Source of Title News

In Arizona, a state appeals court has ruled that equitable subrogation can not be used to elevate any lien above a properly created mechanic's lien because, according to the court, the state's unambiguous mechanic's lien statute prohibits it. The decision directly conflicts with an earlier ruling by the same court.

Fitch: Title Revenues to be Modestly Lower in 2014
December 05 2013

Fitch Ratings maintains its stable rating outlook on the U.S. title insurance industry, according to a new report published Wednesday. Fitch sees a material decline in refinance activity over the next two years, somewhat offset by greater purchase activity. Overall, Fitch expects modestly lower title revenues in 2014.

MBA Weekly Report: Mortgage Volume Falls During Holiday Week
December 05 2013

Mortgage applications decreased 12.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 29, 2013. This week’s results include an adjustment for the Thanksgiving holiday.

CoreLogic: Home Prices Now Barely Increasing, Further Weakness Expected
December 04 2013

Housing data provider CoreLogic has released its October CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI) report, showing that home prices increased by only 0.2 percent in October 2013 compared to September, as the hosing market "catches its breath." CoreLogic expects even weaker results for the next few months, implying that hope prices may even fall slightly on a month to month basis due to seasonal factors and higher interest rates.

Mitchell County NC Begins e_Recording
December 04 2013

The Register of Deeds office in Mitchell County, N.C., has implemented electronic recording (e-recording) of land documents with Simplifile, the company has announced.

ALTA: Title Insurance Premium Volume Up 14% from Last Year in Q3
December 04 2013

ALTA has released its third quarter market share analysis report for the title industry, showing that premium volume rose 14 percent during the third quarter of 2013 when compared to the same period a year ago.

Simplifile, Erxchange Announce Partnership Agreement
December 03 2013

e_Recording service provider Simplifile has entered into a partnership agreement with e-recording service provider Erxchange to extend the Simplifile e-recording network into 31 new counties previously only available through Erxchange. The newly formed partnership also enables Erxchange customers to submit documents into the Simplifile e-recording network of more than 790 recording jurisdictions nationwide.

Case-Shiller: Home Prices Up 3.2% in 3rd Quarter
December 01 2013

Data through September 2013, released by S&P Dow Jones Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, showed that the U.S. National Home Price Index rose 3.2% in the third quarter of 2013 and 11.2% over the last four quarters.