Posts Tagged ‘commitments’

Team members sharing a lighthearted moment in a festive setting, surrounded by decorated Christmas trees and a snowy window backdrop, symbolizing trust, collaboration, and a strong company culture during the holiday season.

Designing And Building Culture: Reflections On Trust, Purpose, And Performance

As we approach the holiday season and the close of another year, I’ve been reflecting deeply on the concept of organizational culture—what it means, how it shapes our businesses, and how we can all work to improve it. Culture is more than just a buzzword; it’s the lifeblood of an organization, influencing our interactions, decisions, and outcomes. I’d like to share some insights we’ve gained at Alliant National and offer practical thoughts. I hope you find them useful as you think about your culture-building efforts.

Understanding Cultural Paradigms

Organizational culture can be viewed through various lenses. Some companies focus on performance, where results and individual achievement drive culture. Others adopt a purpose-driven culture, aligning actions with a higher mission or set of values. At Alliant National, we’ve found our greatest strength in fostering a culture of trust. But it’s important to note that no single cultural paradigm is inherently better than any other. The key is to identify which approach aligns most closely with your organization’s values and mission.

In the title insurance industry, relationships are at the heart of everything we do, and that’s why we ultimately decided to build our culture on the foundation of trust. Behind every transaction is a person or family entrusting us with their dreams and future. Trust is the cornerstone of these relationships, enabling us to be part of critical moments in people’s lives. Without trust, we’re merely facilitating transactions; with it, we’re partnering in something much more significant—helping people pursue the American Dream of economic prosperity.

The 3Cs: Our Foundation for Trust

To cultivate this trust, we’ve centered our culture around three key principles we call the 3Cs:

  1. Care for Others: Genuine care involves truly listening and understanding the needs of those we serve—our agents, partners, and colleagues. It’s about making meaningful connections and offering assistance that can have a positive impact on someone’s life.
  2. Competency in Our Work: We believe in continuous improvement. By staying informed, honing our skills, and striving for excellence, we ensure that we’re equipped to meet the needs of our clients and each other effectively.
  3. Commitment: This is about reliability and follow-through. Doing what we say we will do, meeting our obligations, and being dependable in every situation reinforces the trust others place in us.

These principles aren’t just corporate ideals. We try to live them as daily practices that guide us through our interactions with our agents and fellow team members.

Intentional Culture Building

Good culture doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, reflection, and a willingness to change. A few years ago, we took an important step by developing a booklet describing our company culture. It’s essentially a collective expression of what makes Alliant National special on our best days. It includes our Purpose, Mission, Vision, Core Value, and Guiding Principles. Simply stated, the “Alliant National Way” is: caring about people by providing uncommonly valuable help that delivers a positive impact. This articulation of our shared beliefs has provided a compass for our actions.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to define what’s most important about your culture, we’ve found that the exercise can be incredibly valuable. For us, it wasn’t about creating something new, but rather about uncovering and articulating what was already true about our organization. We found that the project gave us a rare opportunity to talk to our team, reflect on shared experiences, and capture our unique narrative.

Beyond defining culture, it’s important to take steps to live it more deeply and consistently. To support this, we established an Employee Engagement Team to ensure that culture remains an ongoing focus. This group serves as a conduit for feedback and ideas, helping culture rise from every level of the organization.

Other important initiatives included creating a set of Management Rules of the Road, which outlines what employees can expect from their managers. Additionally, our culture has been strengthened through regular Outward Mindset seminars from the Arbinger Institute. The goal of these sessions is to help team members understand that other people’s needs matter just as much as their own. They encourage collaboration, break down silos, and remind us to work together.

Steps to Building a Great Culture

Every company, regardless of size or industry, stands to benefit from a strong, intentional culture. Based on our experience, here are a few steps that we hope may be helpful in your own cultural journey:

  1. Define Your Core Values: What principles are non-negotiable for your organization? Whether it’s trust, innovation, customer focus, or something else entirely, clarity here sets the foundation. A key aspect in defining your values is also in prioritizing them. It’s easy to say loyalty, honesty, and integrity are the values of the company. What happens when these values are in conflict?
  2. Engage Your Team: Culture is a collective endeavor. Regularly involve team members at all levels in discussions about values and practices. Their insights can be surprising and powerful.
  3. Be Intentional: Develop initiatives, programs, and traditions that reinforce your values. Solicit feedback from employees to ensure alignment and celebrate your cultural successes regularly. Values are most reflected in an organization based on who gets promoted or rewarded.
  4. Measure and Reflect: Utilize tools like surveys, focus groups, or external certifications to assess your cultural health. Benchmarks provide valuable insights into where you’re succeeding and where there’s room to grow. For example, at Alliant National, we’ve participated in the Great Place to Work certification process for over eight years, and in 2024, we were recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the Best Small Workplaces and one of the Best Places to Work in Real Estate.
  5. Embrace Continuous Improvement: Culture isn’t static. Be open to change and ready to adapt as your organization grows and the environment evolves.

