Understanding the CRE Title Industry
Working on a project for my RE Law course and am trying to better understand the structure and intricacies of the title industry (specifically commercial).  Is anyone here in the business or closely involved with this part of the transaction space?  It'd be great to speak directly if you're willing, also listing some questions below to open general discussion. 

* Title agents rarely split their focus between residential and commercial, correct?
* Are 'Commercial Escrow Officer' and 'Title Agent' used interchangeably?
* How do the large national title cos structure organization down to the local/transaction level?
* At the transaction level, does an agent require a team for each closing or is it all handled by the individual?
* How many closings can a commercial title agent complete in a mo/yr?  Is this usually dictated by the agent's capacity or by demand in the market?

Any other resources/info about the industry is appreciated. Please shoot me a message if you're open to conversation.  Thanks
[{"id": "fr68bga", "text": "1) incorrect. Many agents handle both. Probably bad business practice to say no to deals, though some can redirect to another office if they are not staffed to handle a specific transaction. \n2) an escrow officer generally handles documents and funding. The title agent is the business itself that issues policies on behalf of an underwriter\n3&amp;4) usually there is an assigned underwriter, title officer and escrow officer, though this varies by market. \n5) totally dictated by market volume and the size of the agent. Some can have one closing a week and some can have 400. It also depends on what type of business you get (i.e. higher volume residential or high revenue commercial)\n\nLet me know if you have any other questions.", "replies": [{"id": "frbe87t", "text": "Thanks for your time.  A few follow up questions in response:\n\nto #1 - Do the large (ie Fidelity) companies structure offices to focus on one or the other?   Does market size influence this?\n\nto # 2 - Thanks for clarifying that agent refers to the business.  Which position handles the closing statements?\n\nSeparate question: What\u2019s the revenue structure of a title agency?  Framed differently, how does a title agent get paid \u2013 is it offering/receiving commission from the insurance or from the closing process?", "replies": [{"id": "frcbnu5", "text": "1. Usually yes. Direct offices are either agent support or policy issuing offices, generally not both. Usually commercial transactions are issued by commercial offices, but sometimes there is overlap. \n2. Escrow officer\n3. I would assume it works like any other agent operation. The agent remits a portion of the premium back to the underwriter (a percentage based calculation). It only happens if the file closes. \n\nAre you looking for a position in title?", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]