Well, gang, I've been hanging back a little for the past few days observing some of the exchanges amongst the SOT faithful regarding this whole NALTEA business.  I must say that there are a lot of great ideas out there and some very diverse opinions about what NALTEA is and what it should be.  I believe the time has come for me to share with you my brilliant and astute observations on this subject.

I’d venture to guess that most of you reading this get up in the morning with a fire in your belly and a genuine passion for the work you do.  You all are the backbone of not only the title industry, but of this great nation of ours as well.  You are the ones who are making this country work, and it is a genuine privilege to be associated with such a fine group of talented people.

That is why in March 2004, I first proposed the concept of a national association for title searchers.  My thinking was that such an organization could function as a unified voice with the goal of bettering the profession of abstracting.  I am intimately familiar with the mission and objectives of NALTEA; after all, I personally authored them.  It is gratifying to see that I have colleagues who not only share my vision for the future of our trade, but who have cared enough to contribute their time and talent to bring that vision to fruition.

To Ellen Malloy: your idea deserves a commendation for original thinking.  I think your concept is sound, but my considered opinion is that turning NALTEA into a giant Vendor Management company would be counterproductive.  I certainly hope that you will pursue other avenues of accomplishing your objective and I look forward to seeing your finished proposal.

Speaking strictly for myself, I’m in this line of work because I have a passion for it.  Furthermore, I firmly believe in the integrity of this profession.  If it were simply a question of money, I could close my doors tomorrow, get a Commercial Driver’s License and find a job with an interstate trucking company, hauling freight from coast to coast!  After all, it’s a job they can’t outsource, the pay is a lot better and you don’t have to put up with half the heartache!!

There are two types of people in this world.  There are those who are constantly saying “it can’t be done” and those who are out there doing it.  I find it highly disconcerting to read things like “the abstractors are losing ground every day” and “…in the short term the abstractors are going out of business every day…”  Wow—sure does make me want to get out there and take on the world!!  If any of you reading this truly agrees with those statements, maybe you should find another line of work.

If NALTEA is to survive as an independent voice for our trade, we need to lose this “I-want-it-all-and-I-want-it-now” line of thinking.  This is not about “what’s in it for me”; it’s about our very future and it’s bigger than any of us. While NALTEA may not have a lot of influence now, I can see the day when NALTEA will have more than sufficient “clout” to effect positive changes within our profession.

Call me a kook, but I’m not ready to write this industry off.  It’s just not in me to give up.

But, that’s just me.

Best regards,
Scott L. Perry, President
Jireh Business Information Solutions, Inc.

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

J. Calvin Coolidge
30th President of the United States