1st American, Norwest Form Joint Venture

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., will acquire a 50% interest in three subsidiaries currently owned by Norwest Mortgage Inc., Des Moines, Iowa, as part of a joint venture the two firms are forming.The three subsidiaries involved are: ATI Title Co., including Spring Mountain Escrow Services Corp.; Value IT, which provides appraisal services; and VIE, which provides income and employment verification reports. All three will continue to operate under their current names. First American will manage the joint venture, which will result in two new holding companies: RELStar LLC and RELStar Title Services LLC.