Well... I am glad you are not mad at me.  I am not sure what it is that you want NALTEA to do, but I would like to hear it.  I don't think it is quite accurate to say that no one is doing anything.  NALTEA has had some discussions with executives from Fannie Mae and Fitch Ratings and more communication is planned for the future. 

The forces that have allowed so much inexperienced competition into the industry are from outside.  For instance, there is no regulation, no licensing, underwriting standards continue to decline, the banks have been allowed to sell title insurance, etc.  These factors all contribute to the pricing pressures we face. 

I'm not sure what it is that you expect NALTEA to do about these things.  I assure you that the NALTEA board of directors has been doing their best to address them.  We have met with representatives from Fannie Mae and Fitch Ratings.  There are many more opportunities available to a well organized, professional association but we need to work together to have any influence. 

If there is something you think NALTEA should have done, or should be doing to better represent you, please share your ideas with us. Let us know what you would like to see get done and how it will alleviate the problem.  I am open to suggestions, and I'm sure others are as well.

I am saddened that you no longer want to be associated with NALTEA.  I just don't know what else it can do.  I wish I could force clients to send NALTEA members more orders and pay a higher fee, but I don't think I have that much influence.  The fact is, there is too much competition willing to work for lower fees and that will come back to bite them, as much as it hurts the rest of us.  But I don't have any control over that either. 

My concept is to drum up support for NALTEA and have NALTEA lobby on our behalf to those in a position to require more strict regulation and impose a higher standard on title evidencing.  I think that would weed out those who don't belong in the business and the professional abstractors would be able to provide a quality product for a fair price.  But it isn't something that can change overnight.  It requires a strong organization with a lot of support in the industry.

I apologize if my article was too much "doom and gloom", but I think my analysis is accurate and I think that as our cyclical industry begins to slow down we are going to see some rough times.  I hope I am able to survive it, and I wish everyone else the best of luck as well.

Best,
Robert A. Franco
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