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McKinney, TX. - Alanna.ai welcomes Aaron M. Davis, CEO of the Florida Agency Network (FAN), as the newest member to the Alanna.ai Board of Directors. Davis has long been considered a leader in the title insurance industry, and he was an early supporter and proponent of the eClosing and Remote Online Notarization initiatives in Florida. FAN utilizes Softpro Select as its software platform for its title and ancillary operations. Davis brings his knowledge of Softpro Select, and familiarity with the other software providers’ products, to assist in further development of Alanna.ai’s product suite. He was introduced to Alanna.ai in 2019 and was immediately impressed by the product’s intuitive querying capabilities and its potential impact on the title and settlement industry.

Alanna.ai's CEO, Randall Nelson stated, "We are thrilled that Aaron Davis will be joining Alanna. His industry experience along with his passion and energy will help propel Alanna to the next level.”

"I’m excited to join the Board with James Schlimmer of Cottrell Title & Escrow, and the team at Alanna.ai, to assist and advise in development and expansion of its products. I’ve experienced first-hand the technological evolution of the title industry, and I am humbled to be involved in the vision of its future direction,” says Davis.

About Alanna.ai

Alanna.ai is a technology company whose sole mission is to provide innovative technologies to the Title Industry.

Florida Agency Network (FAN), a conglomerate of independent title agencies, settlement service providers, and innovative technology companies within the State of Florida, announces a new partnership with Notarize to perform remote online notarization within the FAN title insurance offices. This partnership marks a historic shift in the title industry and how it handles the ever-changing needs of the consumer. FAN is the first title insurance operation in the nation that will leverage the Notarize platform to perform their own remote online notarized closings, using its own title agents and notary closers.

The partnership was announced on stage in front of 300 attendees representing 200 companies at Notarize’s conference, REWIRED, in Miami this week.

“Today, we couldn’t be more excited to announce that Florida Agency Network will be the first company to leverage what we’ve built at Notarize and perform their own closings on our platform,” said Notarize Founder and CEO Pat Kinsel. “The real estate industry is ultimately local, and we’ve heard from title companies and closing agents that they want to be able to use this technology to deliver a better closing experience. What the industry has been asking for over the last four years, today, is becoming a reality.”

Since meeting Pat Kinsel, CEO and Adam Pase, COO of Notarize, in June of 2017, Aaron M. Davis, CEO of Florida Agency Network, knew working together would evolve into a broader partnership over time. What started with achieving Florida’s first fully digital closing, expanded to a much larger-scale goal of overhauling Florida’s title insurance landscape for the better.

 “We completed the first online closing in the state of Florida in 2018 and have done hundreds with Notarize since,” said Davis. “By being the first partner to work with Notarize on a platform to help our title agents use this technology to perform their own closings, we’re changing the title industry and the way that our agents serve customers. We’ve seen first-hand the impact Notarize has had on the real estate industry, and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the next chapter.”

Backed by Notarize training, support, and technology, Florida Agency Network will work closely with Notarize on the development of a platform that both empowers its agents to close completely digitally, while still leveraging Notarize’s staff and notaries during off-hours, weekends, and for added assistance during heavier volume closing days.

At this year's ALTA ONE conference, Amy Gregory, Chief Administrative Officer/President of Florida Agency Network, was awarded the Our Values ­ We Protect Award.

The award was given during ALTA ONE, the largest annual event for the land title insurance industry, held on Oct. 22-25 in Austin. The award is one of three awards given to industry members who exemplify core ideals adopted within the association:

Amy Gregory holding awardAmy is always trying to look for ways to help protect our clients from cyber fraud.  She has direct contacts at the U.S. Secret Service to help lend a hand when a case arises and has hosted events where a U.S. Secret Service Agent came in to discuss ways to prevent fraud.  Going one step further, Gregory earned her Certified Anti­Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) designation to help become a strong resource for other customers, and she is one of the few that have this designation in the nation.

“With decades of experience, I have seen a vast amount of change and new threats that did not exist years ago,” Amy Gregory said. “We have made it our mission to protect our clients and company, and to create an environment of continuous improvement and awareness. I am truly honored to receive this award.”

