Kensington Vanguard to open Long Island office; Headed by Aurrichio

Kensington Vanguard National Land Services, one of the largest independent full-service national title insurance and settlement agencies in the U.S., has opened a new office. The opening comes on the heels of the launch of Kensington Vanguard's first office in the greater Washington, D.C. market following the company's acquisition earlier this year of two leading northern Virginia title agencies, New Era Title and Clear to Close Settlement Services. The opening of a Long Island office is in response to the growth of Kensington Vanguard's Long Island client base as the company strategically expands its footprint to best serve the needs of its ever-growing and diversified book of business in the New York metro area. The new Long Island office, located at 666 Old Country Rd., will position Kensington Vanguard to service the company's existing Long Island clients and cultivate new business development opportunities and relationships in line with improving local market conditions. "We believe there is strong demand in the Long Island market for Kensington Vanguard's brand of institutional-quality service, expertise and capabilities to address the sophisticated requirements of clients in today's complex and continually changing environment," said Jarett Fein, co-CEO of Kensington Vanguard. "There has been, and will continue to be, a marked flight to quality in this industry, and Long Island law firms, lenders, developers and property owners deserve the same best-in-class service that Kensington Vanguard's New York City and national clients have come to expect from our team over the years." Kensington Vanguard has tapped industry veteran Tom Aurrichio to head the company's new Long Island office and oversee local business development initiatives. With 37 years of industry experience, Aurrichio began his career at First American Title Insurance Co. of New York, where he was eventually promoted to senior VP of sales and was ranked as the firm's top salesperson from 1996 to 2001. In 2002, Aurrichio formed his own title agency, which he ran successfully for many years before joining Kensington Vanguard. "Having been in the business for nearly 40 years, I can say unequivocally that I have never before seen the level of explosive growth, excitement, technological innovation and client service exhibited by Kensington Vanguard. As a veteran professional, it is incredibly refreshing to see the next generation taking the industry by storm by building both a local and national platform, and embracing a client-centric service approach," said Aurrichio. "I see tremendous opportunity in the Long Island market for an agency like Kensington Vanguard that has a proven track record of effectively servicing some of the largest institutions in the real estate space today, and I am extremely excited to leverage my experience and relationships to contribute to the Company's continued growth." After a strategic private equity investment led by Red Oak Partners in 2012, Kensington Vanguard positioned itself to be a consolidator in the title insurance market through financial strength, leadership in both the commercial and residential markets, a national platform and a commitment to top-tier regulatory compliance. In June 2013, former deputy director of the U.S. Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Raj Date, joined the company's board of directors. Kensington Vanguard operates three divisions: its High Liability Division, National Lender Services Division and 1031 Exchange Services Division: * The High Liability Division is a market leader in handling the largest and most complex commercial real estate transactions in the marketplace, servicing a prominent and diversified clientele consisting of leading property owners, developers, REITs, private equity groups, law firms, private investors and institutional lenders, such as Blackstone, Starwood Capital Group, UBS, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Silverstein Properties and Guggenheim Commercial Real Estate Finance. * The National Lender Services Division provides title and settlement services for a high volume of residential refinances driven by both regional and national mortgage lenders, including Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Citibank. A member of the exclusive approved vendor lists for leading lenders, this division's technology, operating model and quality of service are unparalleled in the industry. * The 1031 Exchange Services Division's seasoned experts support clients in gaining IRS Section 1031(a) recognition, enabling corporations to defer realized gains/losses during the exchange of select properties.