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Alamo Title Co. and sister company Chicago Title of Texas LLC had alleged in separate lawsuits that\u00a0WFG National Title Company of Texas LLC carried out a \u201csystematic raid\u201d of a combined 71 employees in 2025.\u00a0WFG denied the allegations. Shown is a screengrab of Alamo Title\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
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Less than a year after alleging a sweeping \u201csmash-and-grab\u201d raid of their workforces, two title companies have ended their\u00a0lawsuits against a rival<\/a>, bringing an abrupt close\u00a0to the high-stakes legal battles.<\/p>\n Judge Stacy Rogers Sharp<\/a> of the 4th Business Court<\/a> Division in San Antonio last week dismissed the lawsuits with prejudice, meaning sister companies Alamo Title Co.<\/a> and Chicago Title of Texas\u00a0LLC<\/a> cannot refile their claims against WFG National Title Company of Texas LLC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Both cases had been put on hold earlier this year as the parties worked toward potential resolutions, according to court records. Lawyers for the companies did not respond to requests for comment, and it is unclear how the disputes were resolved.<\/p>\n The now-closed cases accused WFG of orchestrating a \u201csystematic raid\u201d that lured away more than 70 employees\u00a0\u2014 including top executives\u00a0\u2014 from the two companies, moves they said\u00a0cost them business and millions in revenue.<\/p>\n Chicago Title had sought millions in damages, including nearly $10 million in lost revenue.<\/p>\n San Antonio Express News Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE: Texas title companies allege rival carried out \u2018systematic raid\u2019 of workers<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Alamo Title and Chicago Title alleged the departures were coordinated, pointing to waves of near-simultaneous resignations and similar language in resignation letters. They also said some employees took client relationships and confidential business information with them, allowing\u00a0WFG to quickly capture business.<\/p>\n The lawsuits, initially filed in state district courts in Harris and Bexar counties in July and August, were later moved by WFG to Business Court\u2014where cases exceeding $5 million are heard\u2014with both cases assigned to Rogers.<\/p>\n Alamo Title is based in San Antonio, while Chicago Title has its headquarters in The Woodlands. Both are owned by Fidelity National Financial Inc.<\/a>, a publicly traded company based in Jacksonville, Fla. WFG is part of the\u00a0Williston Financial Group<\/a> of Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n The disputes highlighted\u00a0intense competition for experienced employees in the relationship-driven title insurance business. Title insurance companies protect real estate buyers by searching for problems\u00a0\u2014 such as unpaid property taxes, fraudulent paperwork or unknown heirs claiming ownership\u00a0\u2014 ahead of a sale.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n SA Inc.: An insider\u2019s guide to business in San Antonio<\/a><\/p>\n WFG broadly denied the allegations, arguing that the employee departures were voluntary and driven by leadership changes\u00a0\u2014 not a coordinated \u201craid.\u201d<\/p>\n In both cases, WFG said the movement of workers followed the resignation of senior executives, particularly longtime Chicago Title leader Gayle Brand<\/a>, and that it is common in the industry for staff and clients to follow trusted leadership.<\/p>\n Separately, Brand had asked a court to allow her to question witnesses and gather evidence before filing a lawsuit. In that request, according to WFG\u2019s court filing, she said she resigned from Chicago Title after 29 years, including 18 as president of its Houston division, after being passed over for a promotion.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n She described that as the \u201cculmination\u201d of a \u201cpattern of favoring males in all aspects of employee career development,\u201d and of rewarding men who had a \u201cwell-earned reputation for boorish and crude behavior,\u201d including \u201cpersistent sexual harassment of female leadership,\u201d including herself, according to WFG.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t appear that Chicago Title responded to those allegations in any court filings.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n