XML 20 R9.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.10.0.1
Revenues
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenues
Revenues. The Company's operating revenues, summarized by type, are as follows:
 
Three Months Ended 
 June 30,
 
Six Months Ended 
 June 30,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
 
($000 omitted)
 
($000 omitted)
Title insurance premiums:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Direct
158,947

 
159,488

 
291,708

 
290,489

Agency
247,257

 
234,407

 
484,111

 
467,756

Escrow fees
35,468

 
39,447

 
63,335

 
72,210

Search, abstract and valuation services
25,114

 
28,030

 
46,901

 
56,200

Other revenues
18,443

 
19,815

 
33,371

 
32,614

 
485,229

 
481,187

 
919,426

 
919,269



Direct premiums - Premiums from title insurance policies directly issued or issued by affiliate offices are recognized at the time of the closing of the related real estate transaction.

Agency premiums - Premiums from title insurance policies written by independent agencies (agencies) are recognized when the policies are reported to the Company. In addition, where reasonable estimates can be made, the Company accrues for policies issued but not reported until after period end. The Company believes that reasonable estimates can be made when recent and consistent policy issuance information is available. Estimates are based on historical reporting patterns and other information obtained about agencies, as well as current trends in direct operations and in the title industry. In this accrual, future transactions are not being estimated. The Company is estimating revenues on policies that have already been issued by agencies but not yet reported to or received by the Company. The Company has consistently followed the same basic method of estimating unreported policy revenues for more than 10 years.

Escrow fees - An escrow is a transaction pursuant to an agreement of a buyer, seller, borrower, or lender wherein an impartial third party, such as the Company, acts in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of the parties in accordance with the terms of such agreement in order to accomplish the directions stated therein. Services provided include, among others, acting as escrow or other fiduciary agent, obtaining releases, and conducting the actual closing or settlement. Escrow fees are recognized upon closing of the escrow, which is generally at the same time of the closing of the related real estate transaction.

Search, abstract and valuation services - These services are primarily related to establishing the ownership, legal status and valuation of the property in a real estate transaction. In these cases, the Company does not issue a title insurance policy or perform duties of an escrow agent. Revenues from these services are recognized upon delivery of the service to the customer.
Other revenues - Other revenues consist primarily of fees related to tax-deferred property exchange services, information technology products related to real property records and closing settlement services, income from equity investees, and other services performed to facilitate the closing of real estate transactions. For those products and services that are delivered at a point in time, the related revenue is recognized upon delivery based on the unit price of the product or service. For those products and services where delivery occurs over time, the related revenue is recognized ratably over the duration of the contract.