The American Land Title Association (ALTA) has been long accused to caring only about the interests of the Underwriters, or more appropriately, their Donors. ALTA is too slow to change, lacks the clout it deserves, and generally fails to inspire the rank and file in the title industry. For too long, ALTA has been nothing more than a Social Club for the CEOs and Vice Presidents of our Underwriters. I have to admit, that up until the last few years, I was in agreement with this line of thinking. You might ask, what has changed? Why am I now seeing some light at the end of the tunnel of these problems? Simple, I have gotten involved.Our state Land Title Association’s are the backbones of ALTA. We are the support structures that give ALTA its strength to tackle the issues that affect us all. Now, it is true that I am often disappointed with the lack of speed with which ALTA works, but I attribute this to the general speed of Washington politics. Action comes slow, but in this marketplace, inaction as opposed to overreaction can be a positive thing.
I see the most glaring problem with ALTA being its lack interested parties. Our industry, especially when it comes to our agents, fails to take proper ownership in our Association. How is ALTA going to advocate for us when we don’t stand up and be counted. ALTA sometimes makes this difficult, with yearly membership fees, exorbitant pricing for conventions, and their confounding hierarchy, but the benefits of making your voice clear are abundant.
It is with great hope that I say I support the Policy Licensing Initiative. I hope that writing that $195 check to ALTA each year (or hopefully a bit of a larger check for membership) will force agents to speak up. Let ALTA know what is affecting your day to day business. Tell ALTA what current legislation will do in your marketplace and to your company. As much as I like Mike Pryor, he isn’t a mind reader and neither is the Board of Governors. They represent a segment of the industry but members and non-members alike must take some ownership in the importance of our national image and our national product. At worst ALTA now has a larger war chest to fight the battles that need fighting, but at best, ALTA now has a new pool of invested parties to lead us into the next generation of Title Insurance.
