Better in my area - you must be joking - Texas was probably one of the first to go online.  However, there are things I did to protect myself against what is happening - first - during the 2003 refi boom -I put money away for a rainy day - second - I diversified - learned early on - any business cannot put forth a great effort on 1 product alone - I not only do basic residential/title work - I do lots of complete abstract ownership - complete city block ownerships - possibly 8 at a time- my experience allows me to do that - certified in Real Estate law - for surveyor and engineers - lien searches - I marekt all the time - hand out cards all the time - foreclosure work - attorneys - general public - it allows you to maintain prices.  The more that national companies try to undercut the next person - the more I'm going direct - corporations, lenders, banks - we can either work together without you underestimating my value - without you thinking that profit deserves to be in your lap more than mine or I can go elsewhere .  Start thinking as your business relationships as any other type of relationship you have in life - would you remain with a lover, a friend, a husband  if they continually told you were worth less than you are - that they could easily replace you - would you put up with that - don't put up with that with companies either.  It hasn't been easy for me either - and for some of the others either but we not only are maintaining our prices we are all saying - there is no way you are going to give all the orders back the way we had them - we have the ones with tons of judgments, or deeds back in books, etc. - and our thoughts are we have to go up and considerably.  Price fixing is when you all get together and say let's price it this amount - not we have to go up considerably - if not double the charges - with what we are getting and the amount of work we are getting and everyone raising it to the price they think they can do business with and be different prices.  Bottom line our cost to do business per order has had a sharp increase - and they are wanting a sharp decrease - it just doesnt add up.  I don't think what is happening will change unless we change it and it is standing up to these companies and saying my price not only stands it is going up - and being sharp enough to fill in the gaps of orders and income by building different routes for your business - some of which you have described.  But to continue to try and work it out with companies that hear/see/say nothing type is a waste of time and a harm to our industry.  I didn't reduce and it did harm me - temporarily - but I found a way and continue to find ways on a daily basis - because not everyone is just fee-based - they do want quality - you just have to find them - back to relationships for clarifications and fun - kind of like when your mother told you about going through alot of frogs before you find the Prince!