Westmoreland joins the team as Underwriting Counsel for the Southwest Region.
Alliant National is excited to announce Jamie Westmoreland has been hired as Underwriting Counsel for the Southwest Region. With extensive experience in the title insurance industry stretching back well over a decade, Westmoreland is a valuable addition to the team. She will play a pivotal role in supporting Alliant National’s independent agents and underwriting operations.
Westmoreland’s title insurance career began shortly after earning her Juris Doctorate from the South Texas College of Law. She worked for 10 years as an examiner and attorney for an independent agency. Later, she transitioned to a national underwriter, where she served as underwriting counsel for two years. These experiences afforded her strong knowledge in underwriting and agency operations, making her an ideal fit for Alliant National’s “agents first” approach.
“I could not be more excited to join the Alliant National family and help our agents be as successful as they can be!” said Westmoreland when discussing her hiring. Jean E. Bailey, Vice President, Southwest Regional Underwriting Counsel, echoed that sentiment. “We are excited for Jamie to join our Southwest Underwriting Team! Her experience will allow her to jump right in with assisting our agents. I know she will be a great fit with the team.”
In this new role, Westmoreland will work closely with agents, providing them with education, answering questions and offering guidance on complex title insurance issues. Additionally, she will focus on risk analysis to assess title insurability and develop helpful insurance standards and guidelines.
Chad Harmon’s commitment to seeing every day as a new opportunity inspires and elevates.
Chad Harmon remembers quite clearly what he thought when he first attended an Oklahoma Land Title Association (OLTA) conference: “This is an industry I want to be a part of.” As someone committed to continually improving himself and the world around him, Harmon recognized kindred spirits amongst the event’s attendees. His experience launched his career and recently led him to joining Alliant National as AVP, Agency Manager serving Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.
Many people, when asked, struggle to sum up their personal and professional philosophies. Yet for Harmon, the answer is easy: “My goal is always to ‘make yesterday jealous.’” Harmon first heard this idea long ago from someone in his community, and it has continued to resonate with him throughout his life. “I always interpreted this as seeing every day as filled with new opportunities, and that by recognizing those opportunities, you will be better off than the day before.”
Harmon has long leveraged these principles in his interactions with others. As a self-described “social butterfly,” he notes that he often tries to “make yesterday jealous” by helping others. “It can be as simple as making a person smile in passing. You may have passed this person a million times before and never seen their smile.” Harmon explains that it can also be applied on a larger level. “I stay active in my community by serving and volunteering on several boards. I have helped these organizations expand and grow,” said Harmon. “As an executive officer on these boards, I have helped raise over $100K so far. I do not do these things for the recognition, but to help the organization be more sustainable and provide greater help for the community.”
His mantra has also served him well in his professional life, especially as technology has become more integrated into our day-to-day work. “Technology has made our lives and businesses better and more efficient, but also has caused challenges and errors along the way,” he noted. “We do better when we are working together diligently to resolve issues, while ensuring we still do it in a timely manner.”
Alliant National agents will benefit greatly from Harmon’s worldview as he settles into his new role. From his perspective, trying to “make yesterday jealous” will involve “being as transparent and honest with them as possible.” He will also aspire to “treat my agents as more than just a number or goal, but more like friends and family because ultimately that is who they are to me.”
Not everything always runs smoothly in the title insurance industry, particularly when complex transactions are in play. However, Alliant National agents will find reliable and trustworthy support by connecting with Chad Harmon, whose ability to leverage each new opportunity will improve their business outcomes day-after-day.
As a self-described “historical document geek,” Rayni Scott loves examining old papers, leafing through personal journals and poring over household ledgers from time periods long gone. For her, discovering how people lived profoundly different lives from those we do in 2024 is fascinating. Her interest in tackling these historical puzzles also dovetails perfectly with her 20+ year career in title insurance.
As an Underwriting Counsel for the Southwest Region at Alliant National, Scott often spends her time exploring the history of properties the company is considering insuring. These records originally brought her into the field and continue to inspire her to deliver for the company’s independent agents.
To understand how Scott became the legal and title professional she is today, we must begin at the beginning. Following his retirement from the energy industry, Scott’s father became involved in real estate development. At the time, he would often bring his daughter to the county courthouse, where she would help him check ledgers to learn who owned different tracts of land that he and his business partners were interested in developing.
“I think I was the only middle schooler reviewing grantor-grantee indexes or putting together deed chains,” said Scott of those days. These early experiences left a lasting impact. Later in college, Scott’s favorite classes were Constitutional Law and Real Property Law, and she would eventually parlay her interests into a career in title examination and later in underwriting. Today, Scott’s love for historical puzzles continues to animate her work. “One of the most engaging parts of my job is putting together the puzzle,” she said. “The job doesn’t get boring. Every file offers different facts and there is always something new to learn.”
For Scott, a property’s historical details are not just meaningful in the abstract. Instead, just like the historical records she explores in her personal time, a property file can reflect the lived reality of real people. They can also certainly impact those involved in the transaction going forward. “It isn’t just paper shuffling,” she said of the profession. “Underwriters can actually make a difference in people’s lives with our answers.” The historical and the human sides of title examination and underwriting are both present in the various types of property transactions that come across Scott’s desk – including residential, commercial, multi-use and ranch land – although to varying degrees.
Residential sales, for instance, are often steeped in emotion. It is not uncommon, says Scott, for the seller to have “all their belongings in a moving van and need the sale to fund a new home – which are known as back-to-back closings.” On the other side of a residential transaction, you can have someone who is “buying their ‘dream home,’” Scott explains. If that wasn’t enough, these deals may also have problems that are “only discovered at the closing table” and can “really pull on the heartstrings.”
