HOUSTON, Jan. 12, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Stewart Information Services Corp. (NYSE:STC) announced today that its subsidiary, Stewart Title Co., has acquired Red River Title Services Inc., of Fargo, N.D. Sue Cosgriff will continue to serve as president of the company, also known as Cass County Abstract Co., along with existing key management and staff.
"Cass County Abstract has served the Fargo area since 1910, and has done business in Clay County, Minn. since 1993," said Rand Zimmerman, executive vice president and region manager for Stewart Title Guaranty Co. "Stewart is committed to the outstanding associates at Cass County Abstract and continuing its tradition of excellent customer service. Fargo-Moorhead was just recognized by Inc. magazine as the second best small metro area in the U.S. to start and grow a company. Stewart is pleased to be a part of this area's business growth."
"In this day and age, customer service is the number one priority," said Cosgriff. "Our affiliation with Stewart will bring a new level of technological expertise to help us better serve our customers: the title companies, attorneys, financial institutions, real estate brokers and agents. We are also excited about Stewart's excellent reputation throughout the real estate and title industries."
Cosgriff is a Fargo native, and has been with the company since 1986. She previously worked as a CPA in a local law firm. Cosgriff serves as the 2001-2002 president of the North Dakota Land Title Association, a trade association. She is also the abstracter member of the North Dakota Abstracters' Board of Examiners, which adopts and administers rules and regulations governing the examination, certification and registration of abstracters in the state.
Fargo is on the eastern border of North Dakota and shares its metropolitan area with Moorhead, Minn. It is the home of Great Plains Software Inc., which was recently acquired by Microsoft Corp. The Fargo-Moorhead metro area population is 184,000, which has been increasing by an average of 1.5-2 percent annually for the past 20 years.
Red River Title Services/Cass County Abstract is located at 17 South 7th Street, Fargo, N.D. 58103, telephone number (701) 232-3341.
Stewart Information Services Corporation is a technology driven, strategically competitive, global real estate information company. Stewart provides title insurance and related services through more than 5,300 issuing locations in the United States and several international markets. A leading provider of real estate information technology and connectivity, Stewart meets the needs of the real estate and mortgage industries through the electronic delivery of services required for settlement. These services include title reports, flood determinations, property appraisals, document preparation, credit reports and other real estate information. In addition, Stewart provides expertise in tax-deferred exchanges, surveys and field services. More information about Stewart can be found at www.stewart.com.