First Title & Escrow

What First Title & Escrow does

First Title & Escrow is a privately held national title insurance and closing services provider headquartered at 1700 Rockville Pike, Suite 440, Rockville, Maryland. Founded in 1997 with technology operations anchored by a 2006 Ellie Mae Encompass integration, the company serves enterprise lenders, loan servicers, law firms, government and infrastructure organizations, commercial real estate investors, and residential homeowners across all 50 states. The firm operates with 51-100 employees and is led by founder-CEO Steve Papermaster and COO Pam Gibbons, with the company describing 100+ years of combined veteran staff experience. First Title positions itself as a technology-focused intermediary rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar title agency, differentiated by 13 years of SOC and ALTA Best Practices certification.

Name

First Title & Escrow

Legal name

First Title & Escrow

Website

https://firsttitleservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

First Title & Escrow is a privately held national title insurance and closing services provider headquartered in Rockville, MD. Its proprietary FirstVision platform automates title, closing, and default services for lenders, servicers, law firms, and government entities across all 50 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Title Insurance & Escrow Services

NAICS

Direct Title Insurance Carriers (524127), Title Abstract and Settlement Offices (541191)

SIC

Title Insurance (6361)

akta.pro primary industry

Title Insurance (FSAJACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Closing & Settlement Services (Settlement Agents) (BPAJAOAE), Escrow Services (BPAJAOAD), Notary & Signing Agent Services (Remote/Onsite) (BPAJAOAF)

Keywords

• Title insurance services
• Closing settlement services
• Escrow services
• Default loss mitigation
• National title solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Title Insurance Policies: Issuance of ALTA title insurance policies including Lender's, Owner's, and Limited Protection Policies. One-time fee at closing protecting against title claims.
2. Closing/Settlement Services: Full-service closing and settlement processing including document preparation, signing coordination, disbursement, and recording services.
3. Default and Loss Mitigation Services: Comprehensive default services including foreclosure processing, short sales, deed-in-lieu, REO asset management, and loss mitigation solutions for servicers and law firms.
4. Technology Integration Services: Integration services providing automated pricing, document delivery, and compliance capabilities through LOS platform integrations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First Title & Escrow is a national title insurance and closing services company that issues ALTA title insurance policies (Lender's, Owner's, and Limited Protection) and provides full-service closing and settlement processing for real estate transactions across all 50 states. The company also delivers default, foreclosure, REO, and loss mitigation services to servicers, law firms, and government entities, supported by its proprietary FirstVision technology platform with direct integrations into major loan origination systems.

