What's New This Month
Happy October! Autumn is in full effect, and we are excited about all the fun fall activities. The season will be full of warmth and spookiness, from apple picking to Halloween to all things pumpkin flavored. 

September was an excellent month for the real estate industry. For one, Yahoo Finance reported that mortgage payments increased 67% faster than rent payments, which is a significant number to see for home buying. We hope October is just as busy and successful as September, as we are starting to wrap up 2021. 

Our team at West Virginia Bankers Title would like to take this time to thank all our lender and attorney friends for trusting us with all your transactions! You have all been busy working hard as the year comes to a close. We hope you enjoy our newest e-newsletter! 

Have a wonderful month!

Bob Drummond, Vice President/Agency Manager of West Virginia Bankers Title
The Housing Market Forecast for the Rest of 2021, According To Realtors
As we enter the final three months of 2021, it is essential to look out for housing market forecasts to get a feel for the industry. In a Yahoo Finance article, real estate professionals give their two cents on the matter, and it all seems like reasonably good news. Some agents note that they don’t see the housing surge stopping anytime soon, while others add that a few less interested buyers may be. It all depends on regional areas for the housing market, a fact highlighted throughout the article. Overall, though, as inventory climbs, there will always be new and first-time homebuyers entering the market. 
ALTA: Title premium volume up 56 percent
There is some excellent news for the title industry! In the second quarter, over $6.5 billion was generated in title premiums, according to the latest market share analysis from The American Land Title Association (ALTA). Compared to last year’s earnings, these findings are up 56.3 percent from 2020’s second quarter. Likewise, according to ALTA, net income increased 84.6 percent during this quarter, which resulted in the highest second quarter ever. What amazing news.
Innovation
Mortgage Trends
Professional Development
Market Highlights
Happy National Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
As Bob noted, October is known for many fun fall activities and holidays, but the WVBT team also wanted to acknowledge this month as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Staying digitally secure is important to all of us, and we want to point out some resources to make sure your team and customers can #BeCyberSmart this month and all year long.