Raymond R. Quirk
Analyst · Goldman Sachs
Thank you, Bill. The third quarter was a relatively stable quarter from a title order perspective, as open orders declined approximately 6% sequentially from the second quarter and closed orders increased 2% sequentially. Because of this relative stability, we were able to increase our pretax title margins by 50 basis points sequentially from the second quarter of this year. For the third quarter, total open orders averaged 7,500 per day with July at 7,700, August at 7,400 and September also at 7,400. Of the 7,500 total orders per day, approximately 6,000 were at FNT and 1,500 were at ServiceLink. The mix towards purchase transactions remained relatively stable in the third quarter, with 60% of third quarter open orders related to purchase transactions, 69% of FNT open orders were purchase-related and 77% of the ServiceLink open orders were refinance-related. In October, total open orders per day have averaged more than 7,600, with particular strength in the last 2 weeks, where we averaged 800 open orders per day, as refinancing volumes have increased with the decline in mortgage rates. We had another strong commercial title quarter generating $136 million in national commercial revenue, a 13% increase over the third quarter of 2013, as the fee per file of $10,600 grew 12% and closed orders of $12,800 increased 2%. Sequentially, commercial revenue grew by 18% from the second quarter. We are also encouraged that open national commercial orders increased by 8% over the third quarter of 2013. Additionally, we have begun to capture the impact of local commercial orders from our direct title operations in addition to the national commercial revenue we currently record. For the third quarter, total combined direct commercial revenue was $225 million. The fee per file in the third quarter was positively impacted by the continued mix favoring purchase transactions as well as another strong commercial title quarter and probable home price appreciation. The total fee per file of $2,066 increased 14% versus the third quarter of 2013. The FNT fee per file of $2,306 also increased by 14% over the third quarter of 2013, and ServiceLink's fee per file of $1,052 was a 6% increase over the prior year. Also excluding our national commercial revenue, the total fee per file was $1,739, an 11% increase over the prior year quarter. As we enter the normal seasonally slower late fourth quarter of the year and the first quarter of 2015, we are anticipating a decrease in open order accounts around the holidays and into the early winter months. We will continue to closely monitor staffing levels in hopes of maximizing margins in our title business during that seasonally weaker time period. Let me now turn the call over to Tony Park to review the financial highlights.