Near North Title Group

What Near North Title Group does

Near North Title Group is a privately held, fully integrated title, escrow, construction escrow, and 1031 exchange company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, tracing its operating roots to Title Protection, Inc. founded in 1990. The company serves both commercial and residential real estate markets across the Midwest (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota) and Florida through a network of over 60 owned office locations and an account executive sales force targeting lenders, realtors, and attorneys. Commercial services span all major asset classes including multifamily, retail, office/industrial, hospitality, medical, agricultural land, cell towers, and government facilities, while residential services cover buy/sell, refinance, HELOC, new construction, and specialty products such as condo deconversions. The company facilitates over $10 billion in annual transaction volume and self-describes as one of the strongest commercial title agents in the country and one of the largest residential agents in the Midwest.

The business operates on a transaction-fee revenue model with four primary streams: title insurance policies (owner's and lender's), escrow and closing services, qualified intermediary 1031 exchange services delivered through its Exchange Services Group affiliate, and construction escrow disbursement services for commercial and residential development. Underwriting is supported through relationships with leading national title insurance underwriters, providing competitive policy issuance and ALTA endorsements. The company's go-to-market blends direct-to-consumer self-service ordering (TitleCapture rate calculator, residential order forms) with enterprise field sales via account executives, supplemented by educational content marketing through Near North University. The company is led by CEO Dan Fowler, COO Allison Rabin, CFO Evelyn Vela, and CIO Dennis Sommo, with an executive team that includes senior commercial underwriters with 30-40+ years of industry experience and senior counsel poached from Doma following the 2023 Midwest and Florida acquisitions.

Technology infrastructure is anchored by the Near North Now platform, a suite of integrated modules covering real-time transaction tracking (Connect), instant title quoting (TitleCapture/Quick Quotes), electronic earnest money deposits (EMDirect via ZOCCAM and TrustFunds integrations), same-day secure check delivery (E-Check powered by Deluxe), wire and seller verification with AI-driven fraud detection (Secure), and in-house Remote Online Notarization (RON). The platform is layered over the legacy office-based closing workflow rather than replacing it, and serves as a competitive moat against digital-only entrants while leveraging the physical branch network. Growth has been driven primarily through acquisition rather than external funding, with seven disclosed deals between 2020 and 2024 (Lawyers Advantage Florida, Total Title Services, Heartland Title, O'Connor Title, Doma Midwest, Doma Florida, NorthStar Title), and the company is preparing for FinCEN's nationwide real estate transaction reporting requirements effective December 1, 2025.

Name

Near North Title Group

Legal name

Near North Title Group

Website

https://nntg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Near North Title Group is a privately held Chicago-based title, escrow, construction escrow, and 1031 exchange company serving commercial and residential real estate clients across the Midwest and Florida through over 60 owned offices and a Near North Now digital platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Title Insurance & Settlement Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Title Insurance (6361)

akta.pro primary industry

Title Insurance & Underwriting (BPAJAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Title Search & Examination (BPAJAOAB), Abstracting Services (Title Abstracts) (BPAJAOAC), Title Insurance (FSAJACAL)

Keywords

• Title insurance services
• Escrow services
• Real estate closing
• Commercial title
• Residential title

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

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: Title insurance policies for residential and commercial real estate transactions, including owner's and lender's policies
2. Escrow Services: Escrow and closing services for real estate transactions
3. 1031 Exchange Services: Qualified intermediary services for tax-deferred real estate exchanges under IRS Section 1031
4. Construction Escrow: Construction disbursement and escrow services for commercial and residential development projects

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Near North Title Group provides title insurance, escrow, and real estate settlement services for both commercial and residential real estate transactions across more than 60 locations in the Midwest and Florida. The company supports lenders, realtors, attorneys, buyers, and sellers with construction escrow, 1031 exchange coordination, and Remote Online Notarization (RON), all delivered through its proprietary digital platform Near North Now.

