Stronger Together

Title Agency Owners

Reasons title agencies should partner with Passport Title

What Does “Partnering with Passport Title” Mean?

Title agencies who partner with Passport Title do the following:

1 Generally, they stop doing business under their current title agency name.
2 The principal and any employees join Passport.
3 The principal manages his/her own Net Branch division. Passport does not manage your staff.
4 All cases close under Passport’s name, which creates an economies-of-scale savings for all players.
5 The Net Branch handles marketing, core title work, processing, closings and possibly post‑closing too.
6 Passport personnel handle everything else: Admin, HR, payroll, IT, processing software, banking, bookkeeping, underwriter audits, lender approval packages.
7 You come under our errors and omissions policy. (for W-2 Employees)
8 All employees are eligible for health insurance and a simple IRA.

Why Partner

1 Staffing issues, high interest rates, wire fraud exposure, increasing regulations, expanding lender control and growing liability are making it increasingly difficult for title agencies to adapt and operate profitably.
2 2) Partnering eliminates redundant tasks and expenses, and makes us bigger and stronger together. Partnering allows you focus on your core business and not on administration, compliance, bookkeeping, human resources/payroll, banking, and technology functions. You are also insulated from the impacts of key employee absenteeism, as the Passport Title model provides built-in staff support to handle fluctuating volumes and out-of-office schedules. Furthermore, you gain the freedom to take time off from work. Passport Title processors and closers fill in when you are gone.

Why Partner with Passport Title Specifically

We created this business model immediately after the mortgage crash in 2008, and have steadily improved systems, services and technology since then. We currently have over 70 clients who are attorneys, previous title company owners or lay title producers.

Who Makes Title Decisions

You manage your own division and employees. You establish your own fees based on market conditions and make your own title decisions for your business unit. Since Passport Title holds the final liability we ask that you consult with John Cotter or a Corporate staff member on “business” or “risky” decisions, such as accepting risk on a title issue or taking a personal check.

How it Works

Our Net Branch model works for attorneys or title agency owners who currently employ one or more processors or other title‑related staff and wish to retain. It also works for title agency owners who have no staff and process their own cases.

Under this model you operate as a business unit managing your own staff. Your clients continue to communicate directly with you and your staff. You continue to manage your own office, set your own fees, and make your own title decisions. Passport does not manage your staff.

Passport Title provides the platform and support for you to be successful and grow. Your clients see virtually no change to their interactions with you and your staff, but enjoy the confidence of Best Practices certification, more resources to ensure service levels are consistently met and automated information gathering and communication tools.

By platform we mean the following: Passport Title would relieve you of all the time‑consuming and non‑market facing tasks including administration, compliance, Best Practices, payroll, billpaying, bookkeeping, audits, human resources, phones, processing software issues, licensing, technology support.

You retain marketing functions, client contact, title work, processing, and closing functions. You may also continue to disburse funds, record and handle all post‑closing functions or pay Passport Title a fee per case to handle all those tasks for you.

How it Works Financially

With this model, compensation is shared as follows: Your expenses are deducted from the revenue you generate. You keep 80% of the profit; Passport Title earns 20%.

What You Eliminate by Partnering with Passport Title

The resource‑intensive process of implementing and monitoring your own Best Practices program
Underwriter audits
Annual 1099 reporting
Managing information technology, including title software, and telecommunications
Accounts payable and escrow account management
Payroll and human resources
Company licensing
Cost of errors and omissions insurance and bonds. (for W-2 Employees)
Answering lender approval questionnaires

Value you Gain by Partnering with Passport Title

A much larger network of attorneys and support staff
A human resource department
Someone to handle payroll
An accounting department
Someone to handle bookkeeping and bill paying
Someone to handle information technology: computers, software and phones
Someone to handle audits and compliance
Processing through Qualia software
A remote deposit tool for your clients to easily send EMD funds
Multi-state licensing and a growing footprint
A large premium split with our underwriter in states where percentages are not set.
Relationships with over 230 local, regional and national lenders
A personal website page and marketing support

The Benefits of Partnering with Passport Title… Summary

Partnering helps us both by eliminating redundant tasks and expenses, and by increasing our volume, size and collective experience. Below, I have summarized what you would no longer have to spend valuable time managing and what you gain by the association. A partnership with Passport Title means:

You retain your independence
You continue to work directly with your clients and focus fully on income‑producing tasks
You no longer have to perform a sizeable list of complex, time‑consuming compliance, administration, and other tasks
If you are an attorney, you can fully focus on your law practice and marketing, processing, closing and serving real estate settlement clients
You gain large‑firm resources that are difficult and expensive to obtain on your own, possibly including a higher premium split
You become more attractive to lenders and protect your ability to do business with them in an environment of settlement provider consolidation
The major part of a title company’s liability is no longer yours. (for W-2 Employees)
You pay Passport a very reasonable price to share this platform
You can go on vacation and not worry

Attorneys

Nothing discussed here, of course, applies to your law practice, if you are an attorney. That would remain separate from your association with Passport Title. Our business model applies to your real estate settlement business only.

Further Exploration

If you are interested in exploring this potential partnership further I can produce a pro forma that explains the profit and loss and profit sharing in more detail.

Call:

(240) 658-6086

Email:

[email protected]

OR…

SCHEDULE A CHAT