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If you're a real estate professional, you must know the intricacies of balancing efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness in title and settlement operations while complying with all the relevant regulations. AtClose is well aware of the challenges you face every day. To help you address such complexities, AtClose is excited to be at the upcoming National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) as the Silver Sponsor, taking place from June 06-08, 2023, at The Hyatt Regency at The Arch, 315 Chestnut Street, St. Louis, MO.Why Attend the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3)?The National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) is an excellent platform for professionals to learn about the latest industry trends and solutions. It brings together industry experts and professionals, prompting insightful discussions over the latest trends, challenges, and best practices in the real estate industry. At NS3 2023, attendees will have the opportunity to learn from keynote speakers, engage in panel discussions, and explore solutions offered by leading vendors in the industry.Why Join AtClose at NS3 2023?NS3 is one of the must-attend events for professionals in the title and settlement industry, and AtClose is a company you don't want to miss. At NS3, you will have the opportunity to learn more about AtClose's cloud-based title production system, explore our comprehensive suite of tools designed to streamline your title and settlement operations, and get rich insights from our experts, witnessing the power of AtClose's title and settlement solution.Key Features of AtCloseAtClose is a fully secured, scalable cloud-based title production system that streamlines your title and settlement operations. It offers fully configurable workflows that enable efficient title production. AtClose’s key features include:Enterprise Cloud-based SystemA cloud-based system that offers excellent scalability, saving setup time and infrastructure costs.Fully Configurable WorkflowsHighly customizable workflows to fit your processes, covering complete title production, curative escrow services, and post-closing processes.Presence in All 50 StatesSupportive and functional in all 50 states, considering all the regulations.Integrations with all Major UnderwritersEnable seamless connection with any integration partner via multiple open integrations.Three-Year Price CommitmentAffordable and market-competitive rates along with a three-year pricing commitment.Product Roadmap DevelopmentOffer extensive product roadmap development for all title companies that allow them to be responsive.AtClose’s ExpertiseOur 29 years of industry experience and 15,000+ active users entitle us as a trusted partner for many title companies across the United States. With over 50,000 closings per month, 60+ integration partners, and a 4–6-week implementation scope, AtClose can provide reliable and efficient solutions for your title and settlement operations. We commit to consistently delivering innovation-led solutions to address the challenges real estate professionals face today and provide a reliable partner for your title and settlement needs.Join us at NS3 - Power Your Title and Settlement Operations with AtClose!With NS3 2023 coming up, this is just the right opportunity for industry professionals to learn more about AtClose and how it can help them achieve their goals. Visit AtClose Team at NS3 and discover how your business can leverage our fully secured, scalable cloud-based title production system and streamline your title and settlement operations while reducing costs and increasing efficiency.Book a meeting with AtClose at NS3, and let's discuss the possibilities!

Title company executives know they need to be prepared for a fast-approaching future that may look quite different from the mortgage market we’re working in today. As they work on this, two major challenges stand in the way of a smoother process. They must keep up with both fast pace and a change of pace in the market.We wrote about this in some detail in a recent article in ALTA NewsFirst, a hot real estate market that has been on fire for the past two years means a really demanding workload for title companies, which usually struggle to find the time to efficiently complete daily tasks and responsibilities. Low interest and limited housing inventory in desired areas have fueled growth for years, but to the surprise of many the market exploded even after COVID struck in the spring of 2020. Overall loan volumes for 2020 reached $3.8 trillion and then rose again in 2021 to over $4 trillion.While some see the market cooling, it will take a long time to return to anything close to normal. In the meantime, lenders and their title industry partners will continue to sling data back and forth rapidly in an attempt to keep up with the volume.In addition to a rapidly changing real estate market, the nature of the homebuyer is changing, too. The digitally connected Millennials and Gen Z borrowers who now dominate the marketplace expect a new level of service, especially related to technological expertise. They want hyper-personalization and faster closings and they have little patience for errors. This is forcing companies to update their software and configure it with borrower satisfaction in mind.But that’s not easy when the title company isn’t in control of the functionality in the software. This can happen if the tool is closely affiliated with or controlled by one of the industry’s large underwriters.While these firms consistently bring a lot of value to the market, the title company should be in control when it comes to their software. Furthermore, industry consolidation is putting more software applications into the portfolios of these big firms, making it harder for the title company to find a technology that will allow them to create their own workflows.For more information, please download a copy of the new White Paper on our website.

