Kim...

...fortunately, this was not our company - I am not endorsed by a large company and spoon fed to banks to use as an independent.  This company services over 200 counties in Missouri and Illinois; and I still am not sure if they are what I would truly call an Independent Abstractor or in truth, a Vendor Manager.  Nevertheless, I am VERY familiar with the County the errors occurred in - and the simple fact is, you have to know the County to know how to run a title there.  Obviously, the abstractor was unfamiliar with all the idiosyncrasies of that particular county.  No corrections were made - nothing outstanding performed by the abstractor.  Other than the fact that the abstractor was trained by us - and that is how I became aware of the situation.  That, and the fact that this abstractor has been searching for about 5+ years. My abstractor is now the Production Manager of this particular institution.  But the bridge is burned.  No more independents.  And that is what annoys and frightens me. If a Lending facility has a Vendor Management Team - they are direct contacts with the Independents. When and if one starts to perform less than expected - they can turn to another independent with more experience.  If a Vendor Management Service is going to operate - then they damn well better know their abstractors and know their abstractors experience and talents.  Otherwise, they will screw the rest of us out of future opportunities.

IMHO...

Ellen