What NTP Means to Me...

I certainly haven't had the longest career and I don't have the most compelling resume in the title insurance industry. I've spent the majority of my 17 year career working on the agency side, most of that time spent working for a very small agency that still feels like home when I visit. I've entered orders, searched, examined, closed, funded, recorded, later dated, typed policies and remitted. Not to mention sales, making payroll and reconciling accounts. I don't think my story is very different from many of yours. Nobody sits in their third grade class and dreams about the day that they grow up and work at a title company. That said, we all found ourselves here, and I can honestly say that there is nothing I would rather do.

I've spent much of my career sitting in closing rooms, helping borrowers refinance or buy, sellers move on, and yes, sometimes listening to attorneys argue while realtors and bankers looked on while crossing their fingers. One thing though about this scene has always rubbed me the wrong way. Why is the person who handles all the documentation, funds and non-public private information the only professional at the table without a certification or designation? Think about it... The banker, realtor, attorney, heck, even the appraiser and termite inspector have certifications. To me, this is all about value.

I am important; I play an exceedingly critical role in protecting a sector of our economy that make up an 18% share of our nation's Gross Domestic Product, not to mention the single largest purchase most American's will make in their lifetimes. I would argue that there is nobody at that closing table who should be certified or designated more than the Title Professional. If we don't claim our value, who will?

Becoming an American Land Title Association (ALTA) designated National Title Professional (NTP) is one of the greatest accomplishments of my professional life. That said, the NTP doesn't make me valuable. Exactly the opposite. I AM VALUABLE, THEREFORE I NEEDED TO GET MY NTP. It is my duty to the industry that I love and hold near and dear to my heart to do whatever I can to preserve its place and secure its future. Getting my NTP designation is a declaration that I am valuable... Now it's your turn.