There is no stronger partnership in mortgage origination than the one that exists between the lender and the title/closing agent. More information must flow seamlessly between these partners than between any others. And TRID compliance requires both parties to get that data exactly right.We wrote about this in some detail in a recent article that appeared in ALTA News.With the vast majority of borrower (and agent) touchpoints falling to the lender and the title company in the mortgage origination process, any inefficiencies or friction-related problems between these partners will almost certainly impact the borrower. That will reduce borrower satisfaction and likely slow down the process, costing everyone more.With the multitude of joint tasks that are required to close mortgage loans and finance homes in a hectic market, mortgage lenders and title insurance companies are always working to improve their own workflow efficiencies to better manage their relationship and to ensure business growth for all parties.While a number of technologies exist to make this process easier, it has traditionally been difficult to gain the adoption required, given that the average age of the professional in the title industry is now 60 years old and lower volumes are driving company earnings down.Mortgage lenders and title companies not only face the aforementioned day-to-day challenges, but complications often arise and can include volume spikes, changing interest rates or additional compliance requirements. The pandemic is a prime example of a volume spike, one that caught most industry pros by surprise. These principal partners must be able to manage the considerable daily challenges while being prepared for the unknown.For more information, please download a copy of the new White Paper on our website.

Digital lending is the north star that the entire industry is pursuing now. There are many reasons that all of the industry’s stakeholders want to go fully electronic, but the biggest reason may be that it will improve the borrower experience. In a purchase money environment, like the one we’re in now, nothing is more important.When you consider the borrower touchpoints in the mortgage origination process, the vast majority fall to the lender and the title company. Any inefficiencies or friction-related problems between these partners will almost certainly impact the borrower. That will reduce borrower satisfaction, at a minimum. It will also likely slow down the process, costing everyone more.When it comes to digital mortgage challenges, this working relationship between the lender and the title agency is the big challenge that is standing between the industry and the goal of digital mortgage adoption.Efficiency is the KeyWe tend to think of efficiency as a key driver of profitability, and that’s true. But greater efficiency is also the key to overcoming the biggest hurdles standing in the way of digital mortgage adoption. There are at least three good reasons for this.Reason 1: It Makes Volatility ManageableWhen you have a market that changes course as rapidly as the U.S. mortgage market, you need to be very efficient to keep pace. And this market is volatile.Coming down from two years of massive loan volume (over $4 trillion!) to the $2.5 trillion or so we expect to see this year would be bad enough, but with interest rates moving up and down so rapidly, lenders and their title agency partners are struggling to keep up with the changes.A more efficient process makes this easier to deal with because whether loan volumes are high or not, the title agency can work efficiently with whatever digital mortgage platform the lender is using.Reason 2: It Frees up Time to Deal with a New Type of HomebuyerWhen the title agency is more efficient, it frees up time to deploy personnel to do a better job of customer service. This is important because the agency’s lender partners are busy trying to do the same thing and title agency efficiency benefits them as well.The digitally connected millennials and Gen Z borrowers who now dominate the marketplace expect a new level of technological expertise from those who serve them. They want hyper-personalization and faster closings and they have little patience for errors. This is forcing companies to update their software and configure it with borrower satisfaction in mind.There is no digital mortgage solution that can be effective if it doesn’t free up time to meet the needs of these new home buyers.Reason 3: It Frees the Agency from the Fetters of UnderwritersOne of the reasons that so many title companies are using software that basically puts their agency in the control of the industry’s large underwriters is because they couldn’t be efficient without their software.That’s no longer the case. While these firms consistently bring a lot of value to the market, the title company should be in control when it comes to their software.When title companies have an efficient system in place that allows them to streamline their entire title production process, they can reduce friction and meet the requirements of both the lender and the borrowers. That delivers a host of benefits that we’ll discuss in our next post.

Transaction management software for the title insurance industry is now mature. We have existing tools that have been in use for a long time. Unfortunately, some of them are now outdated and none of them provide all the functionality title agency executives need to remain profitable in this environment.We wrote about this recently in a new white paper that is available now on our website. In our paper, we point out the urgent need for title companies to update their technologies and spoke about the specific benefits of doing so.The Pressing Need for an Advanced Title SolutionIf title companies don’t have an efficient system that can help them streamline the entire title production process, they will be unable to reduce the friction and become incapable of meeting the requirements of either the lender or the borrower.To prepare for the future, title industry participants need a structure that can enable them to improve operational efficiency, quality and productivity while empowering their employees to work smarter and position for future growth.Our paper clearly outlines this need and points to a solution worthy of consideration, but in this post we want to take a closer look at the benefits the right title company automation will offer.Six Benefits Title Agencies Get with Better SoftwareThere are a great many benefits title companies enjoy when they have the right technologies to support their businesses. Here are six that come specifically from having specialized software for the title agency.Faster ProcessingBy integrating automation throughout the entire process and with all parties involved through pre-built portals for the lender, vendor and borrower, specialized software allows for faster communication that can shave entire days off the total cycle time.Better Profit MarginsSpecialized software increases efficiencies, which will lower costs and provide an opportunity for flexible vendor pricing that does not require additional human intervention. This results in higher profit margins.Better Staff ManagementWith better automation and preset guidelines, title agencies can get more work done with fewer full-time employees, allowing them to shift the people they already have on staff into higher value positions. It also allows less experienced staff to operate more efficiently.Better Data SecurityBecause these advanced systems are based in the public cloud, data security becomes a key benefit. These companies have spent millions to protect their customers’ data and that protection extends to every agency using the platform.Easier Software IntegrationsThe modern mortgage process requires collaboration from a number of stakeholders. Modern agency software makes it easy to connect their technologies and share data seamlessly and securely.Vendor Performance TrackingAs both title companies and mortgage lenders rely heavily on vendors for third party services, vendor due diligence and management is a common challenge for all of them. The right title production platform will offer strong vendor management modules that offer many benefits to the user.Getting these advantages requires you to pick the right technology. Ready to evaluate something that gives you all of these advantages and more? Call us today or download our new white paper.

