New Settlement Services Brand Launched

First American Title Insurance Co., Santa Ana, Calif., has created a new brand, The Talon Group, to provide title and settlement services.The new unit will focus on high volume areas of the country; these areas are where nearly 70% of real estate transactions occur. Parker S. Kennedy, president of First American Corp., said "building parallel title operations allows us to quickly grow market share and leverage our automated title production systems to spread fixed costs, doubling the impact of our sales force and contributing to improved margins." William T. Halvorsen has been named as president of the new division. "The Talon Group will attract new customers to its own unique culture and through a national network of existing business relationships. Our team of industry veterans is experienced in a variety of geographic markets and understands the title business, both as a national underwriter and as a large agent," he said.