Our guest speaker was Anne Anastasi who founded Genesis Abstract in 1994 and currently serves as the President of Troon Management Company. Anne previously served as the President of the American Land Title Association and has received several awards. In 2006, she was recognized by PLTA with the James G. Schmidt Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding service to the industry. In 2013, the PLTA recognized Anne with the prestigious Albert E. Pentecost Award, and was named an honorary member of ALTA. In September 2021, Anne received the Anne L. Anastasi Trailblazer Award for Outstanding Achievement and Innovation, recognizing her leadership and advocacy for the title insurance industry.
Anne Anastasi opened her portion of our morning meeting by relaying 3 things we should remember to do every day that she had first learned from Jim Valvano, who was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma in 1992 and founded the Jimmy V Foundation in 1993 to support cancer research. We should laugh, think, and be brought to tears at least once a day was a motto of Mr. Valvano, known widely as 'Jimmy V.,' who was an American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. Jimmy V. included this motto, and the announcement of the forming of the Jimmy V. Foundation, in an ESPY Awards speech given less than two months before his passing in 1993.
In her award-winning role working with title insurance (different from P. & C. which stands for Property & Casualty insurance), Anne works with property owners to secure their rights by researching all possible encumbrances, interests, or liens which can lead to uncertainty at any point in ownership. This service, which comes with a flat fee as opposed to an annual premium, provides protection in perpetuity any time a real property changes hands. The top two threats that her industry sees owners face today include forgery (#2) and cyber fraud (#1).
Title commitment, provided by title insurance, is an undertaking that involves each ROW office of Montgomery County as any and all types of possible obstacles are researched. Heirs, easements, and any other exceptions to full ownership are fully vetted prior to insurance being provided. Once title insurance is rewarded, owners can be assured that they will be made whole financially if their ownership is ever challenged, which is not always a guarantee that their property will return to them - but they will be properly compensated if there is a loss.
Thank you to Anne Anastasi for this wonderful presentation!