TITLE INSURANCE UNDERWRITER ANNOUNCES NEW NAME, PLANS FOR EXPANSION

PR Newswire

CHICAGO, Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago-based title insurance underwriter Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., (ATG^®), www.atgf.com, announced its new name and brand, Advocus National Title Insurance Company, effective September 1, 2023.

The nearly 60-year-old organization says the name change was driven by its expansion plans. The new name, rooted in advocacy and based on the Latin word for lawyer, honors the organization's past and embraces the future—as illustrated in this one-minute video.

The legacy organization was founded in 1964 by a small group of Central Illinois lawyers who were part of a movement that recognized consumers needed the benefit of legal counsel when engaging in the largest financial transaction of a lifetime. As a solution, they built a title insurance company based on the lawyer-agent model. In other parts of the country, lawyers of the same mindset were doing the same. The result: Disparate companies separated by state lines using the same name. They never dreamed that one day the title companies they started would be so successful they would collide when trying to expand. Facing licensing obstacles and name confusion, the organization opted for a fresh start with a new and meaningful name.

"In exploring directions for a new name and brand, we kept returning to the one thing that sets us apart from other underwriters: Advocacy. It remains our guiding principle. We work to preserve the attorney's role in real estate transactions for the benefit of the clients we both serve. That's been our mission since 1964. While we'll always be guided by our core values, now we aspire to be a national underwriter. As we expand our mission into new markets, we will continue to ensure consumers in those markets have access to competent legal counsel when buying or selling a home—as well as provide underwriting services to established title agencies." said Peter Birnbaum, President and Chief Executive Officer, who continues in this role post-rebrand.

Very little will change for current agents. Production systems and web domains cut over on September 1. The company's sixteen offices, including its flagship at One South Wacker in Chicago, and other materials are in the process of being rebranded. All services and staffing levels remain the same.

"As ATG, our commitment to lawyers and their clients drove every decision we made. As Advocus, that commitment remains strong. We are poised for expansion and bringing services to new states, thereby strengthening the position of lawyers in real estate transactions throughout the country. We are excited for this new chapter," added Birnbaum.

The immediate expansion plans include the states of Texas and Florida. Advocus National Title Insurance Company has a title agency, Advocus Title Agency, that is licensed to do business in 41 states.

About Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc.

Title insurance protects homeowners and lenders from financial loss when claims are filed against a title. Examples include outstanding liens, unpaid taxes, and conflicting wills. Through its thousands of agent attorneys, ATG has presided over more than three million real estate closings and provided homebuyers and lenders with competitively priced title insurance since 1964. The only Bar-Related^® title insurance company based in Illinois, ATG built a significant market share by providing excellent service at competitive prices. It has been assigned a Financial Stability Rating^®(FSR) of A′ (A Prime), Unsurpassed, by the independent ratings bureau, Demotech, Inc. ATG was included in the Crain's Chicago Business list of "Chicago's Largest Privately Held Companies," for five consecutive years through 2021. In addition, ATG has a Claims-Paying Ability Rating of A- from the Kroll Bond Rating Agency, Financial Institutions: Title Insurance Rating Report. In April 2022, ATG was acquired by Guaranteed Rate Companies. For more information, see http://www.atgf.com/aboutATG/about-us.

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