JUNE 2025
Conference Highlights, Practical Title Tips, Member News and more
Highlights from TLTA’s 2025 Annual Conference & Business Meeting Held in Nashville
Conference Recap Sponsored by:
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TLTA's 2025 Annual Conference and Business Meeting, held in Nashville from June 8-11, brought together more than 500 title professionals for three days of powerful programming, dynamic networking, and meaningful industry updates.
This year’s event kicked off with a TopGolf tournament benefitting TLTAPAC and continued with a strong educational lineup designed to prepare attendees for what’s ahead. Monday’s Hot Topic sessions tackled urgent challenges—like the new FinCEN residential cash reporting rules and the Texas legislative session’s biggest takeaways—setting the tone for a conference packed with timely content.
The Opening General Session featured a standout economic forecast from First American’s Odeta Kushi, who offered a candid look at interest rates, buyer trends, and what lies ahead for the real estate market. That session was followed by an inspiring and unexpected conversation between music producer Derek Wells and CMA executive Tiffany Kerns, connecting the dots between creativity, leadership, and success. Tuesday morning opened with concurrent deep-dives into legal changes following the NAR settlement and the latest fraud tactics threatening closings.
The General Session and Business Meeting included the election of TLTA’s 2025-2026 Board of Directors and recognition of this year’s new certified professionals. TLTA President Claire Hartman, CTIP, reflected on a year of advocacy, innovation, and unity, while ALTA President Richard Welshons MTP, NTP provided a national outlook on policy, technology, and protecting property rights. Sessions later that day addressed AI’s impact on title operations and gave attendees a closer look at the advocacy work TLTA’s team is leading at the state and federal level.
President’s Evening was a Conference-favorite, celebrating Outgoing President Claire Hartman, CTIP, and featuring a dinner, live PAC auction, and after-dinner entertainment straight off Broadway. The evening also included association traditions, like the awarding of Title Person of the Year to John Updegraff, Jr. and the passing of the gavel to Incoming TLTA President Gil Ernst.
The Conference concluded Wednesday with a unique songwriter showcase, where artists Aaron Raitiere and Chris Tompkins gave a behind-the-scenes look at the hits they’ve written-a true Nashville send-off.
We’re already looking forward to next summer!
Save the date for the 2026 TLTA Annual Conference and Business Meeting, June 8–10, at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa.
2024-2025 TLTA President Claire Hartman, CTIP delivers TLTA President's Report
Download State of the Association
Attendees forged meaningful relationships and explored innovative technology in the Sponsor Marketplace
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From what's new on the AI and fraud fronts to hot button issues affecting your business, attendees left this year's Conference with practical strategies, innovative solutions, and need to know regulatory info
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John Updegraff, Jr. honored as 2025 Title Person of the Year
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Rodney Anderson, CTIP and title agents that testified during rate hearings honored with 2025 President's Awards
Read more about this year's award recipients »
Want to see more of the Conference action? Check out more event photos on Facebook »
Security Insights: Device Code Phishing
Genady Vishnevetsky | June 2025
In our increasingly connected world, new cybersecurity threats continue to emerge, targeting the very systems designed to keep our accounts safe. Device code phishing, a sophisticated tactic exploiting users’ trust in authentication processes, has recently surfaced as a significant concern. Genady Vishnevetsky, Chief Info Security Officer at Stewart Title Guaranty Company, sheds light on this deceptive method that leverages familiarity with device authentication to gain unauthorized access. Discover how threat actors exploit these vulnerabilities and essential tips to safeguard your accounts.
