The American Land Title Association publishes a quarterly Market Share Analysis built from the statutory filings every title underwriter makes to state regulators. The second-quarter 2026 edition, reported by HousingWire on September 23, is a useful snapshot of the industry that stands behind every Florida owner's policy. We pulled the figures that matter to a Florida buyer, seller or lender and explain each one below. For how a Florida premium is actually calculated, see how much title insurance costs in Florida.
- U.S. title premiums were $5.3 billion in Q2 2026, up from $4.5 billion a year earlier; first-half volume rose 16.1%. ALTA credits commercial real estate for much of the growth.
- Florida wrote $618.1 million, second only to Texas ($736.9 million) and ahead of California ($464.8 million). Florida's premiums rose 15.2% year over year.
- Florida's rates are promulgated by the state, so a 15% rise in premiums means more and larger transactions, not higher prices for the same policy.
- The industry paid about $327 million in claims in the first half of 2026, slightly less than the $336 million a year earlier, while statutory surplus reached $5.4 billion and reserves $5.8 billion.
- First American led underwriters at 23.3%, followed by Fidelity National (15.8%), Chicago Title (13.2%), Old Republic (13.1%) and Stewart (10.9%).
The national numbers
ALTA's report covers the three months ending June 30, 2026. The headline figures:
- Premiums: $5.3 billion, up from $4.5 billion in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of nearly 15%.
- First half of 2026: premium volume up 16.1% over the first half of 2025.
- Operating income: up 2.9% from a year earlier.
- Balance sheet: $12 billion in total assets, $5.4 billion in statutory surplus, $5.8 billion in statutory reserves.
- Claims paid: nearly $327 million in the first six months, down from about $336 million in the same period of 2025.
ALTA's chief executive, Chris Morton, attributed the growth largely to commercial transactions, citing manufacturing, industrial and other major developments. That tracks with what we see: commercial policies are larger, and a handful of big projects can move a state's quarterly number more than thousands of residential closings.
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Where Florida stands
Five states generated the most premium in the quarter:
| State | Q2 2026 premiums | Change from Q2 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | $736.9 million | +9.8% |
| Florida | $618.1 million | +15.2% |
| California | $464.8 million | +12.9% |
| New York | $315.3 million | +18.7% |
| Ohio | $222.0 million | +60.1% |
Florida's second-place finish is not new; the state has been a top-three title market for years because of transaction volume, high average prices in the coastal counties, and a rate structure that is higher per thousand dollars of coverage than Texas or California on a typical residential policy. What stands out this quarter is the growth rate: 15.2%, faster than Texas and California, in a year when residential sales in much of Florida were flat or down. The likeliest explanation is the one ALTA gave nationally, commercial, plus the rise in average sale prices that pushes each residential policy into a higher premium bracket.
Why growth in Florida is not a price increase
A 15% increase in premiums sounds like title insurance got more expensive. In Florida it cannot mean that. Owner's and lender's policy rates are promulgated by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation under Rule 69O-186.003 of the Florida Administrative Code, and every agent and underwriter charges the same rate for the same policy: $5.75 per thousand on the first $100,000 of coverage, $5.00 per thousand from $100,000 to $1 million, and lower tiers above that. A $400,000 owner's policy costs $2,075 whether you close with us, a Miami law firm, or a national underwriter's direct operation. The rate has not changed.
So when Florida's premium volume rises, one of three things is happening: more policies are being written, the average policy amount is higher because prices are higher, or a larger share of the volume is commercial, where a single policy can be tens of millions of dollars. All three appear to be in play this quarter. None of them changes what you will pay on your own closing. Run the figure for your price on our title insurance calculator; the number is the same everywhere in the state.
The one place a Florida buyer can legitimately pay less is the reissue rate: if the seller's owner's policy is available, the new policy is discounted. Our reissue rate calculator shows the savings.
