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January 2020
Title Notes E-News

Please click HERE to view 
our new Settlement Fees Effective January 2020
Circuit Courts will be closed on:
- Lee-Jackson Day, Friday, January 18th
- Martin Luther King, Jr Day - Monday, January 21st

Virginia Title Center will be closed on:
- Martin Luther King, Jr Day - Monday, January 21st

What One Word Do You Need to Embrace in the Year Ahead?
by Alli Polin

Resolutions are pressure. A single word can set the tone for who you want and need to BE regardless of what you want to do. It always comes down to your way of being. The what, your goals and aspirations matter, they do, but your mindset is what will get you through the rough times. Click HERE to learn how to select your  one word for the year to keep you moving forward.
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Start the New Year with a Simplification Month
Leaders can gain clarity by using January to simplify operations and focus on desired outcomes for the coming year
by Adam Bryant

This time of year always ushers in resolutions and thoughts of what will be different when we wake up on January 1. W hy not tackle something at work that is well within your control and will make a real difference? A simplification month is a smart approach to focus everyone's attention on one of the greatest challenges for companies of any size: complexity. So as you're looking ahead to the next year, try to answer this simple question: What are the three or four things that you need to accomplish over the next 12 months so that, at this time next year, you can look back and say that 2020 was a successful year? If you want to commit to making January your simplification month, click HERE to learn two ways to get started.
Kathy Patterson, Title Underwriter

Kathy joined the VTC team in November. She has more than 20 years of experience in the combined fields of title insurance and mortgage banking. Kathy was a title examiner and title agent for nine years in the Tidewater, VA area. She and her husband moved to Wilson, North Carolina where she worked in mortgage banking and managed the first bank-owned title insurance agency in North Carolina. Kathy is a graduate of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She and her husband moved to the Roanoke Valley in 2019 because they love the area and wanted to be closer to family, especially their four beautiful grandchildren! Their youngest daughter is a recent graduate of East Carolina University and lives in Arlington, VA. Kathy enjoys travelling, especially cruising, and making family memories. Please join us in welcoming Kathy to the Team!

Catherine Wertz, Title Underwriter

Catherine joined the VTC team in December as a Title Underwriter. She is a native of New Jersey, yet has been proud to call Virginia home since graduating from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Catherine has worked in the title and settlement industry ever since, including positions in pre-processing, post-closing, and underwriting. After many years spent in Northern Virginia, she now resides in the Troutville area of  Botetourt County with her husband Weston, their four children and their cat and dog. In her spare time she enjoys reading mystery novels, camping, and exercising. Please join us in welcoming Catherine to the Team!


Click the photo to visit our website to check out the rest of the team!

Virginia Title Center is Pleased to Announce the Opening
of a Satellite Office in Blacksburg, Virginia

We are growing again! In addition to our main office in Roanoke, our satellite office in Rocky Mount, we are adding a new satellite location in Blacksburg! We are located at 1997 South Main Street, Suite 604 at Colony Park. Our NRV Settlement Processors - Dawn Sartin and Melody Marick - will be available by appointment. Our new office provides a convenient location to conduct settlement closings for you and your clients. We look forward to continuing to expand our relationships throughout the NRV. You can reach us by phone at 540-772-0585.
Stop Abbreviating 2020. Police Say It Leaves You Open to Fraud and Could Cost You Big
The new year is giving scammers an easy way to forge documents, but you can protect yourself with an easy New Year's resolution: Stop abbreviating the year.  Why? This year's abbreviation is easily changeable and could be used against you. The concern is that scammers could easily manipulate a document dated "1/1/20" into "1/1/2000" or even "1/1/2021." Click HERE to read on.
How Community Banks Can Adapt to the 21st Century (Without Forgetting the Past)
by Andrew Silsby, Forbes Councils Member
 