Product overview

First Title & Escrow offers a technology-focused national title insurance and closing services platform. The core offering is the proprietary FirstVision platform, which provides end-to-end title and closing solutions from origination to default. The product portfolio includes: FirstVision (core platform), Encompass Integration (LOS integration for automated pricing and document delivery), Collaborative Closing Disclosure with UCD Export (automated settlement statement generation), ZOCCAM Mobile EMDs (mobile earnest money deposits), eClose/RON (electronic and remote online notary closings), CaseAware (REO and pre-foreclosure title processing), Equator Integration (default/REO transaction management), Close Simple (SMS transaction tracking), and Updater (moving coordination tools). The company serves lenders, law firms, servicers, investors, and homeowners across all 50 states through strategic integrations with major loan origination systems (Encompass, LendingPad, Calyx Point) and default management platforms (Equator).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Title Insurance Policies Issuance of ALTA title insurance policies including Lender's, Owner's, and Limited Protection Policies, providing one-time protection at closing against title claims for lenders, homeowners, and investors.
• Closing and Settlement Services Full-service closing and settlement processing including document preparation, signing coordination, disbursement, and recording services for real estate purchase and refinance transactions nationwide.
• Default and Loss Mitigation Services Comprehensive default services including foreclosure processing, short sales, deed-in-lieu, REO asset management, and loss mitigation solutions compliant with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and VA guidelines for servicers and law firms.
• FirstVision Platform Proprietary web-based production platform providing automated pricing, order placement, transaction management, document delivery, and closing disclosure collaboration for nationwide title and closing operations, supporting client, vendor, and third-party logins.
• eClose and RON Services Electronic closing and Remote Online Notary services providing digital closing experience with identity verification, supporting RON, Hybrid, IPEN, and RIN closing options compliant with local guidelines.
• National Commercial Title Division (NCTD) Dedicated commercial title division supporting commercial real estate acquisitions, resales, and refinances with single-point transaction management for commercial real estate investors and asset managers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Closing Disclosure completed in minutes instead of hours
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ellie Mae (Encompass)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2006First Title is a fully automated Encompass integrated service provider meeting lender demands for automated pricing in all 50 states since 2006. The direct integration enables instant generation of title insurance, closing costs, transfer taxes, recording fees, and APR information with guaranteed accuracy against tolerance cure violations.
• EquatorcoreTechnology or IntegrationTwo-way technology integration with Equator supporting Loan Modification, Short Sale, Deed-In-Lieu, Foreclosure, and REO transactions. Enables automated file information transmission, title report viewing directly in Equator, and automatic generation of important processing documents.
• CaseAwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationTwo-way integration with CaseAware enabling firms to experience unrivaled efficiency with automated delivery of supporting documentation, invoicing, and case information. Delivers up to 300 different data points in XML format to case files, compliant with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and VA guidelines.
• PavasosupportingTechnology or IntegrationPavaso eClosing platform partner enabling remote online notary (RON) and comprehensive eClosing experiences in accordance with local guidelines. Supports identity verification and webcam-based closing experiences.
• ZOCCAMsupportingTechnology or IntegrationMobile earnest money deposit partnership enabling secure submission of EMDs directly from smartphone. ZOCCAM helps prevent cyber fraud, decreases liability, and increases productivity in the earnest money deposit process.
• UpdatersupportingTechnology or IntegrationMoving tools partnership helping clients coordinate moves by finding moving companies, sending announcements, transferring utilities, forwarding mail, updating DMV information, and managing 15,000+ account updates.
• Close SimplesupportingTechnology or IntegrationSMS messaging and mobile transaction tracking partnership enabling real-time transaction updates and milestone communication via SMS text or email directly to consumers, agents, and lenders.
• LendingPadsupportingTechnology or IntegrationLOS integration partnership providing title and closing services through LendingPad platform alongside Encompass and Calyx Point integrations.
• Calyx PointsupportingTechnology or IntegrationLOS integration partnership providing title and closing services through Calyx Point platform alongside Encompass and LendingPad integrations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• First American Title Insurance Company: One of the largest national title insurance underwriters with a full suite of title, escrow, and closing services across all 50 states. Directly comparable product offering to First Title's core title insurance and closing business, but at vastly larger scale with owned underwriting operations.
• Fidelity National Financial: The largest title insurance underwriter in the United States, issuing more title policies than any other company and offering integrated title, escrow, and technology services. Directly comparable in product scope, with substantially greater scale, capital, and underwriting capability.
• Stewart Title Guaranty Company: Major national title insurance underwriter offering title insurance, escrow, and closing services with significant direct and agency operations nationwide. Comparable in core offering; offers additional agency services that allow independents like First Title to underwrite through Stewart.
• Old Republic National Title Insurance: National title insurance underwriter providing title insurance, escrow, and settlement services through direct and agency operations across all 50 states. Directly comparable to First Title's core title and closing business, with larger balance sheet and broader branch network.

Direct peers

• WFG National Title Insurance Company: Mid-sized national title insurance underwriter focused on lender-direct and technology-enabled title services, often targeting similar national lender and servicer customers. Most closely comparable in size, technology orientation, and customer mix to First Title's profile.
• Title Resources Group: National title insurance underwriter serving lenders, real estate professionals, and consumers with title and closing services across the U.S. Directly comparable in business model, scale, and customer segments, operating as a similar-sized national title platform.
• North American Title Insurance Company: Mid-sized national title insurance underwriter offering title insurance, escrow, and closing services with a focus on lender-direct and real estate professional channels. Comparable scale and customer mix to First Title with similar technology and integration strategies.

Emerging players

• Qualia: Technology platform serving title companies, real estate attorneys, and lenders with closing and title production software, payments, and integrations. Comparable in product overlap (closing technology, integrations) but positioned as a technology vendor to the title industry rather than a title underwriter.
• PropLogix: Technology-enabled title and closing services provider focused on real estate agents and brokerages with nationwide coverage and digital closing capabilities. Comparable in digital closing orientation and residential closing workflow but operating at smaller scale.
• Snapdocs: Digital closing and eNotary platform connecting lenders, title companies, notaries, and consumers for hybrid and RON closings. Comparable in eClose/RON capabilities and integration ecosystem, though positioned as a closing infrastructure layer rather than a full title underwriter.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/firsttitle
• Facebookfacebook.com/firsttitle

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Title & Escrow