There’s another victory to report as Alliant National partners with independent title agents in the ongoing fight against real estate fraud. Alliant National’s Crime program offers a $1,000 reward to Alliant National agents who help prevent a fraudulent transaction from closing. The program has already recognized the prevention of $2 million in attempted fraud, and recently Heritage Title of Austin was honored for stopping a fraudulent transaction from going forward.
Meet Heritage Title of Austin
Heritage Title of Austin is a leading title agency operating in the Austin metropolitan area. For more than 30 years, they have been a dependable partner for aspiring property owners who are looking to secure their investments. Having long adhered to industry best practices and the highest possible standards, Heritage Title was naturally well-positioned to respond swiftly and efficiently when an instance of attempted fraud came across their collective desks.
Obvious red flags
“The order was placed through our website, which is very rare for our company,” said Dan Elkins, Senior VP, Plant Manager, Heritage Title Company of Austin, discussing how he initially became aware of the suspicious transaction. The transaction carried other red flags as well according to Elkins, who stated, “The contract was not a standard TREC form contract. The wording in the contract was a bit unusual in a couple of places, and there was no representation listed in the contract for either party.”
Digging deeper
Once these red flags came into view, Elkins and the Heritage Title Company team began digging deeper. The contract in question only listed one woman as the seller, but an inspection of the tax rolls revealed that the woman and her husband were the owners of the property, as did the last recorded deed.
Therefore, the next step was to run the husband’s name, which unearthed that his will had been probated and explained why he had not signed the contract. The problem, according to Elkins, was that “the wife’s signature on their purchase money deed of trust also did not match the signature on the contract, which raised even more suspicion.”
Heritage Title then contacted the law firm that handled the husband’s probate to see if they could get contact information for the wife independent from the information listed in the contract. However, they were informed by the law firm that the wife had also passed away a few months earlier. This made it impossible for her signature on the contract to be authentic, as it was dated after the date of her death.
Wrapping things up
As Elkins and Heritage Title were conducting their due diligence and discovering the transaction’s clear fraudulence, Russell Gonzales, Assistant Vice President and SW Region Agency Representative at Alliant National Title Insurance Company, was on-site at Heritage Title. After Heritage Title reported the fraud to Gonzales, the company decided to alert other agencies and advise them to be on the lookout for similar scams. Gonzales then encouraged Heritage Title to apply for Alliant National’s crime watch award for having prevented a fraudulent transaction that could have proven to be costly for all involved.
Final thoughts from Heritage Title
In reflecting on the experience, Elkins noted that staying ahead of fraudsters requires a long-term outlook, a comprehensive approach and real investment. “We utilize physical access security at all our locations. We have network security installed on our networks that prevents unauthorized devices from connecting. We run very good software on all endpoints and servers to detect and contain any possible threats. We use top-of-the-line firewalls and mail filters,” he said, listing off a few of the security tools deployed by Heritage Title.
Elkins also made sure to emphasize that the human factor is equally important, and that without those two elements working together harmoniously, an agency can suffer negative financial consequences.
“The most important thing we do is train our personnel to always look for the red flags, whether it is in a phishing email or an impersonation attempt,” he said. “They are the last line of defense. You cannot spend too much on your defense and recovery plan because the monetary and reputational costs of taking even one hit can be enormous.”
The transaction is the largest in Alliant National history and demonstrates the underwriter’s commitment to partnering with its agents in the commercial sector.
With its growing national presence across 30 states and the District of Columbia, Alliant National is a well-known residential underwriter. However, it is also a force to be reckoned with in the commercial real estate field. It recently insured a $182 million refinance transaction with Chambers County Abstract of Anahuac, Texas. The transaction was a record breaker for both Alliant National and Chambers County Abstract.
“We were in absolute disbelief,” said Chambers County Abstract examiner Darla Chandler Lastovica, commenting on the size of the transaction. “We didn’t believe it was real until it was all said and done.” Lastovica helped lead the title work on the property.
“Alliant National has insured many commercial properties throughout its history,” said KC West, Senior Vice President and Southwest Regional Manager at Alliant National. “However, we’ve never tackled a property of this size and scope before. While it was a major lift, it was exciting to work on insuring such a large tract of land and to work closely with our partners at Chambers County Abstract.”
