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Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (ATG®), as agent of First American Title Insurance Company, recently closed on a $115 million transaction, the largest multi-residential sale in Champaign County history.
Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. is expanding its operations to Aurora, Ill., to provide convenience and services to lawyers, realtors, lenders, and home buyers and sellers whose real estate transactions are taking place in Kane County. The office at 1971 West Downer Place, Suite A, is conveniently located, has plenty of parking, and is staffed by knowledgeable ATG employees.
ATG will host an open house on September 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. and invites local real estate lawyers and others in the profession to stop by and meet the ATG staff, including experienced manager Eric Rivas, who is relocating from ATG’s Wheaton office to run the Aurora facility. Guests will also tour the new office, learn about closing room amenities, network with other professionals, and enjoy refreshments. Registration is at http://tinyurl.com/ATGOpenHouseAurora.
Kathryn Van Eeuwen, a trust and estate professional with more than 20 years in the wealth management industry, has been appointed president of ATG Trust Company, a subsidiary of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc.
The ATG Trust Company provides clients, through its attorney members, with a full range of trust and money management services. Van Eeuwen will be responsible for providing strategic leadership for the company by working with the board and key staff to establish and implement near and long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies.
“We are delighted to have Kathy on board,” said ATG Trust Company Board Chair Carol Simpson. “We believe she is the ideal person to lead ATG Trust, provide trust and estate expertise, nurture the important relationships we’ve worked hard to develop, and lead us into a very promising future.”
ATG President and CEO Peter Birnbaum added, “Kathy’s broad management experience and her diverse background in risk control and regulatory oversight will be an immense asset as we continue to provide our members and their clients with excellent support and services.”
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Peter J. Birnbaum, president and CEO, Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., as chief justice of the Illinois Court of Claims. Birnbaum has served as a judge on the Court since 2004.
The Illinois Court of Claims was established by the legislature in 1889 as a forum of limited jurisdiction to render decisions on monetary claims and lawsuits against the state. Birnbaum is one of seven judges on the Court of Claims. They are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Illinois Senate. “I am honored to be chosen by Governor Rauner to lead the court, and I welcome the challenges and responsibility that go with the role of chief justice,” Birnbaum said. “It is a privilege to serve on a court that plays an integral role in determining the rights and responsibilities of the state and its citizens.
During his tenure, Birnbaum has provided leadership for the court in a number of areas, for example, cases involving soldiers killed in the line of duty. He also has authored several significant opinions including Dorsey v. State, a case involving a State Trooper who killed two young girls while he was texting and driving at reckless speeds.
Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. announces the retirement of former leader, board member, and board chairman Ward F. McDonald of Mahomet, Illinois.
McDonald helped shape ATG from a concept to a viable business, went on to conduct a successful law practice, and served as an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois College of Law and College of Business. “ATG would not be the success it is today without Ward's efforts,” said Peter J. Birnbaum, president and CEO. “Ward worked tirelessly from the late 1960s—first as a law clerk, then in the company’s top position as Executive Vice President—through the early 1980s, then served on our board for decades, always offering thoughtful guidance and leadership.”
In the midst of celebrating its 50th year, title insurance underwriter Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (ATG®) has issued its three millionth policy. The insureds are William and Jill Thompson of Oglesby, Illinois, and the ATG attorney-member who issued the policy is ISBA member Richard Fiocchi of Bernabei, Balestri & Fiocchi, Spring Valley, Illinois.
Founded in 1964 by a small group of downstate Illinois lawyers, ATG had issued one million policies by 1994 and two million by 2004. “This latest milestone is a tribute to our nearly 4,000 attorney-members and our dedicated staff who provide sellers, purchasers, and lenders with impeccable service each and every day,” said Peter Birnbaum, ATG President and CEO.
Mr. Fiocchi’s firm has been associated with ATG since 1965 through its founding partner Bruno Bernabei (1921-1995); the remaining name partners have been active with ATG for 30+ years. “ATG is the backbone of our law practice, has been for decades. We're so grateful to be a part of this milestone, to help mark the company’s 50th anniversary—and we’re thrilled for the Thompsons, a nice young couple."
