Land Title Company of Alabama provides peace of mind to its clients

The Alabama Self-Insured Worker’s Compensation Fund (THE FUND) has been providing coverage to Alabama employers for more than 40 years. There is no “typical” business that embodies a member of THE FUND. From small mom and pop businesses on the square to large auto manufacturing employers, THE FUND delivers a committed staff dedicated to keeping employers and employees safe– without compromise. One such member is the Land Title Company of Alabama, a family owned business based in Birmingham that provides services throughout the state. 

Like its workers’ compensation provider, Land Title Company of Alabama provides peace of mind to its clients.  For more than 70 years, it has been making sure that commercial and residential property closings happen safely and on time. For the past 19 years, it has partnered with the Alabama Self-Insured Worker’s Compensation Fund (THE FUND) to protect its employees in the same way it protects its clients. Founded in 1951 by William F. Miller, and now three generations later, Land Title Company of Alabama is still focused on protecting the clients it serves and the employees who help it meet this mission. One of the oldest companies of its kind in the state, it has its own title plant that contains all recorded land records for Jefferson and Shelby counties and staff can perform research in all 67 Alabama counties.

After William F. Miller’s death at the age of 53, his oldest son, William F. Miller, Jr. (Bill) took over the business along with his brother Jack, creating one of the best business couples in Alabama. Their business styles complimented each other with Jack being the outgoing, gregarious brother who focused on developing opportunities for growth and Bill being content to develop strong and trusted core services to support the company’s growth. Leading, delivering and protecting…laser focused on their father’s ideals, the brothers established and cultivated their client base by taking care of the little things that make a big difference like personally hand delivering title products to their customers’ doors and building respect with each delivery.

According to Mary Jo Heaton, a 48-year veteran with the company, the company made the move to THE FUND in 2002 because of how well-respected it was throughout the state for its expertise, ability to manage claims and its promise to deliver commitment and consistency without compromise. 

“Our broker said THE FUND was the best solution for us and he was right,” said Mary Jo. “We have stayed with THE FUND because they are the best value, have provided great service to us, and taken care of our employees when we needed them.”

Today, the torch has been handed down to William F. Miller III (Tripp) who remains committed to living up to the legacy that clients throughout the state expect from the company his grandfather founded.

When asked what was the secret to the company’s success, Tripp answered with one word: family. The employees and the clients of Land Title Company of Alabama are family and Tripp knows THE FUND understands this and shares his company’s vision. 

“We want to keep our clients and employees safe. That’s why we partnered with THE FUND,” said Amy Niesen, senior vice president and general counsel. “We are never complacent in either the products we provide or the way we look after our staff. When it comes to delivering peace of mind to our employees, complacency can lead to negative outcomes. We have a dedicated staff member focused on safety and ensuring our employees leave every day in the same condition they arrived. THE FUND has the same philosophy and was built on the same strong foundation of trust and integrity.” 

Amy adds that it was the work ethic and family atmosphere she saw as a fresh-out college graduate more than 30 years ago, that led her to eagerly accept a job offer upon her graduation from law school. 

“I loved the employees I worked with and the puzzles and the history behind each title search. Each search has its own story and some have dark shadows,” she laughingly said. She continued to explain that what makes the company different is that they hold on to their “old school” traditions while still embracing technological tools that can make them better such as developing an application for their clients to access information that makes their jobs easier.

Like so many other industries, the title insurance industry is facing a “silver tsunami” and is trying to attract younger employees to learn and lead title operations across the nation.  Land Title is progressively training and growing younger employees to lead the company for next 70 years and beyond. The average years of service for its staff family is 22 with the longest still serving employee having a 60-year tenure with the company. 

Despite the many challenges 2020 brought, business for the company has more than tripled year over year. Because of their 70-year history, they will ride the wave while at the same time prepare for the next dip. THE FUND will be there with them every step of the way giving peace of mind to its family while the Land Title Company of Alabama does the same for its clients.