Linda Hill has been the Northeast Florida Agency manager of Fidelity National Title Insurance Company for almost four years.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
She manages the agents, who are companies and law firms that write their title policies on residential and commercial properties. “My job is to bring in new business and to help our agents as much as possible in their business. I try to help them be more profitable and give good service to their customers. A lot of what I do is not getting new business, but maintaining the relationships that we already have. We want to create a relationship with them and provide services to them that make them want to do business with us, more so than with another underwriter.”
WHAT DOES THE COMPANY DO?
“Fidelity National Title is a title insurance underwriter. The analogy I use is that we are like a State Farm. So, when you go get your homeowner or car insurance, you don’t go straight to the State Farm office, you go see your agent. Then they issue you a policy with the State Farm name. We have agents who we appoint that are authorized to issue and sign our insurance policies. We insure title to the real property that people purchase or get mortgages on.”
AGENTS OR CUSTOMERS?
Law firms and individual companies.
HER OTHER SIDE
Hill is also an attorney. “I used to be on the other side of the table and was a title agent. I also used to work for another underwriter years ago, so I was the one who answered the questions for the agents, so this role is a little bit different for me because it’s more on the business development side. I understand what they are going through because I’ve been there.”
COLLEGE
She earned her bachelor’s degree in music theory from Florida State University and her law degree from Emory University.
HER HISTORY?
Hill has been an attorney for 20 years. After law school, she moved to Jacksonville and worked for the law firm of Brant, Moore, Sapp, Macdonald & Wells doing commercial and residential real estate law for five years. She then went to work at Chicago Title as an underwriter for five years. Next, she decided to be an independent contractor and worked for law firms and attorneys helping them with background work on real estate for six years until she started her job at Fidelity.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT TITLE INSURANCE?
Hill said there has been a lot of information about title insurance put out that isn’t correct. At a recent Commercial Real Estate of Women event, she did a presentation to real estate brokers about title insurance. “I had commercial real estate brokers at my table who really didn’t understand title insurance. It affects what they do, but they didn’t really have a grasp of what it was or how it would affect their deals. It helped me to be able to educate them and have a greater awareness.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TITLE BUSINESS?
“It’s always something different. Different issues come up all the time. We have people here that search titles and they are always coming across strange things that people have done in documents that are recorded in public records. There is a good variety of things that you come across in this industry regardless of what your role is. I love talking to people and trying to help them. This job offers me a chance to work with a variety of businesses. I deal with big law firms, sole practitioners, big companies and mom and pop companies. I get to deal with all these business owners that each have different needs and problems that I can help them solve. It is challenging.”
HOW DOES YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AS AN ATTORNEY HELP YOU NOW?
“I understand why they need some of the information they need because they will ask us questions and then have follow-up questions and we’ll need to do more research for them. I don’t get involved with that personally anymore, but they do ask me questions from time to time and I can be a good liaison between the underwriters and the agents. I think it gives me a better perspective, allows me to put myself in the shoes of an agent, understand what they are going through to an extent and be more sensitive to their needs.”
FUTURE PLANS?
Hill said her office has been open for four years in Jacksonville and has become a major competitor in the Jacksonville market. “But, we still have a ways to go. I’m not content with where we are so my future goal is to be the number one choice for the agents in this area.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
CREW and Executive Women’s Golf Association.
WHY JOIN CREW?
“I think the purpose of it is excellent. It gets you out of a rut of who you typically use and interact with on a given transaction. I find the same thing with my customers. There is certain inertia with using the same service provider over and over. It takes a little something to make you change. It may not be that you are so happy with what they are doing, but it isn’t a total negative. There has to be something that really makes it worth your while to change. When you look at the commercial real estate arena, traditionally it has been men who have networked and done deals together. Obviously, more women have joined those ranks and there are women in very senior and the most senior positions in commercial real estate in the various organizations and disciplines. But often times, they are using the same service providers and doing deals with the same people they are used to, which are typically men. I think what CREW does is get it across to these women that they can do business with women who are equally or more so capable then someone you are doing business with now. It’s just to open up their eyes that the person you are sitting next to is very high powered and they can get this deal done for you if you give them the opportunity.”
WHAT IS THE BEST PROFESSIONAL ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
“Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you have to or should.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
Over the years, Hill said she has learned to think before she speaks, sleep on an email before she responds and compassion.
-by Michele Newbern Gillis