Inside Title Companies: What Really Happens Before You Close with Brian Thies, Vice President of National Commercial Services at ATA National Title Group

Brian Thies is the Vice President of National Commercial Services at ATA National Title Group, a large Midwest-based title agency that handles complex commercial and residential transactions across multiple states. With 22+ years in the industry, Brian has operated at every scale—from small agencies to national platforms—specializing in multi-state deals and construction disbursing.In this conversation, Brian gives a fast “Title 101,” clarifying how title insurance covers past problems (liens, taxes, judgments) rather than future risks, and why owners and lenders get separate policies. He walks through construction disbursing and fraud prevention (especially wire fraud), explains how scale and underwriter options matter on big projects, and shares where volume is moving (storage, restaurants, hotels) alongside a pragmatic view on interest rates and M&A-driven growth.Connect with the Host (use exactly)Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/ItsRajTut⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajtut/ ⁠Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/ItsRajTut⁠ TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@itsrajtutConnect with the GuestLinkedIn (Brian Thies): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-thies-27332a4 LinkedIn Company: https://www.atatitle.com/ Atatitle Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ata-national-title-group LinkedInTimestamps for Key Segments00:00 Title 101—how title insurance differs from auto/life 02:10 Role & platform scope; national coverage and team 03:41 Brian’s path: KC → Mizzou → banking → title 07:15 The connector mindset and building deal flow 13:34 Scaling: small vs boutique vs large title shops 15:54 Owner’s vs lender’s policy; liens vs judgments 18:07 Construction disbursing explained with live examples 31:12 Rates, volume, sectors (storage, restaurants, hotels) 42:48 Fraud stories; wire-safety playbook and best practices 49:54 “Hole-in-one” advice: relationships compoundThis podcast is brought to you by Storyboard Living.If you're looking to sell us a 40+ unit multifamily property in the St. Louis region, or another part of MO/IL, please email [e-mail] with us at our Website: https://storyboardliving.com/LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/storyboard-living/