Six revenue lines, two of them capped by law and one that may not be yours at all. Here is how the money actually works in a title agency.
A title company does not make its money in one place. Understanding the mix matters before you open, because two of these lines are capped by law and one of them is not really yours.
You issue the policy on the underwriter’s paper and remit a share of the premium to them. The agent’s retained share is set by the agency agreement and by state law, and commonly falls somewhere between 70% and 90%. In some states the premium itself is promulgated and identical everywhere; in others it is filed by each underwriter and varies.
What you charge to conduct the closing, disburse funds and prepare the settlement statement. Unlike premium, this is usually yours to set, and it is where most agencies actually make their margin.
Charged separately in most states. If you examine in house rather than outsourcing, the spread between what you charge and what it costs you is real profit.
Additional coverages added to a policy, each carrying its own premium and its own split. Lender-required endorsements on commercial files can rival the base premium.
Document preparation, e-recording, wire and courier fees, notary and remote online notarization. Individually small, collectively meaningful across enough files.
Heavily regulated and in several states not yours at all — interest may be required to go to the consumer or to a state program. Never build a plan around it without checking your state’s rule.
Title revenue sits inside RESPA. Section 8 prohibits giving or accepting anything of value for the referral of settlement service business, and prohibits splitting fees except as payment for services actually performed. That is why title marketing looks the way it does: you can make a referral partner’s job easier, you can give them genuinely useful tools, and you cannot pay them for the file.
It is also why the practical growth lever is convenience rather than commission. Instant net sheets a Realtor can hand a seller, fee quotes a lender can pull without calling, and one-step online ordering are all things you can give away freely. A check is not.
Premium volume follows order count, and order count follows relationships. But the lines you control — settlement fees, search and exam, ancillaries — are the ones that decide whether a given file is profitable.
Every site we build carries calculators set to the client’s own state — promulgated, bureau or filed rates, the transfer taxes on the correct side, the county’s recording fees — branded to the agency and placed in its own layout. These six are the most used; there are fourteen.
Owner's & lender's premiums at your state's promulgated, bureau or filed rates.
Open calculator →Full buyer/seller breakdown — title, taxes, recording, and settlement fees.
Open calculator →What the seller walks away with after commission, payoff & closing costs.
Open calculator →Everything a buyer needs at the table — down payment, prepaids, and closing costs.
Open calculator →Every contract deadline as calendar dates from the effective date — Florida FAR/BAR or your state's form.
Open calculator →State & county transfer taxes and stamps, by location.
Open calculator →Agents, lenders, buyers and sellers submit everything online, and each submission returns to the agency as a completed PDF ready for the file — no email tag, no retyping. Branded to the agency and mobile-friendly. These six are the most used of the eleven we build.
Clients upload a signed purchase contract and any addenda — you open the file and start title work right away.
Open form →Buyers complete intake online and you receive it as a PDF — or they download it to fill out by hand.
Open form →Sellers complete intake online and you receive a PDF — or download it to complete on paper.
Open form →Sellers and refinancers e-sign to authorize a payoff request — so net sheets are accurate and prior liens clear at closing.
Open form →Agents and lenders open a new file in one step — property, parties, lender, and closing date. No back-and-forth emails.
Open form →Clients upload IDs, payoffs, and sensitive documents through an encrypted portal.
Open form →No setup fee, no long-term contract, 60-day money-back guarantee. Full plan comparison →
It is set by your agency agreement and by state law, and commonly falls between 70% and 90%. It is one of the terms worth negotiating when you take on a second or third underwriter.
Usually not in the same way. Premium is promulgated or filed depending on the state, while settlement and closing fees are generally set by the agency, subject to being reasonable and properly disclosed.
No. RESPA Section 8 prohibits paying anything of value for the referral of settlement service business. You can provide genuinely useful tools and service; you cannot pay for the referral.
It depends entirely on the state. Some require interest to go to the consumer or to a state program. Confirm your state’s rule before treating it as revenue.
Settlement and search fees, because they are largely yours to set and they scale directly with file count once your process is efficient.
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