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“The ‘We Protect Award’ is a significant award, given the current landscape of threats in our industry,” said Andrea Somers, Compliance Officer for the Florida Agency Network. "Amy is committed to providing a safe environment for customers by constantly challenging our teams to be vigilant and search for ways to improve our processes. She truly goes above and beyond in everything that she does."

“We Lead, We Deliver and We Protect reflect the universal values of ALTA members,” said Robert J. Grubb, Cofounder of Alliant National Title Insurance Co. and Vice Chairman of Presidio ATC Holdco LLC. “These values are at the core of who we are and how we operate every day. The Our Values Awards recognize the most extraordinary efforts in a profession full of extraordinary professionals who work hard to protect the long-term interests of their customers. The awards allow us to recognize those in our industry who raise the bar, inspiring the rest of us to do the same.”

Channel 10’s Courtney Robinson discusses the pros and cons of Zillow Offers and other iBuyer programs with Florida Agency Network’s CEO, Aaron M. Davis.

While iBuyer programs may offer convenience, it doesn’t equate to more money in your pocket. Consumers must be AWARE.

On Monday, October 21, Zillow launched "Zillow Offers" as a new way for consumers to sell their homes. The technology allows a consumer to go onto the APP, answer some questions about their home, and receive an instant cash offer.

But is it really the best way to sell a house?

10Investigates' Courtney Robinson spoke to Joe Locicero, owner of 54 Realty and the Zillow agent for the Tampa Bay area. Robinson also had our very own Aaron Davis weigh in on what's to come of future iBuyer technology.

"While it takes away stress and offers sellers convenience, there is a cost. On average, sellers pay a 7 percent fee. Traditional real estate agents charge between 5-6 percent," Robinson advises.

To read the full story and learn the pros and cons, click HERE.

 

 

 

 

Aaron M. Davis presenting to title agents at Alliant Conference

As technology progresses, title agents must stay up-to-date on trends and advancements – or risk getting left behind. At FAN, we have embraced the digital age and are helping title agents across the State of Florida learn the ins and outs of title closings in this digital era.

speaker at alliant conference

Earlier this month, our CEO, Aaron Davis, led a presentation at a conference for licensed title agents at the Gaylord Palms Conference Center in Orlando with the aim of providing resources for title agents to get ahead of the game on upcoming legislation and the changes that will soon sweep the industry.

 

At the conference, attendees enjoyed learning more about the various types of eclosings available. They were also educated on the different types of eClosings, including hybrids, in person, and RON, or Remote Online Notarization, and discussed numerous digital closing topics, such as:

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The attending agents were able to earn CE credit as a result of their participation and are now better prepared to transition into the era of eClosings and remote online notarization.

How are you and your team preparing for the upcoming legislative changes? Are you prepared to offer eClosings and accommodate closers who wish to utilize RON during their closing process? If not, you can now request a course from FAN to better prepare you and your agents before the New Year. Email us now to find out more information or to schedule your course.

FAN Executives at 2019 National Settlement Services Summit

Florida Agency Network (FAN) is dedicated to ongoing education and being at the forefront of the industry, so it was only natural for us to have several FAN Executives attend this year’s 2019 National Settlement Services Summit. From the Underwriter Panel and Compliance Management Systems Seminar to the Consumer Privacy and Protection Workshop, the eClosing Seminar, and all the interesting topics in between, Aaron Davis, Mike Larosa, Amy Gregory, Andrea Somers, and Jay Roberts made the most of their experience – and, of course, had a whole lot of fun along the way!

Our FAN team received some excellent takeaways from this year’s Summit, including a few key points from their favorite speakers:

  1. Growing a Title Business Is All in the Marketing. Our team learned how to better market their differentiators to further command Title Companies' recognition and grow their businesses. This year, it’s all about leveraging Remote Online Notarization, or RON, to separate yourself from the crowd.
  2. Compliance Is Best When Intertwined with Automation. Those who haven’t automated their compliance management systems are sure to get left behind. It’s always best to work with integrated, automated compliance management systems to keep clients satisfied – and regulators at bay.
  3. eClosings Are the Future. Consumers absolutely love eClosings, but there are too many Title Companies out there that don’t have the experience to make an eClosing a seamless experience. Fortunately, we are glad to be ahead of the game. FAN not only was the first to do this in FL, but we do more eClosings in Florida than any other Title Company at this time. Want more information? Learn more about eClosings today.

