August 2020
- 8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health
- Registration List Swells to 220 and Growing for First Ever Virtual Land Title School
- Hill Country Titles Celebrates Golden Anniversary – 50 Years of Family
- Patten Title Company’s, Eric Fontanot, Named Houston Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO
- Stewart Title Hires New Group Senior Vice President for Southwest Direct Operations
- Alliant National Announces the Promotion of KC West to Senior Vice President and Southwest Region Manager
- Title Midwest, Inc. Appoints Marc Miller to Lead Texas Division
- WFG National Title Insurance Company Appoints Megan Piechowiak Texas State Underwriting Counsel
- Westcor Land Title Insurance Company Announces the Hiring of Shannon Skurner as Regional Underwriting Counsel
- In Memoriam: Sue Ann (Gladden) Clarkson
- Top Educational Sessions From Our 2020 Virtual Annual Conference Now Available On Demand – Escrow Hours Available
8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health
Harvard Business Review | Aug. 7, 2020
Uncertainty breeds anxiety, and we are living in uncertain times. Between rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, questions about whether or not to reopen economies and businesses, the ongoing protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and the economic fallout of the pandemic, we don’t know what will come next. And that’s taking a toll on our mental health, including at work.
We saw an impact early in the pandemic. At the end of March and in early April, our nonprofit organization, Mind Share Partners,
conducted a study of global employees in partnership with Qualtrics and SAP. We found that the mental health of almost 42% of respondents had declined since the outbreak began. Given all that’s happened between then and now, we can only imagine that the figure has increased. Much has been said about this short-term mental health impact, and the long-term effects are likely to be even more far-reaching.
Prior to the pandemic, many companies had increased their focus on workplace mental health (often in response to pressure from employees). Those efforts are even more imperative today.
As we navigate various transitions over the coming months and years, leaders are likely to see employees struggle with anxiety, depression, burnout, trauma, and PTSD. Those mental health experiences will differ according to race, economic opportunity, citizenship status, job type, parenting and caregiving responsibilities, and many other variables. So, what can managers and leaders do to support people as they face new stressors, safety concerns, and economic upheaval? Here’s our advice.
Read More »
Registration List Swells to 220 and Growing for First Ever Virtual Land Title School
Rescheduled and better than ever with our exciting new virtual format,
2020 Virtual Land Title School of Texas delivers comprehensive title industry education perfect for anyone expanding their understanding of industry fundamentals, including Abstract and Exam, Endorsements, E-Security, the CD and much more.
With no wait list this year, there's plenty of room for everyone who needs to learn industry fundamentals from the gold standard in title industry education
Scheduled to Accommodate Work, Family Obligations
You choose a convenient time to access the course materials on these dates: Sept. 14–17, 21 and 22, 2020. Daily sessions average 3.5 hours and will be available to access on your TLTA profile page at 7 a.m. on their scheduled day and must be completed by 4 p.m. the same day. Each day of School will include a live Q&A Session at 4:30 p.m. with that day’s faculty answering your questions regarding that day’s assignments.
Direct Daily Interactions With Exciting, Engaging Faculty Members From Among Texas' Top Title Professionals
The exiting line-up of engaging speakers for our first ever virtual school are using the same proven curriculum from the traditional live program. Here are just a few of the program highlights you won't want to miss:
- Learn industry basics, including the process of a typical residential closing.
- Classes include sessions on current procedures, rules, forms and laws affecting title insurance in Texas.
- Self-testing reinforces students' learning and retention.
- Foundational industry education condensed into a new convenient, multi-day schedule allows you to take care of work and family needs while you learn.
- Earn up to 20 hours toward applying for your TLTA professional certification exam.
- Escrow and MCLE credit available (pending approval).
Review the Schedule »
Register Now »
Hill Country Titles Celebrates Golden Anniversary – 50 Years of Family
Fredericksburg Standard | Aug. 24, 2020
After practicing law for a year, Gordon E. Sauer was approached by mentor Arthur Stehling, attorney and president of Security State Bank & Trust, informing him that a local owner was willing to sell his abstract company.
Stehling agreed to lend Sauer the funds to acquire the company and within a month, the transaction was closed and Hill Country Titles officially opened in June 1970.
“He was my mentor and told me every country lawyer needs to own an abstract company and that was enough for me,” Sauer said.
In June 2020, Sauer and his team celebrated 50 years of personalized customer service, with over 43,000 transactions filed.
Read More »
Patten Title Company’s, Eric Fontanot, Named Houston Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO
Patten Title Company is excited to announce that Eric Fontanot, President, has been named one of Houston Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs. The candidates were assessed on a variety of qualities such as contribution to company success, civic involvement, career achievement and more.
Read the Press Release »
Stewart Title Hires New Group Senior Vice President for Southwest Direct Operations
Stewart Information Services Corporation announced that Ryan Swed has been hired as the new Group Senior Vice President for the Southwest, responsible for overseeing Direct Operations in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Colorado.
