You are right to be concerned about price fixing. A simple complaint to the FTC can start a fire storm of problems. There was similar issue among the signing agents recently. One of them purportedly complained to the FTC. The attorney to whom she spoke was most interested in the complaint. There are very legitimate ways for the abstractors to increase there prices without running afoul of the anti trust laws, but the need to legitimately organize and fund the program. Change does not come without a certain degree of pain.