How Mortiles Use Technology And Vendors Services To Push Title Searches Into The Future

Artificial intelligence (AI), predictive underwriting, and blockchain technology are becoming more common in today’s real estate industry. As a result, professionals in the title and foreclosure industries must evolve to keep up with upcoming trends. However, long-standing challenges still persist within foreclosure firms, title and escrow companies, and title insurance underwriters. Some examples may include incomplete records, errors, forgery and fraud, unrecorded liens, boundary disputes and more. 

Fortunately, information technology company Mortiles brings comprehensive solutions to the ever-changing title insurance, escrow and settlement arena. In this exclusive executive conversation, HousingWire sat down with Mortiles president & co-founder Erich Wiedel. The conversation explores the company’s origin story, key offerings and value propositions, growth, and the future of the industry.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Evolving from a startup to an industry leader

HousingWire: You founded Mortiles in 2006 when you were 19 years old. What drew you to the title search industry?

Erich Wiedel: When I was in high school, a friend’s brother-in-law owned a mortgage company, and I got a job as a loan officer. They launched an in-house title company and I was fortunate to be mentored by Derrick & James, the title attorneys there who took me under their wing.  They provided me with invaluable exposure to title abstracting, searching, and the broader challenges faced by title companies. I’m grateful for the knowledge and experience I gained under their guidance.

When my partners and I launched Mortiles, I made a point to personally visit every title company in Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C. to introduce them to our services. Many of the clients we acquired during that initial marketing campaign remain valued partners today.

How Mortiles’ competitive edge sets it apart

HW: What sets your approach apart, and how does it impact the quality of your services?

EW: We have always prioritized service and quality above everything else; striving to make every file a good experience for our clients. At the end of the day, any service provider in the Real Estate industry is only as good as the last deal or file. By placing consistency at the forefront, our clients can trust us to deliver on every file. 

The senior management team and I have always adhered to a philosophy of not overcommitting and under delivering. This realistic approach has been instrumental in our high client retention rate.

While many of our competitors prioritize profit, potentially due to outside investments and silent partners, we distinguish ourselves by focusing on our expertise as abstractors and real estate specialists. As an independently owned and operated company, we take pride in having active partners who reinvest in our business.

The demands and pressures our clients face in this highly competitive industry drive us to be the best possible vendor partners for them. We are committed to continually improving and reaching our full potential.

Balancing technology and tradition in the market

HW: What do you feel is the right balance between innovation and traditional best practices when it comes to title abstracting?

EW: It has to be at least a fifty-fifty approach. You can’t be fully dependent on technology. It is a people driven industry. However, if you’re not implementing the newest technologies, automating your processes, and saving money, you’re going to get left behind.

We invested close to $1.5 million into these technologies in 2024. We also have our custom proprietary software which is constantly improving; we’re always updating, designing, rewriting, and adding on features which enables us to better deliver for our clients. 

While many companies discuss technological advancements, they often fail to implement them effectively. In contrast, we are actively embracing these efficiencies and incorporating them into our operations.

How Mortiles scales without losing the ‘Small Business’ feel

HW: How have you managed to maintain your level of service while scaling to meet national demand?

EW: We’ve experienced consistent, gradual expansion over the past 19+ years rather than drastic hypergrowth. Our core team remains strong, with all 7 founding employees still working with us today. This loyalty, combined with the addition of right kind of new talent, has allowed us to maintain our identity and culture, preserving the spirit of our organization’s early days.

The absence of layoffs in our company’s history instills confidence in our employees. This confidence, in turn, allows us to maintain the consistency for our clients that I mentioned previously. Additionally, our tight-knit team, including myself, Mortiles’ two other co-founders, and the senior leadership, are all actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the organization.

When you treat your employees and vendors with the professional courtesy and respect they deserve, they’re going to deliver for you. I’ve seen firsthand that many title production teams are losing almost 50% of their new hires within the first year whereas we have a 87% retention rate; which is impressive.

The Future of Mortiles and the industry

HW: With ongoing advancements in AI, predictive underwriting, and blockchain, the title and foreclosure industries seem to be evolving just as quickly as any other industry. 

Where do you see Mortiles in the next five years, and what trends do you think will have the biggest impact on your business?

EW: Mortiles is going to continue to blaze the trail in our sector. Through strategic investments in technology & elsewhere coupled with our unwavering commitment to efficiency, we anticipate expanding our full-time workforce to over 2,200 real estate professionals.  We’re presently leveraging the most cutting-edge technology and partnering world class block chain, AI, & automation experts to see what possibilities may be on the horizon. I have never been more confident in Mortiles’ future than I am today.

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