The transaction covering the sprawling 550 acre-property in Baytown, Texas, was completed on behalf of Ohio-based JSW Steel. The company is gearing up to renovate its pipe and plate steel mill facility on the site. Chambers County Abstract has a long relationship with JSW Steel, having produced title reports for the company’s law firm since 2014.
This particular transaction dates back to 2019, when JSW Steel opened a $10 million file with Chambers County Abstract. After title was opened, the order sat idle for more than a year until one of JSW’s lawyers informed the office that the transaction had ballooned in size to $182 million.
Aside from its sheer size, the transaction was enormously challenging in other ways. First, it had a complex legal description that included myriad tracts and easements. Second, the description changed over the years, making it a substantial effort to determine what pertained to the property. Despite having completed prior title work, it took considerable effort to review legal descriptions and surveys, verify legal instruments and match these to the various tracts.
Chambers County Abstract, however, is a seasoned player in the commercial real estate market, having worked on many commercial properties, including expansive, multi-tract properties. Having a company well-versed in the process is helpful considering the additional challenges commercial properties can pose over residential. For instance, even single tract commercial transactions can contain more instruments, loans, and longer documents than residential transactions. Multi-tract properties are exponentially more complicated, featuring lengthy legal descriptions, multiple tracts to search and volumes of legal instruments to record. Organizing all these components is “a work of art in its own right,” Lastovica said.
Integral to the success of any given commercial transaction is the role of the underwriter, which must make the final decisions as to whether the property can be insured. As Chambers County Abstract’s underwriter, Alliant National acts as a financial backstop if a title claim or issue were to arise. The relationship between title underwriter and title agent is crucial. Both parties must effectively work together to prevent financial loss. While important to every transaction, title insurance serves a unique role in a commercial context. There can often be multiple liens against commercial properties, so having proper insurance in place is critical to the lender getting an expected lien priority.
Alliant National’s guiding principal is to partner with agents and never compete. In its work with Chambers County Abstract, one can see the powerful and profitable logic in such an approach – for both residential and commercial properties.
Longmont, Colo. – (April 22, 2021) – Alliant National Title Insurance Company, a unique title insurance underwriter that partners with independent agents to improve their competitive position, announces the hiring of Rayni Scott to the position of Underwriting Counsel for the Southwest Region and Vice President.
Rayni Scott is a highly skilled real estate and title insurance attorney with more than 20 years of experience. She is well-versed in real estate matters, title insurance underwriting and contracts. Rayni is a graduate of University of Mississippi and obtained her J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Rayni’s past experiences will serve her well in her new role with Alliant National, where she will handle underwriting inquiries, draft bulletins, develop educational materials and conduct risk assessments.
“I’m excited to join the Alliant National team, particularly considering its focus on the independent agent!” says Rayni. “I’ve previously worked with many of the Alliant National team members, and I am grateful to be collaborating again with such an outstanding team of title professionals. I look forward to reconnecting with agents I’ve worked with in the past, as well as meeting and forging bonds with new agents.”
“We are so pleased Rayni has joined our team of exceptional underwriters in the Southwest Region,” says Margaret Cook, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer. “She brings a wealth of legal knowledge, industry experience and a spirit of service to the position. Rayni is well-versed in residential, commercial, multi-use and ranch land underwriting. Her depth of knowledge and affable attitude make her a perfect fit for Alliant National.”
Outside of her work, Rayni enjoys spending time with her two sons, particularly volunteering with 4-H, their local food bank and their church. She also has an acute interest in historical archival document study, historical site visits, archeology, reading and gardening.
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.
Cathie Beck Capital City Public Relation e: cathie@capitalcitypr.com p: 303-241-0805
ABOUT ALLIANT NATIONAL TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY
The Independent Underwriter for The Independent AgentSM – Alliant National believes in empowering people to thrive. The company protects the dreams of property owners with secure title insurance and partners with 500+ trusted independent title agents as a licensed underwriter in 27 states and the District of Columbia.