On the other hand, “commercial and multi-use transactions are ‘easier’ in the sense that attorneys are usually involved,” Scott notes. You can focus more squarely on the transaction’s particulars and “speak the same language when discussing reasons for exception or requirement.”
Finally, ranch land sales split the difference, which makes them “the toughest yet perhaps the most interesting,” according to Scott. These transactions require deep dives into the property’s history – including chain of title issues, mineral rights and surface estates, and waterway concerns. Yet they also frequently include lots of family members – property heirs who bring personal and emotional stakes to the table.
Given her passion for navigating both the historical and human dimensions of property transactions, it is not surprising that Scott found a professional home at Alliant National. The company is defined by its comprehensive capabilities, meticulous title reviews and responsive underwriting. Although for Scott, Alliant National also views title insurance as being about community in addition to historical and legal analyses.
Scott relates to the company’s community focus on multiple levels. Personally, joining Alliant National was a reunion of sorts: “I’ve worked with many on the Alliant National team before,” she said. But it also has a larger dimension. Recognizing that title insurance can profoundly impact people is one thing, but you also must back up such beliefs with action. Scott notes that this makes Alliant National’s investments in education and industry development so important, as they enable agents to improve service delivery and strengthen the industry overall. “I’m passionate about our webinar series,” she said. “I was also excited to learn my law school alma mater created a Real Property Clinic and that Alliant National is instituting a paid internship program to open avenues for new professionals to join our field.” Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” This principle is self-evident in real estate and title insurance. In these industries, historical records speak volumes about the forces that shaped a property and what meaning the property may have for those who lived there. Additionally, the level of care, consideration and effort put into dealing with those documents can leave a lasting mark on both the buyer and seller. Her love for historical records and acute understanding of that fact have empowered Scott to build an enviable career. They are also qualities that will help her continue to execute on behalf of Alliant National’s agents in the years to come.
For over two years, Russell Gonzales has served as Assistant Vice President and Southwest Agency Representative for Alliant National Title Insurance Company. Although the role encompasses many responsibilities, Gonzales’ main priority has been signing policy-issuing agents for Alliant National and helping them grow their businesses. It is a demanding position, requiring expertise in agent examination, escrow, marketing and policy reconciliation. But thankfully, this is hardly Gonzales’ first rodeo.
In fact, Gonzales’ time in the title insurance field began long before 2020. He got his start back in high school when he enrolled in a cooperative education program during his junior year. The title company he worked for during this program eventually hired him as a full-time employee. The rest, as they say, is history.
Having spent his professional life in title insurance has afforded Russell a unique perspective on industry trends. Unsurprisingly, the technology associated with the field has advanced considerably, with Gonzales noting that new technology solutions have “changed the way we do business for the better.” However, Gonzales emphasized that certain qualities that make a successful agent or agency have largely remained the same and are just as important as ever: “The biggest trends I have noticed are all related to service,” he said. “Customer service and hard work really continue to pay off,” he said. He added that successful industry people always “remember to have a servant’s heart.”
Service and hard work are qualities that Gonzales is pleased to see reflected in Alliant National. The company is “positively different,” he said, discussing how the firm stacks up against its competitors. “Everyone at Alliant National knows that home ownership is one of the biggest investments someone can make.” Because of that understanding, everyone is “truly eager to help. Whether you are internal or external to the company, you will always be treated like family.”
Being able to deliver this level of personalized service to families pursuing the dream of home ownership is a benefit for Gonzales, whose own family is his greatest joy. “Outside of work, I really enjoy spending time with my family,” he said. “Having a 26-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter allows my wife Grace and I to focus on ourselves. Together we enjoy working out with our personal trainer, watching great movies and shows and building our relationship with God.” For nearly 30 years, Gonzales’ family, industry expertise and service-oriented mindset have allowed him to build an enviable career. His work in the title insurance field has benefited companies, individuals and the industry as a whole. As one of the leaders of Alliant National’s Southwest operations, he has found the perfect home to continue applying his passion for the industry and helping the company solidify its position as the premier independent underwriter for the independent agent.
Longmont, Colo. – (February 22, 2022) – Alliant National Title Insurance Company, a unique title insurance underwriter that partners with independent agents to improve their competitive position, announces the hiring of Reagan McCracken as Assistant Vice President (AVP) and Southwest Agency Representative.
McCracken is a seasoned and savvy title insurance professional and brings years of experience to Alliant National. Having previously worked for a national title insurance agency in Texas, she is a passionate member of the title insurance community and holds membership in the Texas Land Title Association (TLTA).
In her new role as AVP and Agency Representative for the Southwest, McCracken will be involved in all aspects of the company’s operations in the region. Her primary responsibility, however, will be to support, maintain and grow Alliant National’s footprint in Oklahoma.
“I really couldn’t be happier to accept this position at Alliant National,” said McCracken. “Alliant National’s high reputation, the quality of its agents and the professionalism of its staff speaks for itself. I’m honored and excited to work alongside such a fantastic team, and I look forward to applying my years of experience to help the Southwest team operate as effectively as possible.”
“Both Alliant National and I have acquired a true talent in Reagan,” said KC West, Alliant National’s SVP and Southwest Region Manager. “Her industry knowledge and experience are incredibly impressive. She also intuitively knows how to address many of the complex situations that agents routinely face.”
Alliant National distinguishes itself from competitors by combining strong underwriting capability with independent agents’ in-depth knowledge of local markets. The result is a nationwide network with deep roots in local communities, and a wealth of expertise that is flexible, nuanced and continuously growing. Visit alliantnational.com for additional information.
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