METROPOLITAN TITLE EXPANDS INTO KENTUCKY WITH SOUTHEASTERN TITLE ACQUISITION

HOWELL, MI.  (December 19, 2000) -- Metropolitan Title Company, based in Howell, Michigan, has acquired Southeastern Title Company, an organization with three locations in the state of Kentucky.

In an acquisition that was finalized the beginning of December, Southeastern's offices in Lexington, Louisville and Ashland, Kentucky, became Metropolitan Title's first branches in the state and the first located outside the Great Lakes states.

"When the opportunity to acquire Southeastern became available, we were very excited about the prospect of working with one of Kentucky's finest title organizations," said Ken Lingenfelter, president of Metropolitan Title Company. "We are pleased to be partnered with them as we expand into the southern part of the United States."

"This relationship puts us in the forefront of the title service industry in the state," said Clint McKinley, formerly, president and general council of Southeastern Title and the regional vice president for Kentucky at the three new Metropolitan sites. "As one of the first true title companies in Kentucky, Southeastern is proud to be associated with such a nationally-respected name as Metropolitan Title. This will allow us to better serve our customers, offering them a wider range of financial options."

McKinley formed Southeastern Title Company in1994 in Lexington and has managed the company's growth to its current size of 14 employees at the three branches.

Metropolitan Title Company is the largest independent title agency in the state of Michigan and the second largest agency in the nation. Founded in 1979 by Lingenfelter, Metropolitan has a history of consistent growth. Key to its impressive growth over the last two decades is a dual emphasis on both human resources and advanced technology. A hallmark of the company has been progressive adaptation of technological innovation for title agency customers. Such innovation has created a more efficient system for all customer real estate transaction needs — from professional real estate closing to 1031 tax deferred exchanges.

Headquartered in Howell, Michigan, Metropolitan Title also has regional centers in Rochester and Holland, Michigan; Mishawaka, Indiana, and Carol Stream, Illinois.