Alliant National Academy takes company’s educational offerings to the next level
Longmont, Colo. – (February 16, 2021) – Alliant National Title Insurance Company, a unique title insurance underwriter that partners with independent agents to improve their competitive position, announces the launch of Alliant National Academy, an online portal that pairs the company’s in-depth content and expert instructors with industry-leading education technology to provide an all-new learning experience.
Alliant National Academy is a convenient way for Alliant National agents to access the company’s catalog of live-st ream and on-demand webinars, many of which are approved for continuing education (CE) credit. CE courses are currently available to Alliant National agents in Texas, Florida and Alabama, with additional states coming soon.
Access to the system is also free of charge for Alliant National agents.
“Every agent’s education needs are different, and Alliant National has built a reputation for delivering customized solutions to meet those needs,” says Alliant National President and CEO David Sinclair. “Alliant National Academy is a new standard for online learning in our industry, and we’re excited to make this powerful tool available to our agents and their teams.”
Alliant National Academy enhances the educational experience before, during and after the course. Specific features of Alliant National Academy include:
One-click course registration after completing initial registration.
Improved course player that allows for pausing and completion of on-demand courses at the agent’s convenience.
Streamlined, all-in-one course completion system that easily provides the necessary verifications to obtain credit. No need to download, unlock and email required forms.
The ability to track course progress from a customizable personal dashboard.
Downloadable certificates of course completion that can be viewed and printed at any time.
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.
Cathie Beck Capital City Public Relation e : cathie@capitalcitypr.com p : 303-241-0805
ABOUT ALLIANT NATIONAL TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY
The Independent Underwriter for The Independent AgentSM – Alliant National believes in empowering people to thrive.
The company protects the dreams of property owners with secure title insurance and partners with 500+ trusted independent title agents as a licensed underwriter in 27 states and the District of Columbia, with annual revenues exceeding $126 million.
Alliant National Announces the Hiring of Two New Assistant Vice Presidents and Southwest Agency Representatives
Longmont, Colo. – (September 29, 2020) – Alliant National Title Insurance Company, a unique title insurance underwriter that partners with independent agents to improve their competitive position, announces the hiring of Eric Anderson, Assistant Vice President and Southwest Agency Representative, and Russell Gonzales, also Assistant Vice President and Southwest Agency Representative.
Anderson has enjoyed career success in the pharmaceutical industry. Specifically, his background includes more than 20 years in medical, pharmaceutical and vaccine sales. He has served as an analyst and has spent decades in field sales and marketing. “It is exciting to bring my sales background and management experience from another industry to Alliant National,” says Anderson. “I look forward to being part of Alliant National’s continued growth.”
Gonzales brings more than 28 years’ title insurance experience to Alliant National, serving in a variety of capacities, including as a title examiner for an independent agent in Fort Bend County, Texas, and as a policy services director, agency services manager and national commercial closing specialist for a national underwriter.
“This is an exciting opportunity to bring my experience in various aspects of title insurance to Alliant National,” says Gonzales. “The company culture is one of inclusivity and ‘agents first,’ which is part of my own professional credo.”
Both are charged with responsibilities that include: sourcing, targeting, and signing new, high-quality policy issuing agents for Alliant National. They will also serve as active members within the southwest agency staff and will participate and influence the development of Alliant National as a strong, national underwriter.
“These gentlemen are a perfect fit for the Alliant National vision,” says KC West, Senior Vice President and Southwest Regional Manager. “We look forward to the varied and seasoned experience Russell and Eric bring to our team.”
Gonzales is married with two children in college. He enjoys cooking and working out. Anderson enjoys birding, fishing and golfing. He is married with a college-age daughter and a son in high school.
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.
Cathie Beck Capital City Public Relation e : cathie@capitalcitypr.com p : 303-241-0805
ABOUT ALLIANT NATIONAL TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY
The Independent Underwriter for The Independent Agent® – Alliant National believes in empowering people to thrive.
The company protects the dreams of property owners with secure title insurance and partners with 500+ trusted independent title agents as a licensed underwriter in 27 states and the District of Columbia, with annual revenues exceeding $126 million.