We are still buzzing about all of the things we learned, are busy strategizing the best ways to move forward with all the recent industry changes, and are eager to see what’s in store for FAN in the year ahead!

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Amy Gregory (CAO), Andrea Somers (Compliance Officer), and Jay Roberts (CTO), of Florida Agency Network were awarded the widely recognized CAMS® credential by the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists® (ACAMS®), the world’s leading organization of professionals in the anti- money laundering (AML) field.

Exec standing and smilingThe CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) designation is awarded to professionals who successfully complete a rigorous examination demonstrating their aptitude and expertise in anti-money laundering detection and enforcement. The examination covers money laundering and terrorist financing methods, the best practices to stop these and other financial crimes, as well as key related legislation in place worldwide, global AML standards and developing defenses for financial institutions to stop terrorist financing and money laundering.

“Earning the CAMS credential places the successful candidate in an elite group of AML professionals and assures employers in the private and public sectors that they are working with someone with the essential knowledge and background in this crucial and challenging field,” said Timothy D. McClinton, President & Managing Director of ACAMS.

“With more FinCEN geographic targeting orders coming on a regular basis now, we thought it was incredibly important to stay ahead of the curve and be one of the first Title Agencies in the country to achieve this. This credential, along with our SOC 1 and 2, also helps us meet our company goal of providing clients with security to close with any of our brands,” stated Aaron Davis, CEO for Florida Agency Network.

“Achieving this credential is a major accomplishment for us. It further solidifies our company’s commitment to not only providing a safer environment for our customers but also helping to provide a more stable financial landscape in the industry," said Andrea Somers, Compliance Officer for Florida Agency Network.

Money hanging our on a laundry line

Founded in 2001, ACAMS is the largest international membership organization dedicated to enhancing the knowledge and expertise of AML/CTF and financial crime detection and prevention professionals. ACAMS’ mission is to provide a global platform for career development for leading professionals in the AML field. ACAMS gives members the insight, information and inspiration they need to protect their institutions against the threat of money laundering, terrorist financing and related financial crime, and the tools to advance their skills and keep the AML professional ahead of those that engage in these criminal activities. CAMS is the most widely recognized AML certification among compliance professionals worldwide.

For more information, please visit www.acams.org.

team FAN wealcomes total title solutions to the family!

Florida Agency Network (FAN) expands into key Florida markets! Today, April 15, marks the first day of a new merger between Total Title Solutions (TTS) and FAN.

“As a team, we are excited about the services and products that FAN has to offer. We all believe that the TTS way is already above and beyond the standards of the Title Industry,” says Angie Haddon, Chief Operating Officer of TTS. “However, the merger with FAN will make a superior experience! Anyone involved in the real estate transaction will continue to be in GREAT hands.”

FAN will take control of TTS’ operations.  Angie Haddon will become a Division Manager for FAN, while Lisa Jahr will be promoted to Regional Manager and will oversee offices throughout the Tampa Bay Area. The merger will bring 27 new team members to the FANily and grow FAN’s geographical footprint by 5 additional offices, which include two in Pinellas, two in Pasco, and one in Hernando County.

“We are so excited to have TTS become part of FAN and continue to grow our footprint in the Tampa Bay Area. Abe, Angie, and the team have a like-minded culture to FAN, and we are grateful for the opportunity to service our clients together,” stated Amy Gregory, President of Title Operations for FAN.

christmas stockingsIt's a wrap on our inaugural Christmas in July Client Appreciation Party!

We are so thankful and excited about how well our first ever Christmas in July Client Appreciation Party went!

Thanks to the efforts of our clients and employees, we were able to fill three barrels  and 10 large bags with toys and supplies for Metropolitan Ministries.

For those who weren't able to attend, we're sorry you had to miss out! Ask any one of the 200+ attendees and they'll let you know that SANTA CAME INTO TOWN! 

christmas presentsSanta made a special appearance at the Christmas in July party, handing out goodies to those on the nice AND the naughty list!

But the best part, was all of our clients and friends who were able to join us in the fun celebrations;

THANK YOU!!!!

 

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walking dog in rain

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