Recognition and Celebration

One great way to promote culture is to share stories of success. At Alliant National, we’ve found tremendous value in communicating and celebrating our cultural achievements during Alliant National Live!, our bi-monthly all-hands call. My favorite part of the call is a feature we recently added — the Winner’s Circle. It’s an opportunity for employees to nominate colleagues who exemplify what it means to work the “Alliant National Way.” Most importantly, this peer-nominated recognition is to identify someone who demonstrates one of more of the 3Cs. A nomination takes time and effort, so these nominations reflect the genuine appreciation and respect colleagues have for one another’s contributions. These stories and celebrations help our team feel more connected and aligned with the company’s values.

Looking Ahead and Staying Committed

As we approach 2025 and our 20th anniversary, I couldn’t be more excited about the future of Alliant National. Our imminent partnership with Dream Finders Homes marks an exciting new chapter, creating new opportunities to grow and better serve our agents. Additionally, we are eager to continue innovating with tools like our anti-fraud solution, SecureMyTransaction, which reinforces trust and security in real estate transactions.

As I look ahead, I’m reminded that our success is built on our cultural foundations that enable us to provide value to our agents. While there’s much to be proud of, no culture is ever “finished.” It requires continuous care and attention to ensure alignment with our mission and goals.

Whatever cultural foundation you choose—whether trust, purpose, performance, or a blend—it’s important to invest in it intentionally. At Alliant National, we’ve found that fostering a culture of trust has brought great benefits to our team, agents, and partners.

Thank you for being a part of our journey. Here’s wishing you a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

Closing Issues part 3

Common Closing Issues – Part III

In the final part of our series, we explore some of the remaining routine scenarios agents will face when closing real estate transactions. 

Introduction

In the first two editions of this series, we tackled several scenarios faced by agents during the real estate closing process. These issues run the gamut, illustrating how potential problems can arise even when the finish line for a transaction is in sight. In the final edition of this series, we will address the remaining issues that agents will likely deal with throughout their careers, including existing surveys, T-47 affidavits (in Texas) and lender-required conveyances.

Existing Surveys and T-47 Affidavits 

During closings, agents may need to review an existing survey and determine if it is acceptable. In Texas, per paragraph 6.C of the TREC contract, the seller is required to provide both a survey and a fully executed T-47 affidavit, and if they fail to do so, the buyer can obtain a new survey at the seller’s expense. The T-47 affidavit must have all blanks filled in and be fully executed and notarized. If it is not filled in, it can cause problems. For example, what if the seller fills in the date with the purchase date and not the date of the survey? How would agents know that no changes were made before purchasing? A new survey may be required in this case. 

Lender-Required Conveyances and Removal of a Spouse from a Contract

Sometimes lenders may require the removal of a spouse from a contract if they cannot qualify as a borrower. The spouse who agrees to this removal amendment must do so in writing. If the spouse does not join in the amendment, they may not realize their omission from the deed until later. It comes down to classification. “Non-purchasing” means they are not on the contract so they should not be on the deed. “Non-borrowing” implies they did not qualify on the note but should join in on the deed of trust to encumber both of their interests in the property.

During refinances, home equity and reverse mortgages, lenders may also require deeds moving between spouses. Customers need to know that this is not a title company requirement and they need to sign an acknowledgment. Instead, it is a lender requirement. If this difference is not discussed, it can cause issues, especially if it was a separate property and they end up getting divorced.

Closing the Gap

Lastly, agents need to address the “gap,” the difference between the date of title search (Issued Day on a Commitment) and the date records are certified as complete (Effective Date on a Commitment). A best practice is to request the title be “brought to date” when closing is scheduled and for the gap to be brought to 10 calendar days or less. After the initial commitment is issued, time passes and the gap between the Effective Date on a Commitment and the current date continues to grow.

When preparing new title work, the agent needs to review it and issue a new commitment with additional exceptions and requirements to both parties before closing. Agents should not hesitate to stop a closing if new matters come to light. Neither agents or underwriters should assume the risk for closing or insuring in the face of an unresolved issue.

 After the transaction closes, the gap will continue to grow until the closing documents – including the deed for the owner’s policy and the deed of trust for the loan policy – are recorded, which ideally occurs the same day as funding. This is the gap insurers find most concerning. In a state like Texas, for instance, claims relating to documents recorded during this particular gap are covered by the title policies for which premiums were collected at closing.

At most, the recording should not take longer than 48 hours following funding, even if that means overnighting the documents to the recorder’s office. Agents should get confirmation on the recording of their documents and retain evidence.

Conclusion

As this blog series has shown, getting a transaction fully and successfully closed has become increasingly difficult. There is no shortage of complex issues. But by being meticulous and methodical in how they execute their responsibilities, agents can successfully rise to the challenge and ensure customer satisfaction.

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