—Pending acquisition will expand First American’s footprint in 11 states—

SANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 12, 2022 – First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF), a leading global provider of title insurance, settlement services and risk solutions for real estate transactions, announced today the signing of an agreement for First American’s acquisition of Mother Lode Holding Company, a California-based provider of title insurance, underwriting and escrow services for residential and commercial real estate transactions with 17 operating subsidiaries throughout the U.S., including its principal subsidiary Placer Title Company. The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

            With 92 offices in 11 states, Mother Lode Holding Company’s subsidiaries are premier brands within their respective real estate communities rooted in a 48-year track record of providing superior customer service. Mother Lode Holding Company’s subsidiaries operate primarily in California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Texas, Arizona, Washington and New Mexico.

“Mother Lode Holding Company’s reach, expertise and commitment to superior customer service aligns well with our existing operations and will augment our efforts to expand our coverage in key growth markets,” said Dennis J. Gilmore, chief executive officer at First American Financial Corporation. “With Mother Lode Holding Company and its subsidiaries, we will expand our ability to serve customers throughout many of the strongest housing markets in the U.S.”

Customers of Mother Lode Holding Company’s operating subsidiaries will benefit from enhanced underwriting resources and the industry’s largest property and ownership dataset, as well as access to other industry-leading resources for residential transactions. Following the close of the transaction, Mother Lode Holding Company and its operating subsidiaries will continue to operate under their existing brands. Mother Lode Holding Company Chief Executive Officer Randy Bradley, Chief Operating Officer Lisa Steele and President Darrick Blatnick will remain with the company and manage the day-to-day operations.

“I’m excited about the new opportunities for our staff across our family of brands to serve our customers as the real estate market demonstrates continued strength,” said Bradley. “It was critical to our leadership team that any acquisition partner continue to support our employee-centric culture. First American's inclusion on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For^® list for six consecutive years reflects that shared value.”

In connection with the transaction, Houlihan Lokey is acting as financial advisor to Mother Lode Holding Company.

SEAL BEACH, Calif. – OptifiNow, a provider of custom CRM solutions for the mortgage lending industry, announced a successful deployment with NextUs Lending, an Irvine-based, non-QM lender focused on their growing wholesale platform. OptifiNow’s unique features designed for wholesale lenders enabled NextUs to utilize features that quickly launched their marketing and sales management processes.

“NextUs Lending was built to serve borrowers who may not fit the traditional, narrow credit box and we need to utilize the next generation of CRM tools to provide flexible solutions to this underserved market,” said Brian Hewitt, National Sales Manager at NextUs Lending. “That’s why we are excited to partner with OptifiNow and leverage their custom automation expertise to supercharge our sales and strengthen customer relationships.”

OptifiNow features an automated account classification process that utilizes an LOS integration for data-based decisioning on critical factors, including loan submissions and user activity. The system synchronizes loan details and operational milestones to keep pipelines flowing and make sure bottlenecks and inefficiencies are quickly identified and addressed.

Another tool that NextUs utilizes is OptifiNow’s “My Touchpoints” custom email creator, which puts on-demand power in the hands of individual account executives and includes dynamic templates and automated personalization features. Users can quickly build and deploy branded, professional emails to targeted lists of clients and prospects.

A mortgage-specific CRM designed to pinpoint the challenges of wholesale lenders, OptifiNow’s system includes sales enablement tools such as on-demand personalized flyers to give NextUs account executives increased ability to build deeper relationships with their clients.

“In an increasingly competitive landscape that includes shrinking margins and volume, lenders need more than a database of companies and names,” said Linn Cook, OptifiNow VP of Sales. “Particularly in the specialized non-QM market, lenders need a custom solution that gives them the ability to enable their account executives and brokers to thrive.”

Fairfax, VA, January 3, 2021:  Lenderworks®, a national mortgage services provider, has named Alexandra Temple to serve as its new Chief Legal Officer.

As CLO, Temple will be responsible for all legal affairs for Lenderworks®, including the provision of legal counsel, oversight of compliance and regulatory matters and risk management. She will also assist external clients in the mortgage industry as a consultant on matters of compliance and risk management strategy.

Temple joins Lenderworks® having most recently served as a principal with law firm Offit Kurman, P.A. Prior to that, she practiced with Weiner Brodsky Kider, PC. She began her career as an attorney in regulatory compliance with national mortgage lender First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation.

“Alexandra has a proven reputation as a strong legal mind as well as a practical business manager,” said Andrew Peters, President of Lenderworks®. “She is not only comfortable applying the ever-changing regulatory matrix to current mortgage lending practices, but also in leading others to best serve their clients. She will be a powerful asset for both our business and that of our clients.”