Product overview

Near North Title Group is a fully integrated title, escrow, construction escrow, and 1031 exchange company offering a comprehensive portfolio of commercial and residential services nationwide. The company operates a platform-plus-modules product architecture centered on the Near North Now digital closing platform, which unifies Connect (real-time updates), Quick Quotes (TitleCapture rate calculator), EMDirect (electronic earnest money via ZOCCAM and TrustFunds), E-Check (same-day check delivery powered by Deluxe), Secure (wire verification and AI-driven fraud detection), Attorney Suite (for attorneys), 1031 Exchange (Exchange Services Group), and Digital Notary/RON (Remote Online Notarization). This digital platform is supported by core title and escrow service lines: Residential Title & Escrow Services (buy/sell, refinance, search, specialty, 1031) across Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, and Minnesota; and Commercial Title & Escrow Services covering all major asset classes nationwide. Construction Escrow Services manage disbursements for complex commercial and residential projects. The Exchange Services Group affiliate provides Qualified Intermediary 1031 exchange services. Near North University provides continuing education and training. The company facilitates over $10 billion in yearly transaction volume across over 60 locations, making it one of the strongest commercial title agents in the country and one of the largest residential agents in the Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Near North Now: Digital platform providing real-time secure updates on closings, title quote tools, electronic earnest money deposits (EMDirect), same-day check delivery (E-Check), and Remote Online Notarization services.
• Exchange Services Group
• Near North Connect
• EMDirect
• E-Check
• TitleCapture

Products and services

• Commercial Title Insurance
• Residential Title Insurance
• Construction Escrow Services
• 1031 Exchange Services
• Remote Online Notarization (RON)
• Near North Now Digital Platform

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ZOCCAMcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for EMDirect electronic earnest money deposit platform. ZOCCAM enables buyers and agents to submit earnest money deposits via mobile app by taking photos of checks or entering bank information.
• TrustFundscoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform partnership for EMDirect enabling bank-level secure, 24/7 earnest money transfers with automated compliance tracking and direct bank transfers.
• DeluxecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership powering E-Check for same-day secure check delivery to payees, enabling recipients to receive payments without attending closings in person.
• TitleCapturecoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated rate calculator tool providing instant title quotes using Near North's exact rates and fees.
• Leading Title Insurance UnderwriterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted relationships with leading underwriters enabling maximum flexibility in facilitating complex transactions and competitive policy offerings.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Westcor Land Title Insurance Company: Mid-sized national title underwriter with growing agent network across the Sun Belt and Midwest. Competes for both commercial and residential transaction volumes in overlapping geographies.
• WFG National Title Insurance Company: Mid-sized title underwriter and agency focused on lender-direct and real estate agent channels, operating nationally with strong technology focus. Comparable size and growth orientation to Near North, with similar commercial and residential exposure.
• Chicago Title Insurance Company: A direct operating subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, one of the most entrenched title insurers in the Midwest. Headquartered in Chicago like Near North, and competes head-to-head for both commercial and residential transactions in the same primary markets.
• Title Resource Group (TRG): National title agency affiliated with Realogy (formerly), providing commercial and residential title and closing services with an agency model similar to Near North's. Competitor in commercial transactions across multiple U.S. markets.

Broad incumbents

• Old Republic Title Insurance Group: Major national title underwriter with both direct and agency operations, providing owner and lender title policies plus escrow. Competes in the Midwest and Florida markets where Near North is concentrated.
• First American Title Insurance Company: One of the largest national title insurers and agents, offering residential and commercial title, escrow, and settlement services across all 50 states. Directly comparable to Near North across both its commercial and residential title service lines, though at vastly greater scale.
• Fidelity National Title (FNF): Parent of Fidelity National Title and Chicago Title, the largest title insurance underwriter and agent in the U.S. Competes across every state with a full suite of title, escrow, and closing services, and is the dominant Chicago-area title company — Near North's home market.
• Stewart Information Services Corporation: Public title insurance underwriter and agency with national direct operations and a large independent agent network. Competes with Near North for both commercial and residential title production across the Midwest, Florida, and beyond.

Regional players

• Investors Title Company: Public title insurance underwriter focused on the Southeastern U.S. Comparable as a similarly-sized title specialist; while more Southeastern, it is a useful indicator of valuation and operating economics for privately held regional title agents.

Emerging players

• Doma (now part of Near North and others post-restructuring): Originally a fintech-driven title company using machine learning to streamline closings and refis; divested its Midwest and Florida retail agency operations to Near North in 2023. Relevant as the recent predecessor that Near North acquired operations from.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NearNorthTitle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/near-north-title/?viewAsMember=true

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Near North Title Group