Champion Title’s Early eClose Success Story
Champion Title & Settlements, led by founder Bill Reilly, successfully pioneered early adoption of Hybrid eClosings starting in 2018, which positioned the company as an industry leader able to seamlessly continue operations and gain market share during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is now advancing further by integrating Proof's self-closing solution to enhance fully digital notarizations in remote online notarization (RON)-approved states.
Bill Reilly, Founder of Champion Title & Settlements in Northern Virginia, has consistently focused on the future to ensure his company's success. His forward-thinking approach has enabled Champion Title to exceed customer expectations and maintain a leading position in the competitive settlement industry.
In 2018, Reilly led Champion Title to invest in digital closings, even as others in the industry hesitated. Champion Title began offering Hybrid eClosings to clients, quickly realizing benefits for both signers and operations. Reilly noted, "We understood the advantages to establishing eClosing capabilities early on, which proved valuable at the time and invaluable down the road."
Pandemic-Proof Closing Solutions
Over the next two years, Champion Title solidified its reputation as an industry leader and expert in eClosings, anticipating that digital closings would become a major trend in real estate settlements. This foresight proved crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, as demand for digital and remote solutions surged and industry barriers fell rapidly. While many title and settlement companies scrambled to adapt, Champion Title was able to continue business as usual, thanks to its early adoption of eClosings.
Although not every closing at Champion Title is an eClosing—and some clients still prefer in-person transactions—the company's early recognition of eClosing opportunities allowed it to weather the pandemic and gain market share while competitors struggled.
Championing the Next eClosing Frontier
With eClosings now commonplace, Champion Title is looking ahead to the next innovation. In June, the company became one of the first to adopt Proof's self-closing solution. This platform enables title and settlement agents in RON-approved states to execute and complete notarizations as part of a fully digital closing experience.
Kyle Tyler, eClosings Team Lead at Champion Title, explained, "We chose to expand our online closing platforms to include Proof based on their industry expertise, the streamlined, user-friendly dashboard, and the ability to use our own settlement professionals for every eClosing. We know these advantages will set us apart from the competition, and our clients will directly benefit."
By managing the entire eClosing process, Champion Title maintains control over the closing experience and can better meet client demands with exceptional service and improved operational efficiency. With Proof's support, Champion Title continues to offer a comprehensive suite of solutions capable of handling any type of closing, regardless of circumstances.
Related
What Real Estate Might Look Like in 2030
By 2030, real estate brokerage is expected to evolve into a three-tiered market where the lowest tier is highly tech-disintermediated with iBuyers and similar models, the middle tier uses agents supported by specialized labor and technology to reduce commissions and increase sales volume, and the top tier maintains a traditional approach for luxury markets but still incorporates new technologies, reflecting a gradual but significant shift driven by venture capital and digital consumer demand.
Why Real Estate Agents Need to Think Digital
The article emphasizes that real estate agents must adopt fully digital closing processes—including eNotes, eSigning, document previews, and video conferencing with licensed notaries—because online notarization is now legally recognized in all 50 states, enhances security with encrypted audit trails and biometric verification, significantly speeds up transactions by reducing notarization time to under 10 minutes, and is essential to remain competitive and meet borrower expectations for convenient, anytime-anywhere closings.
How To Run a Smooth eClose | Proof
The article explains that transitioning from slow, error-prone paper closings to efficient eClosings—either hybrid, involving some in-person digital signatures, or full, entirely remote digital processes—requires lenders and title teams to implement essential components like eSignatures, online notarization, eNote filing, identity verification, and secure document storage, while emphasizing thorough preparation, workflow tracking, and continuous improvement to ensure compliant, fraud-resistant, and borrower-friendly digital closings.
What You Need to Know About eRecording | Proof
eRecording enables the digital submission of mortgage closing documents to county recorders, significantly speeding up the process by replacing physical delivery with online exchange, supported legally by the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act (URPERA), and while most U.S. counties accept eRecording, alternatives like papering out and hybrid closings ensure electronic workflows can still proceed where full eRecording isn't available.
California Online Notarization
The content details California's adoption of remote online notarization for real estate closings through Senate Bill 696, highlighting Proof's pioneering role in providing digital closing resources and compliance solutions for title agents, realtors, and enterprises, alongside educational videos and information on the law's implementation and industry impact.
Customer Case Studies and Stories
The content highlights multiple customer case studies demonstrating how Proof’s identity verification and remote notarization solutions have significantly enhanced security, efficiency, and customer experience across various industries by reducing fraud, accelerating digital closings, streamlining workflows, and simplifying account recovery.