North American Title Co. Acquires Realstar Title

By Robert Demeter

Tom Christensen, President, Realstar Title

Minneapolis—Miami-based North American Title Co. has recently acquired Lakeville, Minn.-based independently owned title insurance company Realstar Title. Realstar operates in five locations, expanding NATC’s footprint to 13 branch offices throughout Minnesota.

Realstar Title was founded by real estate attorney and veteran of the title insurance industry, Tom Christensen in 1994. North American Title will be leveraging Christensen’ 20-plus years of experience and industry expertise to continue to expand its Minnesota operation in the coming years.

“We are very pleased to add the Realstar team to the growing North American Title family,” said Tom Fischer, president, North American Title Group. “Over the past 20 years, Tom Christensen has put together a team of experienced and knowledgeable professionals that has justly earned a stellar reputation throughout the state. Their values, hard work and customer service focus are an exemplary model for the kind of agency we are looking to partner with as we grow our footprint across the U.S.”

“This acquisition gives us a coverage area that stretches from the Iowa border to an hour north of the Twin Cities, which is pretty unique in our market,” said Alex Grundhoffer, NATC senior vice president, Minnesota division manager. “We recognize how well Realstar’s footprint and staff complement and enhance what we are trying to achieve as a company. In turn, we can provide them with the all-important infrastructure and investment in industry best practices and compliance that has become so challenging for a smaller organization.”

One of the primary challenges facing title companies is the increasingly strict legal and regulatory requirements applicable to the title and settlement services industry, including compliance with ALTA’s Best Practices that were adopted in response to this new, stricter environment.

“NATC has made significant investments in implementing policies and procedures to make sure we meet and exceed these new compliance standards,” said Grundhoffer. “As we begin to serve an even larger portion of the state with this acquisition, our customers statewide can enjoy the confidence of working with a company that is focused on and committed to ensuring compliance with these requirements.”

North American Title has offices in Albert Lea, Austin, Bloomington, Le Center, Mankato, Maple Grove, New Prague, Oakdale and Owatonna in the state of Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of realstartitle.com