Stewart to Offer Deloitte Compliance Service to Agent Network

Stewart Title Guaranty in Houston has agreed to offer a voluntary Deloitte & Touche compliance service to its independent title and settlement agents.

Stewart's agent network will have access to Deloitte's third-party compliance attestation service, the company said in a Wednesday news release. As part of the service, Deloitte examines a title agency's compliance with standards established by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for the real estate settlement and mortgage lending industries.

Title professionals are subject to an array of best practices established by the American Land Title Association. The CFPB has said that mortgage originators will be held liable for the actions of their vendors.

The Deloitte compliance service will be optional to Stewart's title agent network, although a Stewart executive said the company thoroughly reviews agencies before accepting them into its network. The Deloitte service will enhance the review process that Stewart already conducts, said Pat Beall, a group president at Stewart.