MIAMI, Nov. 17, 2011 – North American Title Insurance Company (NATIC), a leading national title insurance underwriter today announced the appointment of John Fries to its executive leadership team as EVP and Chief Underwriting Counsel. In this role, Mr. Fries will manage the Miami Corporate office, establish sound national underwriting guidelines and streamline the company’s policies and procedures.
As Chief Underwriting Counsel, he is responsible for providing direction to the regional underwriting counsels across the country to create a cohesive underwriting team. Mr. Fries will be a key corporate leader in developing title production solutions, exceptional pricing programs and agent-centric service solutions to support existing and new agent partners. Mr. Fries will create the framework in which NATIC will employ vanguard closing and title software technology to enhance the company’s internal operations and make it easier for agents to interact with the company. Mr. Fries brings to North American Title Insurance Company more than 33 years of national underwriting and title insurance operations experience.
“The measure of success in this economic environment is changing rapidly and underwriters such As North American Title Insurance Company must continue to innovate and offer value through differentiated solutions,” said Emilio Fernandez, President, NATIC. “John is a proven leader in national title insurance underwriter operations, the implementation of performance efficiencies and ultimately business initiatives that deliver. We are thrilled to welcome him to our team.”
Prior to joining NATIC, Mr. Fries spent 3 years as Vice President, Business Control Manager for the title services division of a major national bank. There, he managed a team providing operational and transactional title underwriting guidance for the company’s title operations. Mr. Fries has been an underwriting counsel for over 20 years and has held the position of Senior Vice President, Underwriting Counsel for a leading national title insurance underwriter for over 15 years.
As Chief Underwriting Counsel, Mr. Fries led the national title insurance operations and established and implemented the general underwriting policy for the company. He was also instrumental in developing an automated, rules-based underwriting system that emulated the decision making analysis of a human examiner. Mr. Fries spent the first 16 years of his career providing legal and underwriting support in private practice and for various banks and title insurance companies.
by Emilio Fernandez