Read more »
TLTA's 2025-2026 Board of Directors Installed
During the 2025 TLTA Annual Conference and Business Meeting in San Antonio, TLTA installed our 2025-2026 Board of Directors:
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President
Gil Ernst
Fidelity National Title Group, Dallas
President-Elect
Patrick M. Rose
Corridor Title, San Marcos
Immediate Past President
Claire Hartman, CTIP
First Community Title LLC, Temple
Agent Section Chair
Roland Love, CTIP
Independence Title, Quinlan
Agent Section Vice Chair
Johnny L. Collins II
Community National Title, LLC, Fort Worth
Agent Section Delegate
Nathan Lowry
Big Country Title, Abilene
Agent At-Large Director
Randy Pearson, CTIP, NTP
Town Square Title Company, LLC, Granbury
Agent At-Large Director
Mark Scott
San Jacinto Title Services of Texas, LLC, Corpus Christi
Underwriter Section Chair
Leslie S. Johnson, CTIP
WFG National Title Insurance Company, Dallas
Underwriter Section Vice Chair
Charles M. Craig
Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Austin
Underwriter Section Delegate
Brandi Abercrombie, CESP, CTIP, NTP
National Investors Title Insurance Company, Henderson
Underwriter At-Large Director
Steve Streiff
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Houston
Underwriter At-Large Director
John H. Dorris
First American Title Insurance Company, Houston
Title Tip: How to Prepare for a Title Company Audit
Ann Carson | TLTA Education & School Committee Member
We’re excited to continue Title Tips, our monthly educational series where title professionals from across Texas share complimentary, bite-sized education in quick, engaging video clips. This month’s Title Tip features Ann Carson, who offers a clear, practical overview of title audits—why they’re conducted, what they review, and how they help protect your operation.
In this short video, she covers:
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What regulators and underwriters are checking during an audit
- Common compliance pitfalls tied to escrow funds, documentation, and privacy
- Why strong recordkeeping and secure systems matter
- How passing an audit builds trust and strengthens your business
Watch Ann’s Title Tip video here and stay tuned for more insights next month!
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Looking to revisit our past installments of the Title Tips Series? Visit the Title Tips Section in TLTA's Online Learning Center here.
This information is being provided by TLTA for educational and reference purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial or business advice from or on behalf of TLTA. Users should consult their own legal counsel and subject-matter experts to ensure that any policies adopted or actions taken meet the requirements unique to their company.
Help ALTA Dig Deeper: New Curative Work Study Open Until COB Thursday, July 3
ALTA | June 2025
Producing a title insurance policy takes more than a signature—it takes hours of review, resolution, and expertise. ALTA’s 2025 Title Production & Curative Workflow Study is designed to build on ALTA’s 2024 Curative Study, in order to better understand the actual work that goes into title production and curative efforts.
This short survey—which takes less than 10 minutes!—will help quantify the steps, decisions, and pain points that you face every day as you protect property rights and move transactions forward.
Take the ALTA Survey here »
A Warm Welcome to Our Newest TLTA Members
AGENT MEMBERS
Evergreen Settlement Services, LLC
Contact: Megan Welch
3300 Dallas Pkwy Spaces Office #2088
Plano, TX 75093
678.528.1630
www.evergreensettlementservices.com
Parkview Title, LLC
Contact: Sara Scott
114 N. Main St
Victoria, TX 77901
361.579.2747
[email protected]
www.parkviewtitle.com
Destination Title Group LLC
Contact: Stephanie Witt-Overton
130 N Preston Rd, Ste 331
Prosper, TX 75078
469.941.9884
[email protected]
www.destinationtitlegroup.com
Voyager Title Company dba University Title & Escrow
Contact: Marianne Havey
1400 Woodloch Forest Dr, Ste 170
The Woodlands, TX 77380
832.957.0240
[email protected]
www.utitle.com
Driftwood Title, LLC
Contact: Scott Fithen
13341 W US 290, Bldg 2
Austin, TX 78737
585.506.7725
[email protected]
www.dwtitle.com
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Rynoh
Contact: Lee Swaffield
892 Lake Ave
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
757.333.3799
[email protected]
www.rynoh.com
Suits Title, LLC
Contact: Gerrit Schulze
12451 Starcrest
San Antonio, TX 78216
210.503.2800
[email protected]
Ed Hill & Company, CPAs, LLC
Contact: Jane H Schultz, CPA, CFE
10912 FM 2022 N
Grapeland, TX 75844
281.387.6500
[email protected]
FIRPTA Solutions Inc.
Contact: Jonathan Wiernik
615 Cape Coral Pkwy W, Ste 202
Cape Coral, FL 33914
239.540.1022
[email protected]
www.firptasolutions.com