The most successful community banks adapt to the 21st century, yet they don't lose sight of a valuable, age-old skill of building trusted relationships. The goal for community bankers is to be on the cutting edge, being ever mindful to avoid the  bleeding edge . This implies opportunity. Sticking with the hiring example, today's employers are searching for and choosing employees of all kinds - from mobile support specialists to online fraud responders and cybersecurity experts. Community banks can lead the way here by understanding the need for new skills and experience, but also the necessity of the traditional workforce that has served us well for decades. Click HERE to learn more.
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Do Bank Management Training Programs Create 'Leaders of Yesterday'?
by Jim Marous, The Financial Brand

The management training and executive development programs at most banks may be reinforcing the culture and business processes of the past instead of developing leaders for tomorrow. The question then becomes, are today's management training programs aligned with the objective of many organizations to become more agile, more innovative, more digitally focused, and more customer-centric? Or do current management training programs simply reinforce current values, behaviors and processes that are already in place? If the latter is the case, there will be continuous reintegration of existing habits and practices, thus slowing change. So, how should training be changed to reflect the needs of digital transformation?  Click HERE to gain more insights.

Mortgage Expert Insights on Business Planning Strategies
by Ben Smidt, Digital Strategy Manager
 
The mortgage industry consistently shifts, requiring mortgage professionals to regularly evaluate their business planning strategies to improve mortgage growth year-over-year. Ben  reached out to several mortgage experts from a variety of backgrounds, including mortgage influencers, top producing loan officers, real estate experts and industry leaders, to gather their perspectives on successful business planning strategies in the mortgage industry.  While interviewing them, a common set of themes emerged that anyone in the mortgage industry can leverage in their business planning strategies going forward. Click HERE to learn more.
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Here are additional articles related to the Mortgage Industry you may enjoy:
A Look at Lending: Trends Expected to Shape Commercial Lending in 2020
For community and regional banks one area that remains largely untapped is commercial lending
by Pat True, senior risk analyst for PofitStars Lending Solutions
 
In the new year, savvy bankers are evaluating strategies and tactics now that can help them grow their portfolios and make lending more successful. To most effectively form these plans, banks should consider the trends that are expected to have the greatest impact on the commercial lending space in the coming years. Click HERE to learn more about these five trends.
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Here are additional articles related to the Commercial RE and Business Banking you may enjoy:

TOGETHER.
SHAPING THE FUTURE.

As a full-service management consulting firm, we partner with our clients to deliver solutions that help solve their most complicated needs. Our services are designed specifically to help small businesses, and at a small business price. Utilizing decades of industry experience and functional expertise, Management Consulting goes beyond the norm to develop new insights, drive results, and help grow your business. Learn More


TOGETHER.
SHAPING THE FUTURE.

As a full-service management consulting firm, we partner with our clients to deliver solutions that help solve their most complicated needs. Our services are designed specifically to help small businesses, and at a small business price. Utilizing decades of industry experience and functional expertise, Management Consulting goes beyond the norm to develop new insights, drive results, and help grow your business. Learn More


Special Notice: Due to unprecedented high settlement volume, Virginia Title Center is requesting a
minimum of a 30 day process from receipt of order to scheduled settlement date on purchase files and
three weeks on refinances. Creating an exceptional client experience for all parties involved is paramount.
Thank you for your support and understanding.

 

**Remember to offer your borrowers Owner's Coverage on their most valuable investment. It's a one time premium with a lifetime of security. In addition, they will receive a reduced premium rate when they obtain it simultaneously with your Lender's Coverage.**
WANTED: YOUR FEEDBACK
What Topics Are On Your Mind?

Virginia Title Center wants to provide you with pertinent information in future E-Blasts and Webinars. What questions are on your mind regarding the real estate and mortgage lending industry? What topics would you like addressed in future E-blasts?  Send Patti your thoughts.
Past issues of the Virginia Title Center E-News are archived on our website HERE
Patti L. Dickerson                                      

Give us a call and let us know how we can better serve you and your team!

Director of Operations & Marketing
Virginia Title Center, LLC
Integrity. Security. Excellence.

 

Virginia Title Center is committed to serve you with unmatched expertise, exceptional customer service and a comprehensive selection of title and settlement solutions to help you grow and succeed. 

 

Our professionalism, technical knowledge and experience provide security as we insure protection for your most valued investment.