How Champion Title Became a Leader in Early eClose Investment

Bill Reilly always has one eye on the future. As the Founder of Champion Title & Settlements headquartered in Northern Virginia, his foresight has been crucial to Champion’s success for two reasons: it helps Champion Title continuously exceed the expectations of its customers, and it maintains the company’s status as a leader in the highly-competitive settlement space.

It’s also why in 2018, Reilly and Champion Title began investing in digital closings at a time when others in the industry were comfortable taking a wait-and-see approach. Despite some industry skepticism, Champion Title began offering Hybrid eClosings to its clients and realized instant signer and operational benefits. As Reilly recalls: “We understood the advantages to establishing eClosing capabilities early on, which proved valuable at the time and invaluable down the road.”

Pandemic-Proof Closing Solutions

In the ensuing two years, Champion Title secured its reputation as an industry leader and an expert on eClosings – which they knew would be “the next big thing” in real estate settlements.

This also placed Champion in a unique position to continue operations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As demand for digital and remote solutions skyrocketed, long-standing industry barriers fell almost overnight. Title and settlement companies collectively rushed to build new workflows and internal processes to meet the demands of the moment. 

Champion Title, however, didn’t need to wait for a third-party sales call or to get acquainted with a new vendor platform. Early adoption of eClosings allowed Champion to operate business-as-usual. 

Not every Champion Title closing is an eClosing – and there may forever be folks who prefer to do things in person – but by recognizing the opportunities eClosings provided early on, Champion Title was able to weather an unforeseeable pandemic and win market share at a time when its peers struggled to compete.

Championing the Next eClosing Frontier

With eClosings now quite common, Champion Title has set its sights on “the next big thing.”

In June, it became one of the earliest adopters of Proof's self-closing solution, which allows title and settlement agents in RON-approved states to execute and complete notarizations as part of a fully digital closing experience.

“We chose to expand our online closing platforms to include Proof based on their industry expertise, the streamlined, user-friendly dashboard, and the ability to use our own settlement professionals for every eClosing,” said Kyle Tyler, eClosings Team Lead at Champion Title. “We know these advantages will set us apart from the competition, and our clients will directly benefit.”

By driving the entire eClosing process, Champion has been able to maintain control of the closing experience and cater to the demands of their clients in these uncertain times with exceptional service and increased operational efficiency.

With the help of Proof, Champion will continue to offer a suite of solutions that can handle any type of closing – no matter the circumstances.