FOUNDED: Traces roots to 1889 when two firms opened to handle title matters. Five years later, local businessman C.E. Parker merged the two competitors into a single entity, and he became president of the resulting company—Orange County Title Company—the immediate predecessor to today’s First American Title Insurance Company, the largest subsidiary of First American Financial Corporation. Nowadays, provides title insurance and home warranties, among other products.
HQ: Santa Ana
DEFINING MOMENT: Donald Parker Kennedy, grandson of the founder, joined the company after finishing law school in 1948; he realized that the company needed to expand beyond OC to survive. In 1963, D.P. Kennedy was named president of the company, taking over for his uncle, George Parker. D.P.’s son, Parker S. Kennedy, joined company in 1977 and succeeded his father as president in 1993, taking on leadership roles including as CEO/chairman and now lead independent director. In 2011, spun off CoreLogic, a provider of residential data, which was bought for $6B in 2021 after a lengthy proxy battle; now has name Cotality.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Parker has long been involved in community activities, including serving on the boards of Chapman University and the Bowers Museum.
BY THE NUMBERS: $7B market cap; 2025 sales rose 22% to $7.45B. 19K employees, including 1,226 in OC.
QUOTABLE: “First American was built more than 135 years ago on a foundation of integrity and service. Our philosophy of providing our customers the respect they deserve and the services they need endures. It’s a corporate culture we continue to bring to our work—and to our clients—every day.” — company website