Company Overview
A trusted name for over a decade, Passport Title is a Best Practices compliant title insurance agency and real estate settlement services provider exclusively focused on title agency partnering.
We help attorneys, title agents and title agency owners overcome the day to day challenges of operating title companies on their own by providing customized solutions for end-to-end settlement processing, title insurance agency management and support operations. Through our industry-first partnering solution, we provide a turn-key title company platform that is cost effective and hassle-free.
We offer the resources of a larger organization, including back-up staff, data security and favorable underwriter agreements to help our partners serve their clients with less workload, risk and expense. Contact us today to learn how you can participate, too.
National reach for real estate transactions
Passport Title provides title agency partnering solutions across seven states – Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia – and Washington, D.C. We support commercial and residential real estate transactions from coast to coast through underwriter relationships.
Email us today to learn more about our growth plans and how we can support your state, too.
Trusted service provider to lenders
We are an approved settlement service provider to over 300 lenders across the country – from global brands to community banks. Our lender services are built around sound risk management, quality controls and Best Practices compliance.
Call us at 240-542-1920 to learn more about how we protect lender interests.
No conflicting loyalties
Passport Title is privately held and independent. This structure allows us to focus on and invest in serving attorneys, title agents and title agency owners who do business through us. With no outside owners, we have no conflicting loyalties.
Reach-out for a conversation about our business philosophy. We'd like to hear from you.
Contact us today to discuss how partnering with Passport Title could be right for you.
Call: 240-542-1920
Email: partnerships@passporttitle.com
Our History
Passport Title was established in 2005 as a traditional title company.
We broke ground in 2008 when we pioneered a title agency partnering model in response to the global financial crisis. The collapse of the real estate market caused a significant reduction in settlement volume across the industry, straining stand-alone infrastructure and staffing models.
Passport Title innovated to provide a cost effective title company platform for attorneys and title agents, enabling them to share resources and participate in economies of scale. Based on this success, we extended our model to serve title agency owners who operate under our brand or a proprietary brand.
Our exclusive focus since pivoting in 2008 is helping our attorney, title agent and title agency owner partners be successful. We believe one of the best ways to do that is by not competing in the marketplace for settlement business. Our mission is helping our partners succeed, not competing with them for success.
Call us at 240-542-1920 to learn more about the Passport Title story.
Ahead of the curve
Continuous improvement has kept Passport Title at the forefront of the industry. Each year we deliver advancements in technology, capabilities and processes to stay ahead of emerging trends.
Early in our history, we built remote working capabilities. Our long-established competency in managing functions and teams without the requirement of physical proximity has many advantages.
It supports robust business continuity that enables us to operate without disruption when faced with events such as natural disasters and pandemics. It helps us attract and retain the right talent. And, it enables us to provide services cost effectively across a growing footprint.
Expansion and distinction in 2016
In 2016, we added Pennsylvania to our service footprint where we do business as Passport Settlement Services, LLC.
Also in 2016, Passport Title became one of only a small percentage of title companies across the country to achieve independent, third party certification of compliance with ALTA Best Practices.
Launching service to the Sunshine State in 2019
In 2019 we continued to grow and make targeted investments. We expanded our operation again, this time to Florida to meet demand for our solution in this active real estate market.
Off and running in 2020
Passport Title expanded into Kentucky in early 2020, an exciting start to a new year and a new decade. The Bluegrass State represents Passport Title's most recent market expansion and a contiguous addition to our growing footprint.
Shortly following, we implemented digital closing capabilities to meet customer preferences, whether they be a traditional office closing, a mobile closing or an online closing. The need for digital closings became suddenly front and center because of Covid-19, and Passport Title was prepared to serve.
Also in 2020, we launched private label capabilities. Attorneys, title agents and title agency owners who join Passport Title can perform closings under their own brand name or the Passport Title brand. While many partners prefer to do business as Passport Title to reflect their association with a large title company, we can also support requests to combine the power of our platform with the strength of a proprietary brand.
Our effective response to the Covid-19 crisis underscores Passport Title's commitment to safely, soundly and securely serving the title insurance and real estate settlement needs of our communities. A flexible business model, technical expertise and growth momentum prepared us to move our business forward without disruption during unprecedented circumstances – continuing to serve our employees, our clients and their customers.
