UPDATE 5/19/20
As you know, we have been closely following the guidelines from our state and county governments, as well as guidelines from the CDC, Public Health Department and OSHA, since the pandemic began.
Now that these governments have begun to roll out the re-opening of Missouri, our primary concern will continue to be focused on the health and safety of our employees and customers. In accordance with the most recent St. Louis County COVID-19 health order — which went into effect 5/18/20 — Investors Title Company operations will proceed as follows.
All closings will continue to be conducted curb-side until further notice. Due to social distancing restrictions and limits on the number of people allowed in offices, this practice will best comply with the guidelines as set forth by the government agencies.
All of the Investors Title locations will continue to have regular disinfecting and cleaning practices of all areas, including wiping down door handles, bathroom fixtures, etc.
For the safety of all, it is crucially important that our employees continue to take the steps necessary to help minimize the introduction of COVID-19 into the workplace. Our employees will continue to follow social distancing practices, wearing face masks and gloves when dealing with customers and in any public areas in the office. All employees are also required to wash their hands regularly, especially after the handling of any documents.
We are also enacting an employee screening policy. Each office manager will be responsible for asking their employees a series of health questions each morning prior to the start of the workday. If the employee answers yes to one or more of the questions, the employee will be sent home until they are symptom-free for 72 hours.
We do have plans in place when the time is appropriate to conduct some of the closings in our offices and will share more information in future updates. Thank you for your business and continued support during these difficult times. Investors Title is proud to provide our clients with a seamless transition for closing and title services, and we look forward to seeing you in person again soon.
Sincerely,
Joe Crutchfield
CEO, Investors Title Company
UPDATE 5/4/20
As you well know, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected how each one of us lives and works each day. At Investors Title Company, we have been adhering to the CDC guidelines put in place for the region.
While some of those restrictions are now being lifted in certain counties, we will continue conducting our business as we have been through May 15. At that time, we will reassess our operations and send out further instructions and procedures as needed.
All closings will continue to be conducted via our drive-up system that has been in place at all Investors Title offices. We will also continue restricting visitors and implementing other health and safety measures.
We thank you for your patience during this time and look forward to continuing to work with you.
Sincerely,
Joe Crutchfield
CEO, Investors Title Company
UPDATE 4/1/20
It has been a challenging couple of weeks as our industry is transformed in order to facilitate closings while taking care to protect our employees and customers during this crisis.
Investors Title Company will be requiring all closings to be conducted via Drive-up Closing Service. To best keep you informed about how this will work, please take a look at our procedures below.
- Whenever possible — the closer will email documents to the client in advance for their review and to answer any questions prior to closing.
- The signors will be required to email a picture of their driver’s license(s) to the closer prior to arriving at our office for closing.
- The Client calls the closer to “check-in.” The closer will verify that the signors are present with the driver’s license we received prior and collect any funds for closing.
- The client will sign any documents that require notarization while the closer looks on. The remainder of the closing documents will be left with the client to complete their signing. Any questions that arise can be answered by phone with the closer.
- Client will call closer when they have completed the signing. The closer will collect and review the documents prior to letting the customer leave, and will email a copy of the signed documents to the client.
Thank you for your continued support of our efforts to make sure that closings can continue as scheduled while following the guidelines set forth by the public officials.
Sincerely,
Joe Crutchfield
CEO, Investors Title Company
UPDATE 3/23/20
I have listed below our revised closing and office protocols resulting from the COVID-19 crisis and the most recent orders and mandates from the CDC and local officials.
- Our branch office doors will be locked and, unfortunately, only individuals signing documents will be allowed into the office.
- Prior to closing, our closers will ask questions of those scheduled to come to closing regarding recent travel and physical condition.
- We will attempt to have all documents that do not need notarization sent to customers for signature prior to closing so that only documents that need to be notarized will be signed in the office. In addition, we will contact sellers to pre-sign as often as possible to reduce the number of people in the offices on busy closing days.
- We will be able to utilize Remote Online Notary for Seller signatures in situations where ITC has the buyer. You can speak with your closer regarding this and obtain further information.
- Finally, we are noticing a much slower turn time for wires to run through the Federal Reserve System, creating some delays for seller’s proceeds and incoming wires for us. We will keep monitoring this situation.
Well, I know none of us thought we would ever be in a situation like this. But we will do everything we can to keep doing closings as long as we are able and allowed. Please communicate with us and help us to communicate with your clients so that closings are as safe and smooth as possible. We value and appreciate all of you and hope that you and your families stay safe and healthy during this difficult time.
All the Best,
Joe Crutchfield
CEO, Investors Title Company
UPDATE 3/19/20
As we all try to navigate thru the COVID-19 concerns, news and change in business practice, we want you to know that Investors Title Company is committed to keeping our interactions as safe as possible for our employees as well as our valued customers.
You may find that our offices are short staffed as some employees begin working from home. We will be conducting closings at our offices; however, we are working on putting procedures in place to limit the time our customers need to spend in our offices. We ask that, if possible, only the people required to sign documents and their Agent attend the closing and wire funds for closing, including earnest money.
Our Closing team will be contacting Agents/Buyers and Sellers the day before closing to ask the following questions:
- Has the client tested positive or come into contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19?
- Has the client traveled outside the country or been in direct contact with someone who has traveled outside of the country within the last 3 weeks?
- Has the client been on a cruise ship or been in direct contact with persons who have been on a cruise ship within the last 3 weeks?
- Is the client sick or showing signs of COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.)?
- Does the client have any special concerns related to our COVID-19 policies or procedures?
When the customers arrive at our office, they need to be aware that we have a no-handshake policy in effect at this time. If the client is showing any signs of sickness, they will be escorted immediately to a closing room to close their document via a virtual closing, in order to isolate them from other customers and employees. Customers will be encouraged to wash their hands prior to closing, and our closers are instructed to keep a distance of 6 feet between themselves and the client. Pens used during closing will be disposed of after each closing.
We are working on various non-standard closing scenarios, including:
- Emailing or FedEx-ing closing documents to the customer: Any documents that would require a notary would still be signed in our office, unless the client has access to a notary.
- Virtual Closing via GoToMeeting: The client would come to our office to sign documents and interact with their closer on one of our computers or on their own device.
- Mobile Closing: The notary brings documents to the customer to be signed where they are located.
- If we are closing for the buyer’s side of a cash transaction, we can close online via e-notary.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Joe Crutchfield
CEO, Investors Title Company
UPDATE 3/17/20
To all of our Investors Title Company clients,
At Investors Title Company, it is our priority to keep our customers, employees and their families healthy. As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread globally, we are taking appropriate precautions to address the outbreak by following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
We are vigilantly monitoring the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19 and as the situation evolves, we wanted to share with you some of the steps we are taking to protect our Investors Title family.
- We are open for business. Based on guidance we have received and increased measures we have been taking to keep our offices clean and safe, we are remaining open for business. We are striving to make certain the safest ways for our customers to be in our offices. We have increased the frequency of cleaning and sanitization at all of our locations.
- We are asking clients — particularly sellers — if we can send them the closing documents to sign and return (as if they were out of town) to reduce the number of people coming into our office. If you have a cash buyer closing, the buyer can also sign documents remotely.
- We are offering our employees the flexibility to work from home, should they require it.
Our relationship with you is important, and we are committed to serving you in ways that help keep you and our employees safe and healthy. Thank you for your trust in us and for allowing Investors Title to be your title company of choice.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Wishing you, your team, and family members health and safety.
Sincerely,
Joe Crutchfield
CEO, Investors Title Company