2012 Year in Review: ALTA Sets Record Membership
December 27, 2012
2012 proved to be a banner year for ALTA membership, which is now at an all-time high of more than 4,100 companies.
ALTA boasts a diverse membership base, with the majority of members being small agents that rely on the benefits provided by ALTA to succeed in the marketplace. Over the past year, ALTA added nearly 800 new members.
“ALTA membership has increased more than 90 percent over the past decade,” said Jim Stipanovich, chair of ALTA’s Membership Committee. “While attaining record membership is a significant milestone, it should be noted that we are not only attracting new members, we also retain a high percentage of members, illustrating that professionals in the title insurance industry value the advantages of being an ALTA member.”
To better serve membership, we are improving how we collect and store member data. Coinciding with the launch of ALTA’s redesigned website, ALTA members can now update their information easily from the “My Account” tab. This allows members to update their personal profile and manage the types of communications you receive from ALTA.
ALTA provides several resources for members to differentiate themselves in the market. To help members improve their operations and gain a competitive advantage, ALTA offers an Office Security and Privacy Guidelines Booklet and a Standard Procedures and Controls for the Title Industry. The Office Security and Privacy Guidelines Booklet provides guidance on how to protect sensitive customer and company information and should be considered as your company develops office security and privacy policies. The Standard Procedures and Controls for the Title Industry is a guide offering minimum internal control procedures that should be implemented within each title company to ensure the acquisition or transfer of property is handled with a maximum degree of efficiency, security, and safety. These guidelines will help improve the title industry by imposing consistent and fair standards against which every company is measured.
ALTA also updated its Abstracter and Title Agent Operations Survey, a nationwide survey evaluating the current status and operations of the industry at the agent and abstracter level. The survey is a great yardstick to compare your operation with industry averages.
The association recently published its 2011 Title Insurance Industry Data book. Since 2003, ALTA has sponsored the collection of financial and market share data for the title insurance industry. The Data book contains various compilations of family and industry statistics for financial data and various market share reports. Each quarter, ALTA releases Title Industry Financial and Market Share Data and provides an overview of the strength of the industry and provides great data that members can use to analyze competition in their market.
ALTA has partnered with two companies, FedEx and Mobile Secure, to create discount programs for members that will benefit their businesses. The FedEx program offers ALTA members significant discounts on shipping and ground services. The Mobile Secure Laptop Protective Services offers ALTA members a discounted rate on a service that protects data on company laptops, in the event that they are lost or stolen.
These exclusive tools help members differentiate from non-members and can even help make your business more efficient. Make sure you are utilizing all the benefits ALTA membership offers.
Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or [email protected].