Vancouver’s Columbia Title has a new name and new ownership after being acquired by Portland-based WFG National Title, a Williston Financial Group company.
As a result of the acquisition, which was completed last month, Columbia Title is now operating under the name WFG National Title Company of Clark County WA. All 27 employees from the firm’s two Vancouver locations have been retained.
Patrick Stone, WFG chairman and CEO, said the move “is a natural progression of WFG’s growth in the Northwestern states. We have seen tremendous success in this market, especially with our local direct operations. Columbia Title, which has a long history of client focus and service, is a powerful match with WFG’s operations.”
In a letter to Clark County real estate professionals, Stone added, “WFG brings significant additional capability to an already outstanding group of settlement services professionals. Moreover, WFG, like the former Columbia Title team, is focused on making sure you receive the best possible service and immediate response to any and all problems or issues.”
Dennis Gish, who joined Columbia Title in 2006, now manages WFG’s offices in Vancouver (at 5101 NE 82nd Ave. and 2105 NE 129th St.). He said having access to the larger company’s resources, such as a compliance department, is certainly a benefit.
“[WFG’s] headquarters are in Portland and their administrative offices are there, so they’re close,” said Gish. “We don’t have to go far and there isn’t a lot of middle management in the company. And while the chain is short, there are more people we can turn to when we need to get questions answered, rather than having to find them out on your own.
“We look forward to operating under the WFG culture,” he added. “We’ve also operated under the philosophy that absolutely nothing comes before the client. So, we expect our existing customers will continue to enjoy superior service as well as benefiting from an influx of client-focused resources that comes from working with one of the nation’s leading underwriters.”
WFG National Title conducts business with owned operations in the Puget Sound area, California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas, in addition the Portland metropolitan area. WFG is the sixth largest underwriter in the nation.
Gish said that the acquisition comes during what has been a busy year for the title company, adding that there may be a minor slowdown during the wintertime, as is typical.
“But for the most part, it has been a busy year up to this point and we’re still busy closing transactions,” he added