Meet AtClose at ALTA ONEEscalating mortgage rates and changing dynamics of the refinancing era are bringing light to new possibilities in the title and mortgage industry. Fighting the tides, ALTA ONE will bring together over 1,000 global title leaders, professionals, and innovators under one roof to seek new horizons in the title insurance, abstracter, and settlement industry.  The premier title industry event is scheduled to be held in person on October 11 – 15, 2022, at the Coronado in San Diego, CA, up and promises to inspire, engage, and explore all the crucial factors disrupting the title insurance and settlement landscape.  The event will feature stimulating speakers, insightful discussions on underlying industry concerns, and networking opportunities, followed by a forum unveiling best practices for keeping up with regulatory changes and retention challenges while paving new ways to prepare for the new normal.AtClose will be at ALTA ONE 2022A comprehensive end-to-end title production solutionAtClose is a leading closing and title solutions provider designed to simplify workflows for title and escrow companies. The digital closing platform, packed with advanced technologies, eliminates the need to manually manage massive volumes of processes that substantially adds to the costs and inefficiencies—one of the major challenges title and escrow businesses face today. Created to provide a way out, AtClose streamlines all the title related workflows and touchpoints, especially when dealing with vendors. This enables seamless scalability and flexibility for businesses looking for efficient alternatives. This October, AtClose is participating at ALTA, where AtClose experts will showcase their capabilities of this feature-rich platform, uncovering new horizons to shape the industry’s future.  Here’s a preview of the cutting-edge technologies built into the nation’s leading closing and title solution.Cloud-based PlatformThe title industry involves massive workflows that can be effectively streamlined with cloud-based technologies. With efficient closing processes, companies can save more time and cut costs while improving their customer experience at every touch point. AtClose is a scalable cloud-based solution that delivers just that. With end-to-end automation, flexibility, and faster deployment, AtClose enables excellent accessibility while reducing the cost of ownership.Client-collaboration PortalTransparency and continuous collaboration are cornerstones in title closing transactions. Title companies must embrace technologies allowing instant communication among buyers, sellers, agents, or attorneys to ensure files are closed right on schedule. AtClose encompasses a fully managed collaboration portal that allows instant communication between the key stakeholders through integration with core applications. It enables agents to get the desired information, documents, or reviews by simply assigning tasks. It also empowers agents to obtain eSign on impromptu documents when needed.Coherent Integrated SystemTitle companies deal with a large volume of data streams that require a solution capable of receiving various data formats across systems. AtClose’s title production provides a robust integration framework that seamlessly connects with the partner ecosystem and other internal systems, enabling smooth data flow between multiple infrastructures.Robust Vendor ManagementThe title closing transactions comprise an influx of paperwork and emails, adding to overheads. However, digital closing platforms, such as AtClose, enable title companies to eliminate all these extraneous tasks. By providing robust vendor tracking and reporting solution, AtClose allows title agents to digitally connect with vendors while keeping up with the underlying issues in fulfillment tracking, accounting, record keeping, etc.Adaptive UI/UX EnvironmentWhen adapting digital solutions, title closing companies must provide user-friendly and fully compatible interfaces while supporting extensive workflows. AtClose offers a title production solution that embodies a robust UI/UX environment simplifying how agents process files across multiple browsers. This digital platform ensures all title and settlement components, from title production to post-closing, are catered to with complete efficiency.Explore New Horizons with AtClose — See you at ALTA ONE 2022!With iconic partners and 1,000+ title industry professionals, ALTA ONE brings the best networking opportunities for attendees to interact directly and learn from the decision-makers. AtClose is showcasing its Title Production solution and strategies at the event. Explore how we enable immersive experiences for buyers, sellers, and agents. You can schedule a meeting with our experts for a one-on-one discussion as we share insights on overcoming inefficiencies in the title and escrow industry.  Meet AtClose experts at Booth B24. We’d love to have a friendly chat with you and answer your every query, during and after the event. Looking forward to connecting with you at ALTA 2022!