Prior to joining Stewart, Swed worked at First American Title and its subsidiaries since 2010, with steadily increasing responsibility, eventually becoming Managing Director of the Midwest, which consisted of 10 states and approximately 1,000 employees. Earlier in his career Swed worked for other financial institutions such as The Vanguard Group and Bank of America.
Read the Press Release »
Alliant National Announces the Promotion of KC West to Senior Vice President and Southwest Region Manager
Alliant National Title Insurance Company announces the promotion of KC West to Senior Vice President and Southwest Region Manager effective immediately.
West assumes regional duties following the promotion earlier this year of Rodney Anderson to National Agency Manager. West will expand his current responsibilities in Texas to include developing, marketing and managing Alliant National’s Southwest Region, which along with Texas, includes Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico.
Read the Press Release »
Title Midwest, Inc. Appoints Marc Miller to Lead Texas Division
Title Midwest, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Marc Miller as President of Secured Title of Texas.
Marc’s over 40-year title insurance career includes the startup of two title companies, Texas Title and Capital Title of Texas, where he served as president and CEO. He was CEO of American Title from 2000-2003, and he served as Executive Vice President of Allegiance Title and Director of Operations for Legacy Texas Title.
Read the Press Release »
WFG National Title Insurance Company Appoints Megan Piechowiak Texas State Underwriting Counsel
Piechowiak has spent most of the past decade in the oil and gas and real estate industries. She did land work and worked as an oil and gas title attorney in multiple states, including Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia after earning her Juris Doctor from Texas A&M University’s Texas Wesleyan School of Law in Fort Worth. In 2015 she opened a Fee Office, and as a fee attorney handled hundreds of closings across Texas. Since 2017 she has also worked in real estate as an independent agent with Fathom Realty in McKinney Texas. Prior to that, she was a partner with Gongloff | Piechowiak Law in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and as an Associate Title Attorney for Judd and Jacks in Fort Worth.
Read the Press Release »
Westcor Land Title Insurance Company Announces the Hiring of Shannon Skurner as Regional Underwriting Counsel
Westcor Land Title Insurance Company proudly announces the hiring of Shannon Skurner as Regional Underwriting Counsel covering Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and
Louisiana. Ms. Skurner has over twenty-three years of experience in real estate and the title insurance industry. She has previously served as underwriting counsel and corporate counsel at two national title insurance underwriters, working with direct operations and independent title agents in the Texas region.
Read the Press Release »
In Memoriam: Sue Ann (Gladden) Clarkson
June 15, 1956 - August 15, 2020
Sue Ann (Gladden) Clarkson, 64, of New Braunfels, Texas, formerly of the Austin, Texas area, passed away on Saturday, August 15, 2020. Born on June 15, 1956, in Abilene, Texas, Sue was the daughter of Nita Flo (Paynter) Gladden and Arvell Dee Gladden. Her parents preceded her in death. Sue was a graduate of Reagan High School in Austin. On August 31, 2008, Sue married Bill Clarkson. Sue’s career was with Title Insurance/Escrow with Gracy Title in Austin and later with New Braunfels Title.
Read Sue's Obituary »
Top Educational Sessions From Our 2020 Virtual Annual Conference Now Available On Demand – Escrow Hours Available
Three of the top educational sessions presented by entertaining and outstanding experts were recorded during our virtual annual conference last month and are now available on demand. Each session carries one hour of escrow credit. If you attended these sessions during our 2020 virtual conference and already applied for CE hours, you are not eligible to receive additional CE credits:
Managing a Great Title Agency in Not-So-Great Times (1 hr Escrow)
Learn from fellow title agency managers how to keep your team motivated when things aren’t normal. Get tips on keeping your culture intact when some of your team is remote, including practical strategies for managing a home/office/hybrid workforce, using technology to your advantage, implementing practical healthy protocols and how and when to make the decision to return to the office.
Learn more or purchase now »
Conducting Closings in a COVID World and Beyond (1 hr Escrow)
What do escrow officers need to know about these technologies to handle closings and serve consumers now and going forward? How are these technologies evolving and expanding during COVID and how might this unique time drive future adoption of these closing tools? What are the positives as well as the challenges with each of these new ways of conducting real estate and mortgage loan transactions and how will they affect title agents?
Learn more or purchase now »
Top 10 Foreclosure and Bankruptcy Traps (1 hr Escrow)
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked its havoc in parts of the economy. Title issues arising from bankruptcy and foreclosure have been basically absent for a while, but will now begin to reappear, with new statutory overlays. This session will include a few surprise appearances from familiar faces providing answers to questions that will help you learn, prepare and avoid being caught in the trap of non-compliance – it’s time.
Learn more or purchase now »