Commercial Title Underwriter – Renewables Team (remote)

About the role

First American's Direct division provides comprehensive title insurance protection and professional settlement services for real estate purchases, refinances and equity loans. The company is seeking a Commercial Title Underwriter to support energy and renewable energy transactions. In this role, you will apply your underwriting and title insurance expertise, research skills, and attention to detail to help support the development, financing, acquisition, and closing of energy projects. You will work on transactions involving solar, wind, battery storage, transmission, utility-scale development, distributed generation, and other energy-related assets where land rights and real property interests are critical to project success. These matters may include fee ownership, leasehold interests, easements, access rights, mineral rights, encumbrances, survey matters, and multi-site project portfolios. You will help identify, analyze, and resolve title issues that may impact site control, project financing, construction, operation, or transfer of energy and renewable energy assets. You will work closely with internal teams, title partners, escrow professionals, customers, and outside counsel to support the title process from search and review through commitment, endorsement, policy, and closing.

Responsibilities

• Provide underwriting support, and authorization to company personnel and customers related to the issuance of real estate title insurance commitments and policies
• Utilize underwriting standards and guidelines within delegated authority limits, to underwrite the issuance of title insurance
• Review complete title searches for energy and renewable energy transactions in accordance with local practices and corporate standards
• Analyze property records, including liens, judgments, easements, leases, mineral rights, access rights, tax records, surveys, vital statistics, and other documents affecting real property
• Review legal descriptions, vesting, encumbrances, exceptions, leasehold interests, site control documents, and other title matters affecting energy and renewable energy projects
• Identify title issues that may impact project development, financing, acquisition, construction, operation, or closing
• Support transactions involving solar, wind, battery storage, transmission, utility-scale development, distributed generation, and other energy-related assets
• Review and approve documentation including deeds, leases, easements, operating agreements, corporate resolutions, affidavits, curative documents, and other transaction-related instruments
• Select appropriate write-ups for commitments and policies for both standard and extended coverage
• Properly price commitments, endorsements, policies, and guarantees using the appropriate schedule of fees and charges
• Coordinate with title, escrow, legal, and customer teams to resolve title issues and move transactions forward
• Communicate clearly with internal and external partners regarding title requirements, exceptions, curative needs, and closing-related matters
• In some regions or locations, consult with attorneys to review search packages and escalate matters requiring legal guidance

Requirements

• 5-7 years title underwriting experience, commercial experience preferred
• Experience with title transactions involving energy, renewable energy, utilities, land acquisition, project finance, energy infrastructure, or large multi-site portfolios
• Renewable energy transaction experience is strongly preferred; experience with utility-scale solar, wind, battery storage, transmission, project finance, land acquisition, or energy infrastructure matters is a plus
• Strong understanding of title insurance concepts, commitments, policies, endorsements, exceptions, and closing requirements
• Familiarity with real property interests commonly involved in energy projects, such as leases, easements, access rights, mineral rights