And, that's just the beginning. Contact us to learn more about how we future-proof our business.
Stronger together
The pace of marketplace change is accelerating. The business landscape is increasingly complex and costly. New risks present themselves each day, and the age old concerns around seasonality and interest rate sensitivity persist. We meet these challenges stronger together.
Email us to learn how you can participate, too.
Steadfast values
While our business changes to meet new needs, our values remain the same. Integrity, determination, innovation and leadership were at the core of our company when we were founded in 2005, and they are values we continue to honor today.
If a values-orientation is important to you in your choice of a title company partner, let’s talk. Call us at 240-542-1920 for a conversation.
Contact us today to discuss how partnering with Passport Title could be right for you.
Call: 240-542-1920
Email: partnerships@passporttitle.com
Leadership
John R. H. Cotter | President and Chief Executive Officer
John has guided Passport Title from a one-state title company serving a select group of attorneys to one of the region’s leading title companies serving attorneys, title agents and title agency owners across seven states and Washington, D.C.
John has been involved in the title industry since the 1990's. He has a demonstrated track record of innovation having built title company business models that anticipate market changes. He was a pioneer of affiliated business arrangements in the Mid-Atlantic where he established over 50 AfBA title companies.
After working in leadership positions for large, multi-state title companies, John founded Passport Title in 2005. Recognizing a shifting landscape, early in 2008 he introduced an industry-first title agency partnering solution to support attorneys and title agents who faced business challenges following the global financial crisis. Based on successfully serving attorneys and title agents, he expanded the solution set to now support title agency owners, too.
John was born in Venezuela, raised in Bahrain and educated in England before coming to America, where he graduated from the University of Maryland. Learn more about John's story here.
A licensed title producer, John now works across Passport Title's multi-state footprint and calls South Carolina home.
Call John: 240-542-1920
Connect with John: linkedin.com/in/john-r-h-cotter
Email John: jcotter@passporttitle.com
Susan Kenney Cotter | Chief Growth Officer
Susan is a marketing strategist and profit and loss leader who builds, transforms and grows insurance businesses. She has been at the forefront of leading Passport Title's expansion into new states and new market segments. She oversees digital strategy and transformation initiatives to continually improve the customer experience for Passport Title's agent partners and their clients.
She has held officer level sales, marketing and product roles for leading insurance companies, including AIG and Colonial Life, helping them achieve sustainable growth and adapt to changing market environments. Susan also has experience in the legislative and regulatory arena through her work in Washington, D.C. on behalf of insurers and their customers.
Susan is a graduate of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina and received her master’s degree from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.
A firm believer in the power of philanthropy to improve lives and communities, Susan actively serves on industry and non-profit boards.
She is a licensed title producer.
Call Susan: 410-846-6611
Connect with Susan: linkedin.com/in/susan-kenney-cotter
Email Susan: scotter@passporttitle.com
Michael K. Rizk, Esq. | General Counsel
Mike is a licensed attorney specialized in the field of real estate law. His expertise was developed through hands-on experience with thousands of real estate transactions in the Mid-Atlantic states.
He was formerly a partner in Redden and Rizk, P.A. until 1992, at which time he started his own law firm, Michael K. Rizk, P.A., and his own settlement company, USA Settlements, Inc.
In 2008, Mike merged his business with Passport Title and joined the organization as general counsel.
Mike is a graduate of Arizona State University and received his juris doctor from the University of Miami. He is a licensed title producer.
Call Mike: 240-747-7072
Email Mike: mrizk@passporttitle.com
Cheryl L. Gray | Settlement Processing Manager
A seasoned title professional, Cheryl has management responsibility for the title and settlement processing functions at Passport Title.
Cheryl began her career as a title processor in training, advancing to roles of increased responsibility based on her multi-state experience and technical expertise. Cheryl joined Passport Title in 2010 as a settlement processor and now leads the company's title and settlement processing functions.
She is a licensed title producer.
Call Cheryl: 240-667-7635
Email Cheryl: cgray@passporttitle.com