What Is The State Of The Economy Going Forward?

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 third of its 2021 quarterly “Economic Outlook & Title Insurance” webinar series.

The half-hour Q&A webinar featuring Williston Financial Group Executive Chairman and Founder Patrick F. Stone and Economist and Forbes contributor Dr. Bill Conerly, will begin at 7 am PT / 10 am ET on Wednesday, July 21, 2021.

This series, which began in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, has continued in the first month of each new fiscal quarter. In it, the business veterans trade off answering questions submitted in advance from their national audience of industry professionals. Topics range from the current state and future direction of the economy in general, to that of real estate, mortgage lending and title insurance in particular.

Attendance is open to all, but reservations are required, and may be made in advance by registering here. Those wishing to submit questions for consideration must email them to [email protected] no later than 5 pm ET Monday, July 19, 2021.

Among the topics Stone and Conerly discussed in the previous webinars was 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.

Prior webinar recordings may be viewed here: October 21, 2020, January 21, 2021 and April 21, 2021.

A hint at what may be included in the next webinar is what Stone believes lies ahead as the industry integrates some of the impact of pandemic.

“I think one of the underlying trends that has been created here is the sense of optionality,” he has said. “People have various solutions to choose because of automation. And I do think that that will create more interaction among the participants and more willingness among the participants to explore what can be done to make the process more efficient.”

“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 earned his Ph.D. in economics from Duke University and has 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_BMAi0pFWQnOKYEU-rLZX9w

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