Title insurance veteran Mari Bazan, real estate paralegal Rebecca Somers join rapidly growing title agency as account executives
Proper Title, LLC, a full-service title insurance agency serving the residential and commercial real estate industries, announced the latest expansion of its title services through its hiring of Maricela Bazan in its downtown Chicago office and Rebecca Somers in its northwest suburban Crystal Lake, Ill., office. The two new account executives will market Proper Title’s services to real estate attorneys, mortgage brokers, lenders and real estate agents as well as maintain ongoing communications with existing clients.
A 30-year title insurance veteran, Bazan is known for her warm, welcoming customer service approach that ensures smooth closings. She has spent the past 21 years at Chicago Title Insurance Company where she most recently held the title of customer service representative. Prior to that, Bazan worked at City Suburban Title. She began her title insurance career in 1993 at PNTN.
“Many attorneys request to work with Mari because of her remarkable customer service,” said Kim O’Donnell, executive vice president of business development at Proper Title. “She really holds their hands through the closing process. She brings exceptional talent and diverse expertise to Proper Title.”
Somers knows first-hand what attorneys and brokers need as she has been working at a law firm as a real estate paralegal since 2020. In her most recent role, she directly interfaced with attorneys, clients and vendors to prepare closing documents, and she worked with title companies and surveyors to help eliminate title and survey issues. Her passion for real estate was sparked after flipping an investment home with her father. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky.
“Having worked within a real estate law firm, Rebecca offers one-of-a-kind insight into what’s most important to attorneys,” said David Zawadzki, executive vice president of business development at Proper Title. “We entered McHenry County with our Crystal Lake office just two years ago, and we’ve seen incredible growth in this region since then. We look forward to having Rebecca help us expand even more.”
Proper Title is one of the fastest-growing title companies in the nation and has regularly received “top workplace” awards from the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, Forbes and other publications. In addition to residential transactions, the firm also has robust experience with a wide variety of commercial real estate sales, ranging from multi-unit buildings and car dealerships to condominium deconversions, student housing, medical office buildings and farmland.
About Proper Title, LLC:
Chicago-based Proper Title, LLC, is a full-service title insurance agency serving the residential and commercial real estate industries. Since its founding in 2013, Proper Title has substantially grown its transaction volume in just a few years with its commitment to servicing the needs of its clients and was named Fidelity National Finance Family of Companies #1 Issuing Agent in Illinois for 2020. The firm has earned the “Rising Star / Excellence in Action” award by FNF for the past six years in a row and was awarded Crain’s Chicago Business “Best Places to Work” in 2019 and 2020. Proper Title was also named one of Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers of 2021. For more information, visit propertitle.com.
Mari Bazan: Maricela Bazan joins Proper Title as an account executive in the firm’s downtown Chicago office.
Rebecca Somers: Rebecca Somers joins Proper Title as an account executive in the firm’s Crystal Lake, Ill., office.