American Land Title Association CEO Kurt Pfotenhauer is leaving the position he’s held with the trade group for more than three years to take on an executive position with First American Title Insurance Co.
Pfotenhauer has joined First American as executive vice president and vice chairman, where he will "maintain executive-level relationships with the nation’s largest money-center banks and assist with political and legislative relations for the corporation," the company said.
Pfotenhauer has considerable experience in political and legislative affairs, having served as the top lobbyist for the Mortgage Bankers Association for five years before becoming ALTA’s CEO in January 2008.
Title insurers are keeping a close eye on how the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will implement a mandate from lawmakers to create a new unified loan disclosure form that also covers settlement services like title insurance.
Less than two weeks ago, ALTA President Anne Anastasi was on Capitol Hill testifying on behalf of title insurers at a hearing conducted by the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity.
In a statement, Anastasi said ALTA is "genuinely sorry to see Kurt leave," and that Pfotenhauer "revitalized the association’s advocacy efforts by creating a grassroots capability and growing contributions to the Title Insurance Political Action Committee by nearly 65 percent."