WFG’s Economic And Title Insurance Outlook Is …

WFG National Title Insurance Company, a Portland-based, full-service provider of title insurance and real estate settlement services for commercial and residential transactions nationwide, will hold the second of its 2021 quarterly “Economic Outlook & Title Insurance” webinar series, featuring WFG Executive Chairman and Founder Patrick F. Stone and Economist and Forbes contributor Dr. Bill Conerly, on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 7 am PT / 10 am ET.

The live 30-minute webinar series began at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and has continued during the first month of each new fiscal quarter. The two industry veterans respond to questions that their audience members submit in advance about current concerns, trends and potential directions for the real estate, lending and title insurance industries.

Attendance is free, but reservations are required.  Reservations may be made in advance by clicking this link.  Questions submitted for consideration must be emailed to [email protected] no later than 5 pm ET on Monday, April 19, 2021.

In the previous webinars, Stone and Conerly discussed subjects such as the immediate prospects for mortgage rates, which hit record lows 16 times during 2020, and whether migration away from major city centers (which accelerated as people looked for better homes and less crowded neighborhoods amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic) would continue to fuel mortgage activity.

Since the last webinar on January 21, 2021, Stone wrote that, “According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, Mortgage lenders are expected to originate a record $3.2 trillion worth of mortgages in 2020, a 41% increase from 2019. Refinancings were up more than 200% from 2019.  That record volume shows that real estate has benefited greatly during the pandemic.  The question is, how will the market fare once rates start increasing?”

On the previous webinars on October 21, 2020 and January 21, 2021, the pandemic, presidential election, and expectations for the new Biden administration were priorities for discussion.  On the upcoming webinar on April 21, 2021, just nine days from the President’s targeted 100^th day in office, topics may include the moratorium, first-time buyer programs, and the scarcity of entry-level-priced homes.

The previous webinars are available for viewing on Vimeo by clicking here for the October 21, 2020 webinar and here for the January 21, 2021 webinar.

“Pat and I are very pleased with the reaction we have been getting from our colleagues around the country,” said Conerly.  “Our experience as business leaders and invested observers of various sectors within the housing industry are proving useful in offering balanced perspectives on the current industry and possible courses that lie ahead.”

Stone’s lengthy career in real estate and related services includes C-level positions with three public companies and serving as a director on two Fortune 500 boards. His senior executive management positions include nine years as President and COO of the nation’s largest title insurance company, Chairman and co-CEO of a software company, and CEO of a real estate data and information company. Stone also served as Vice-Chairman of Metrocities Mortgage, a 2005 top-20 mortgage lender, and as Chairman of The Stone Group, an Austin, Texas-based tenant-represented brokerage company.  In 2013, Inman News named him one of the year’s “100 Most Influential People in Real Estate.”  Stone received HousingWire’s coveted Vanguard Award for lifetime career achievement in 2019, was recognized in 2019 and 2020 as a Lending Luminary by Progress in Lending, and was the recipient of October Research’s annual Leadership Award in 2020.

Conerly has a Ph.D. in economics from Duke University and more than 30 years’ experience helping companies adapt to changing economic conditions. He was formerly Senior Vice President at a major bank and held positions in economics and corporate planning at two Fortune 500 corporations. He is also an online contributor to Forbes, Chairman of the Board of Cascade Policy Institute, and the author of The Flexible Stance: Thriving in a Boom/Bust Economy (2016) and Businomics (2007), a book about economics for business leaders.

Seat reservations: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N6kSPTa2SbaIsGy8H82Bvg

Submit questions via email: [email protected]

Williston Financial Group is the Portland, Oregon-based parent company of several national title insurance and settlement services providers, including WFG Lender Services and WFG National Title Insurance Company.  It is one of the fastest growing national title insurance and settlement services providers in the mortgage and real estate services industry.