AMTRUST TITLE ADDS IN
DUSTRY VETERAN R. MICHAEL SMITH AS REGIONAL UNDERWRITING COUNSEL
New York, NY, December 13, 2017 – AmTrust Title Insurance Company (the “Company” or “AmTrust Title”) today announced that R. Michael Smith, Esq., an accomplished attorney with nearly three decades of title industry experience, has joined as Regional Underwriting Counsel. Based in Virginia, he will, in addition to other activities, underwrite title insurance risks regionally for agents in Maryland, The District of Columbia, North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as Virginia. In addition, Mr. Smith will assist AmTrust Title’s group of national agents.
Mr. Smith’s multiple responsibilities will include apprising title agents and underwriters of corporate guidelines; assessing excess and special risk coverages; providing training for real estate attorneys and agents; and ensuring underwriters are aware of real estate law and federal/state legislation impacting real estate transactions.
“We are fortunate to welcome such an experienced title insurance professional to our team,” said Jason Gordon, President of AmTrust Title. “Title insurance is in Michael’s DNA. He is an authority on liability for title search errors and numerous other title insurance-related topics. An extensive writer in the real estate title field, he was the editor of an underwriter’s newsletter and he has been published in the VLTA Examiner and the Virginia State Bar’s Real Property Section newsletter, The Fee Simple. His knowledge and background add tremendous value to AmTrust Title’s regional operations in Virginia and surrounding states.”
Prior to joining AmTrust Title, Mr. Smith was Underwriting Counsel for Conestoga Title Insurance Co., underwriting title insurance risks for title agents and approved attorneys in the MidAtlantic and Midwest. Before that, he held senior posts for national title insurance companies, primarily in Virginia. He also has been in the private practice of law focused on real estate and has been Managing Attorney for a title and settlement subsidiary of a national builder.
His experience in title insurance includes: Land America Financial Group—Northern Virginia Area Counsel; Stewart Title Guaranty Company—Mid-Atlantic Division Counsel; and Chicago Title Insurance Company—Branch Counsel.
He has served on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Land Title Association and was Chairman of VLTA’s Education Committee. He currently sits on the American Land Title Association’s Title Forms Committee.
Mr. Smith earned his JD at the University of Virginia School of Law and a BA degree from the University of Virginia.
About AmTrust Title Insurance Company
AmTrust Title is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., a Fortune 500 multi-national insurer, offering specialty property and casualty insurance products, including workers’ compensation, commercial automobile, general liability and extended service and warranty coverage. AmTrust Group of Insurance carriers are rated “A” (Excellent), FSC “XV” by A.M. Best Company, and AmTrust Title is rated “A-“(Excellent) by A.M. Best Company and A’, (Unsurpassed) by Demotech, Inc. AmTrust Title is headquartered and domiciled in New York, New York, and is licensed in thirty-eight states. For AmTrust Title, this combination of strong financial backing and advanced technology translates into immediate strength for real estate clients.
