed agent. 鈥淢y mom taught her realtors to have persistence when going after a goal,鈥� said Steele. But that wasn鈥檛 all she learned back then. She also saw how much importance her mom placed on relationship building: 鈥淔ollowing up. Building relationships. Keeping up with relationships. These are things I learned at a very young age from her.鈥�
Other values that have grounded her over the years include having a spirit of service, and not just in her professional life. A long-time volunteer at her church, Steele and her family have frequently been involved in charity work, including scheduling, coordinating, cooking, and serving meals for hundreds of people as just one example.
Keeping these values close has served Steele well as she progressed in her career and eventually found her way to 海角吃瓜黑料 in 2021. Persistence has been key, for instance, in her taking an active, intentional approach to expanding her industry knowledge and dealing with difficult professional moments. Instead of merely hoping to 鈥渓ive and learn,鈥� for instance, she has chosen to rely on 鈥渆ducation instead of merely experience to overcome challenges.鈥� Her people skills have also been highly useful, particularly in achieving consensus around challenging topics with diverse parties: 鈥淚 think one of the most surprising aspects of my job is the amount of time I spend explaining regulatory differences between real estate brokerages and title companies. There is a huge need to bridge that gap.鈥�
As for the spirit of service that has long animated Steele鈥檚 life? Well, that is not just a feature of 海角吃瓜黑料 but baked into its very foundation. 鈥満＝浅怨虾诹� is building a company where every agent can find a home,鈥� she explained. She then noted how this requires serving agents鈥� needs by focusing on tangible business value. Steele dubs this approach as delivering 鈥渟erious service based on sells鈥� 鈥� that is, service that revolves around helping agencies gain advantage in real dollars and cents.
One way that 海角吃瓜黑料 accomplishes this is through delivering topical educational resources through . Policy issuing agents of 海角吃瓜黑料 have access to a growing catalogue of classes that focus not just on title insurance but also hot topics like leveraging AI for business gain. In addition, there are courses on how agents can nurture relationships with key stakeholders such as Realtors for mutual benefit. For Steele, offering these resources is not merely a competitive differentiator in the marketplace. It aligns perfectly with 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 overarching mission to empower agents, protect property owners and inspire innovation throughout the industry.
Our industry is always in flux, yet it鈥檚 timeless values like persistence and a commitment to service that provide our solid foundation. These are the principles that professionals like Rae Jeanne Steele bring to the forefront, equipping you with the unwavering support necessary to deliver the exceptional service your clients expect.
