From Galveston to Global – Stewart: 1893-present
Stewart Title Company began in Galveston, Texas, in 1893 when Maco Stewart, a young Galveston attorney, purchased the Gulf City Abstract Company. Maco continued to issue abstracts through the Stewart Law & Land Title Office until 1905, when he and brother Minor offered the first title insurance in Texas in the form of an indemnity against loss due to title claims. William H. Stewart's three sons, Maco, Minor and Clegg, would all play major roles in the company's development. W.C. Morris, a significant player in Stewart's history, joined the company in 1897 as a stenographer and later married William's only daughter Wilamina (Willie).
| 1908 | Stewart Title Guaranty Company is the first title insurance underwriter authorized to write title insurance in Texas. The company opens offices in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and other cities. |
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| 1956 | Stewart Title expands beyond Texas into New Mexico. |
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| 1960 | Stewart establishes offices and agencies in Arizona, California, Florida and Louisiana under the leadership of Stewart Morris Sr. |
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| 1965 | Stewart’s establishes its first affiliation with a computerized title plant in Los Angeles. |
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| 1967 | Stewart helps form a computerized plant in Houston. |
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| 1970 | The holding company Stewart Information Services Corporation forms, setting the stage to expand Stewart’s operations into the broader arena of real estate information. |
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| 1972 | The company begins to trade publicly. |
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| 1973 | A new corporate office is built in Houston. |
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| 1975 | Brothers Carloss Morris and Stewart Morris Sr., who had led the expansion of the company since their father’s death in 1950, acquire management control of the company. |
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| 1977 | Stewart invests in the development of computer services for the title industry, mapping operations and real estate information with an infusion of $2.4 million. |
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| 1979 | Stewart Title Guaranty Company is included on the Russell 2000, 2500 and 3000 Indexes, and the Russell 2000, 2500 and 3000 Value Indexes until 1996, re-enters in 1998. |
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| 1981 | Stewart policies are being issued through more than 1,000 issuing offices in 38 states. |
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| 1986 | Stewart is named one of the 101 best-performing companies in the U.S., with revenues of $178 million. Stewart affiliate Landata Geo Services wins contracts in the Caribbean, Egypt, Morocco and Guatemala for geographic information systems and aerial photography, beginning the enhancement of international public records systems. |
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| 1990 | Stewart issuing offices grow to 2,700 locations throughout the United States. |
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| 1992 | Stewart Information International forms to coordinate the company’s international endeavors. |
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| 1994 | Stewart Information Services Corporation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol STC. |
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| 1995 | Stewart Information Services Corporation is the first stock quoted on the New York Exchange on the first day of trading. |
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| 1998 | Stewart is included in FORTUNE magazine’s list of the 100 fastest-growing companies and again in 1999 and 2004 |
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| 1999 | Carloss’ and Stewart Sr.’s sons, Malcolm S. Morris and Stewart Morris Jr., are elected co-CEOs of Stewart Information Services Corporation. |
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| 1999 | Stewart is included in Forbes Platinum 400 list of America’s best-performing big companies and returned to the list in 2002, 2003 and 2004. |
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| 2001 | Stewart is added to Standard & Poor’s SmallCap 600. |
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| 2002 | Stewart entered the FORTUNE 1000 at 941, moved up to 732 on the 2003 list, to 641 on the 2004 list, to 717 on the 2005 list, and to 703 in 2006. |
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| 2005 | Carloss Morris passes away at the age of 90. |
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| 2006 | Stewart achieves $1.4 billion in assets and $44.11 book value per share, the highest in the company’s history. |
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| 2007 | Stewart is listed on FORTUNE magazine’s "America’s Most Admired Companies," at number four on the "Mortgage Services" industry list. |
Today, Stewart (NYSE: STC) is a leading provider of title insurance and related services to the real estate and mortgage industries. Throughout Stewart's history, our conservative management philosophy has allowed us to grow and remain strong through the ups and downs of the market. Stewart Title Guaranty Company's policyholders' surplus is one of the largest in the industry and we have the best debt to equity and premiums to reserves ratios of all major title insurers. Our financial strength provides the confidence our customers need from their title insurer in these tough economic times.
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