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Who wrote the business: underwriter market share
ALTA breaks the quarter down by underwriter. These are the companies that actually carry the risk on a policy; the agency you close with issues policies on one or more of their forms.
| Underwriter | Q2 2026 share |
|---|---|
| First American Title Insurance Co. | 23.3% |
| Fidelity National Title Insurance Co. | 15.8% |
| Chicago Title Insurance Co. | 13.2% |
| Old Republic National Title Insurance Co. | 13.1% |
| Stewart Title Guaranty Co. | 10.9% |
| Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. | 4.6% |
| Title Resources Guaranty Co. | 3.3% |
| Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co. | 3.2% |
| WFG National Title Insurance Co. | 2.6% |
| First American Title Guaranty Co. | 1.3% |
Two things to read from this. First, Fidelity National, Chicago Title and Commonwealth are all part of Fidelity National Financial, so the top of the market is more concentrated than the individual lines suggest: the FNF family and First American together write well over half of all U.S. premium. Second, market share is not a measure of claims-paying strength or of service on your file. An independent agency like ours can place a policy with more than one underwriter and match the underwriter to the transaction. Our underwriters page lists who we write with and why.
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Submit a Contract →Claims, reserves and what they mean for your policy
The numbers that should reassure a policyholder are the quiet ones. The industry paid about $327 million in claims in the first half of 2026, down slightly from $336 million a year earlier, on a premium base that grew 16%. At the same time, statutory surplus stood at $5.4 billion and statutory reserves at $5.8 billion. Reserves are money set aside, by regulation, against claims that have not been made yet; surplus is capital beyond that. Together they are what pays your claim on a title defect that surfaces in year twelve of your ownership, long after the premium was spent.
Title insurance is unusual among insurance lines in that most of the premium goes to preventing the loss rather than paying for it: the search, the examination, the curative work before closing. That is why the claims ratio is low compared with property or auto insurance, and why a falling claims number alongside rising volume is a healthy sign rather than a suspicious one. It means the searches are catching the problems before they become claims.
What it does not mean is that title problems are rare. Our own files this year include unreleased mortgages, municipal liens that survived a sale, and heirs who surfaced after a probate was closed. The policy exists for the ones the search cannot see: forged deeds, undisclosed heirs, recording errors, and fraud like the Driftwood Title case in Brevard County, where a closer issued commitments backed by no policy at all. If you are closing in Florida this fall, the rate is fixed, the underwriters are well capitalized, and the only decision that changes your outcome is whether you buy the owner's policy. Our guide to whether you need title insurance walks through it, and the form below gets you a quote for your address.
Related Reading
How Much Does Title Insurance Cost in Florida?
The promulgated rate, tier by tier, with examples.
Our Title Insurance Underwriters
Who carries the risk on your policy, and why we place with more than one.
What Does Title Insurance Actually Cover?
The defects the search cannot see, and the ones it can.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much title insurance premium was written in Florida in Q2 2026?
$618.1 million, according to ALTA's second-quarter 2026 Market Share Analysis, up 15.2% from the same quarter of 2025. Florida was the second-largest state after Texas ($736.9 million) and ahead of California ($464.8 million).
Did title insurance get more expensive in Florida in 2026?
No. Florida's owner's and lender's policy rates are promulgated by the state and are the same at every agency and underwriter. Growth in premium volume reflects more transactions, higher sale prices and more commercial business, not a higher rate for the same policy.
Which title insurance underwriter has the largest market share?
First American Title Insurance Co. at 23.3% in Q2 2026, followed by Fidelity National Title (15.8%), Chicago Title (13.2%), Old Republic National Title (13.1%) and Stewart Title Guaranty (10.9%).
Are title insurance claims going up?
Not in this report. The industry paid about $327 million in claims in the first half of 2026, down from roughly $336 million in the first half of 2025, while premium volume rose 16.1%.
What are statutory reserves and why do they matter?
Money a title underwriter is required by regulation to set aside against future claims on policies already issued. ALTA reported $5.8 billion in statutory reserves and $5.4 billion in surplus at the end of Q2 2026. That capital is what pays a claim on a defect that surfaces years after closing.