As I recall there was some discussion on that a while back, but maybe my memory is incorrect. . If memory serves there was a split of opinion on the matter between the federal circuits. That may have since changed.

It would seem that an opportunity exits to exploit the greed and self interest of the VM.  If the abstractor is able to find something that the VM needs...link the price of the abstract to the need. It may involve offering a service in addition to abstracting. These are desperate times for the abstractors. Nothing is going to happen on a proactive basis until the abstractors decide to get off their asses, and help themselves.

It is a matter of effectively marketing and packaging the services they offer. NATEA has posted above for suggestions to better serve the abstracting community. Possibly some exploration into the needs and weak points of the title companies which can be exploited to the advantage of the abstractors may be something it would like to look into.