My email to David Saag, SVP/Chief Claims Counsel Fidelity National Title Insurance Company

Dear Mr. Saag,

Thank you so much for responding to my letter. You are correct that I was forced to settle my lawsuit with Fidelity as I was financially not able to continue with the expenses such as going to Idaho to depose the appraiser and Nebraska to depose Mr. Hansen.  The loss that precipitated the claim was life changing but I am finally recovering. But not to the point that I could afford to not work and invest in the lawsuit.

I was extremely loyal to Fidelity both for my own real estate and referring dozens of clients to Fidelity. The escrow officers in Sonoma were exceptional but unfortunately I now have to tell people that I would never use Fidelity again as I fell that my property was not only not insured but that the claims counsels who I thought wee there to help me were apparently only there to protect Fidelity's bottom line. I did not realize that the claims counsels were there to represent Fidelity's financial interest and not to protect my interest in my property.

The reason I originally wrote to Mr. Foley was my experience appeared to be the exact opposite to what is described as his one core principle and over the 20 years since the article was written - it appears that his employees have lost the ability to treat their customers properly in my opinion.

In the Reference for Business biography of William P. Foley II, I read the following:

Foley ascribed his success to one core principle: staying focused on the customer in a November 1992 article in California Business, he said, "It takes years to get the business one deal at a time. But once you get it; you have customers for life, as long as you treat them property."

And I have now heard from other Fidelity clients from Florida to Hawaii who have had a similar experience to mine - so the exceptional service I was provided with by Fidelity National Title Company does not appear to exist at Fidelity National Title Insurance Company (and I now know the difference between the two.) The original intention of my letter to Mr. Foley was to inform him that the one core principle that he ascribed his success to is no longer applied in the company he heads.

As you have offered assistance, I would love to some. As I did not understand even as a former real estate broker how title insurance actually worked, I began researching the subject of Fidelity and title insurance. I am currently plodding my way through "An Analysis of Competition in the California Title Insurance and Escrow Industry" written by Birny Birnbaum.

All I ever asked from the half dozen claims counsels I was assigned was to be listened to and acknowledged. I have many questions. Are you really willing to answer them?

Thank you so much.

Ann Zollinger

PS. So that I am disclosed, I will be posting our communication on my blog and I know many of my readers have questions too.