Stewart Information Services Corporation [1] has announced the acquisition of a majority interest in Great American Title Company (GATCO) [2], a provider of title and escrow services in the Greater Houston Metropolitan area.
“By adding GATCO to the Stewart family of companies, we join forces with one of the area’s most respected brands and further strengthen our presence throughout the Greater Houston area,” said Stewart Group President Steve Lessack [3]. “GATCO’s long history of providing high-quality customer service and their established local relationships are a testament to the teams they’ve built. This acquisition further enhances Stewart’s ability to provide best-in-class products and services throughout the area, and emphasizes our commitment to investing in key markets across the country.”
Stewart offers residential and commercial title insurance and closing and settlement services, to specialized offerings for the mortgage industry.
“GATCO is invested in each of our customer’s success, and as we’ve gotten to know Stewart’s leadership, we have seen the same commitment to customer excellence,” said Ronnie Matthews, Chairman and Principal of GATCO. “This acquisition only strengthens our core philosophy of making the transaction process seamless and efficient. With the ability to leverage Stewart’s financial strength and an expanded set of tools, we can continue to improve the transaction experience. We are excited about the opportunities joining the Stewart family presents for our employees, leadership team and customers.”
The acquisition of GATCO marks Stewart’s second acquisition of a regional title company over the past month, having earlier acquired Greater Illinois Title Company (GITC) [4]. Headquartered in Chicago, GITC operates Greater Illinois Title, Greater Indiana Title, GIT Michigan, Greater Wisconsin Title, Greater Missouri Title, and GIT Florida Title Services, with a subsidiary operating in 18 additional states.