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The Latest News from WFG National Title Company
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Agent adviceMarkets & Economyreal estateSelectTechnology
December 30, 2014

Austin Allison: ‘Our focus is on innovation in an industry known to drag its feet’

Austin Allison is the CEO of dotloop. Are you optimistic about 2015? The housing market? Yes, we are very optimistic about the housing market for 2015. NAR is predicting housing sales to go up by just under 8 percent. While lending standards continue to be rigid, recent comments from the Federal…
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Patrick Stone
December 18, 2014

Pat Stone Looks Ahead at the Housing Indicators — and Likes What He Sees

Some industry analysts are pessimistic about the outlook for the housing market; others are uncertain. Pat Stone, President and CEO of Williston Financial Group (WFG National Title’s parent company) is confident and emphatically upbeat. Speaking to title agents a few weeks ago at the Executive Management conference hosted by WFG’s…
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Compliance
December 11, 2014

CFPB Proposes Expanded Foreclosure Protections

Proposal Would Provide Surviving Family Members and Other Homeowners with Same Protections as Original Borrower WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed additional measures to ensure that homeowners and struggling borrowers are treated fairly by mortgage servicers. The proposal would require servicers to provide certain borrowers…
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Patrick StoneRadio
December 10, 2014

News Radio Interview with Patrick F. Stone: Brian Bushlach’s Business Briefing on FM News 101 KXL Portland and 770-AM KTTH in Seattle

Patrick Stone, President and CEO of Williston Financial Group (WFG) and WFG Title Insurance Company, and Brian Bushlach discuss the global economy, federal rates, and Consumer Confidence versus Sentiment. Listen Now! http://national.wfgnationaltitle.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/BRIEF1_B.mp3   Economic expert Patrick Stone speaks with Brian Bushlach about the economy, lending standards, first time buyers, and…
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Technology
December 2, 2014

What’s your Story?

Everybody has one. It’s rare we get to share it online in a way that truly shows what we’re all about though. Story wants to change that. From their website: “Your Story page is built around your content. Forget about fixed templates or clunky Content Management Systems. Story sites are based…
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Uncategorized
December 2, 2014

Explaining Escrow to Buyers

The escrow process can seem a bit foreign to many home buyers, especially if they are first-timers. Here’s a quick and easy explanation that lays out the nuts and bolts.*   An escrow company is, essentially, a third-party entity that manages the legal and financial components of a real estate…
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MarketingTechnology
December 1, 2014

Tis the season for handwritten postcards

Introducing innovation to the greeting card industry is no small task, but that’s exactly what the folks behind Fountain Greetings have set out to do. FG offers a process to “modernize the greeting and gifting industry and bring back the lost art of the handwritten-card.” The process is fairly simple. You…
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Uncategorized
November 20, 2014

NAR Finds Big Drop in First-time Buyers

According to a recent study, the number of first-time buyers has hit an almost 30-year low in the US. Traditionally hovering at around 40% of the market, this year’s number dropped 5% from last year to just 33%, the lowest since 1987. According to NAR’s chief economist, “Rising rents and…
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Uncategorized
November 19, 2014

Agents Sign Pledge to Increase Safety Awareness

In response to the tragic and shocking deaths of real estate agents Ashley Okland and Beverly Carter, Dylan de Bruin and Joe Schafbuch, the broker-owners of 90-agent firm Century 21 Signature Real Estate in central Iowa, have started a petition to encourage safe and secure showing practices for all agents.…
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Uncategorized
November 18, 2014

Mobile Devices Now More Effective than Signs, and Other Obvious Things

The NAR recently released its annual survey on buyer and seller trends. One thing that was made abundantly clear is that digital advertising absolutely dominates more traditional avenues, like signs and open houses. “While yard signs and open houses have historically been used most frequently after online websites and real…
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