First American began sending title searches to the Philippines and India 2 years ago.  In this past year, 2005, California made sure that every company owned title plant send ALL their searches overseas - unless the agent opposed it.  Typically, the search is sent, matched up with a massive database of priors, a gap search done and then re-entered into their FAST system.  If the search is metes and bounds or for some reason a little difficult, it is returned to that local plant (now a couple days late) to be done.

Stewart Title Guaranty is right behind them.  They have announced plans to ship their work to India, as well, under the same guidelines.

Locally, that means 60% of the abstractors and typists are laid off.  60% and rising.  The overseas searches are also typed there.

I have been in the title side of the title insurance industry since 1982.  I have been a past vice-president of First American Title Insurance Company of Florida; Assistant Vice-President of California FATCO and Regional Manager for Fidelity National Title Insurance Company. I was the Florida Resident Agent for Nationwide Appraisal Services beginning when they opened up Florida through their sale to Arizona.

A decade ago, the two main players in the secondary mortgage industry were Lenders Service, Inc., and Nationwide Appraisal.  Quickly followed by Chesapeake, TransContinental, etc, etc, etc.  Back then, the national companies never dreamed that this secondary market would become what is has - they still don't really know.  But in the last few years, they have purchased most of the companies we all do work for now.  FATCO recently purchased TransContinental - the last one I heard.  The rest have been purchased or created by the lenders.

25 years ago, abstracting was an honorable, dependable profession.  It took no small amount of skill and training.  There were no fax machines, cell phones or computers.  You carried yourself to the courthouse, examined records that were carefully and lovingly maintained and produced a record and history of a piece of America.

My entire family is a part of this industry - my daughter, sister-in-law, nieces and ex-wives (yeah, plural) and we are both old school and computer and technology savvy - and I don't know if they will have jobs next year!!  This is outrageous!  This is our American heart being sold overseas - it is not corn or soybeans!

I have begun building a woodworking shop - I am not kidding - and I hope to open a custom picture framing business.  I guess then I'll complain about cheap picture frames from Mexico.