Founded 50 years ago by a small group of downstate Illinois lawyers, Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. has evolved into a family of companies offering a broad spectrum of services to more than 4,000 lawyers in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. The company now garners revenue in excess of 100 million annually and will issue its three millionth title insurance policy this year.
“Our 50th anniversary is a celebration of our founding members and the thousands of law firms and agents who have together built the company into the success it is today,” said Peter Birnbaum, ATG President and CEO. It’s also a celebration of our staff—loyal stewards of the company who believe in our mission to be the premier lawyer service organization for the benefit of the public.”
ATG was founded in 1964 thanks to the efforts of Urbana attorney Stanley B. Balbach and his law partners Richard L. Thies and Charles M. Webber. Balbach’s early efforts built the foundation, and he remained active with the organization until his retirement from the board of directors in 2007. Balbach died in 2012 at the age of 92. Birnbaum cites newly elected Board Chair Ward F. McDonald, who served as CEO from 1970-1983, as the person most responsible for bringing ATG from a concept into a thriving business. “It was Ward’s unique ability to promote the ATG mission that built it into a grassroots movement, and over time—a formidable force in the legal and real estate communities.”
Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (ATG®, www.atgf.com) announces the promotions of Nancy R. Vallone to president, The Judicial Sales Corporation (TJSC, www.tjsc.com); Arden K. Miner to president, ATG LegalServe, Inc. (www.atglegalserve.com); and Thomas G. Cullen to vice president, Wisconsin operations, ATG.
Prior to joining TJSC, a subsidiary of ATG, in October 1991 Vallone was a special commissioner of the federal court for six years. Vallone has conducted more than 20,000 foreclosure sales and has more than 30 years of experience in the mortgage foreclosure industry.
Miner, who joined ATG LegalServe in 2012, first worked as an attorney in the ATG legal and underwriting departments from 2001 to 2004. She was then promoted to senior manager of ATG’s underwriting and escrow departments. Miner holds a J.D. from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management, a B.S. in psychology from Loyola University of Chicago, and a teaching certificate from Northeastern University. Miner is a former member of the board of directors of the Illinois Land Title Association, a current member of the Illinois State Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association (CBA). She is also a past chair for the CBA Real Property Law Committee and current vice chair of the UPL and Multi-Disciplinary Law Committees. She has been a frequent speaker for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education and ATG Legal Education seminars.
McDonald has a long history with ATG and was instrumental in its early growth and success. His efforts in the late 1960s and 1970s, starting as executive vice president, then president, ensured that founder Stanley Balbach’s vision took root.
“Ward’s 45-year history with ATG provides the board, staff and ATG members with a chair who has a great perspective on who we are, where we have been, and where we are going,” said current ATG president, Peter Birnbaum.
After leaving ATG in 1983 to pursue a private practice, McDonald continued to serve on the ATG board. As 2014 chair, McDonald will preside over board meetings, have a seat on key ATG committees, and interact with ATG’s executive staff on long-range planning and financial decisions that affect the company.
Peter Birnbaum, president and CEO of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (ATG®), has been designated one of IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law’s 125 Alumni of Distinction for his outstanding professional and community service achievements.
“We are proud to honor Peter Birnbaum for his role in shaping the legal profession, giving back to his community and the law school, and helping to raise the profile of the College of Law on a global level,” said Harold J. Krent, Dean of Chicago-Kent College of Law, which celebrates 125 years of distinctive legal education this year. All Alumni of Distinction will be honored at a dinner on Thursday, Nov. 21 at The Renaissance Hotel, 1 West Wacker Dr., Chicago, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Birnbaum said, “I’m extremely humbled to be among this list of distinctive alumni, and to be honored in such a way by the IIT Kent-Chicago College of Law, which offered me an excellent education and numerous opportunities to grow as a person and a professional.”
A past president of the Alumni Board and current member of the Board of Overseers for the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, Birnbaum received a Distinguished Service Award from the College in 2004. As a first-year student there in 1981, he began his career at ATG as a law clerk, and advanced to positions of staff attorney, and vice president and counsel, before being namedm president and CEO in 1991.