Title Review Specialist

About the Team

The Title Review Specialist role at Zillow Home Loans involves playing a vital part in a newly established India-based fulfillment unit aimed at enhancing loan quality and operational efficiency. The primary responsibility includes evaluating U.S. residential title commitments and associated documents to identify and minimize collateral and lien risks for Zillow's loans. This position ensures clear and insurable title status and proper lien placement through close collaboration with the processing team and coordination with underwriting. The initiative aims to optimize mortgage operations, decrease post-closing defects, and facilitate a swift, seamless experience for borrowers.

Zillow Group operates as a mission-driven organization dedicated to delivering excellent experiences and measurable results. Their efforts concentrate on scalable programs and operational excellence supported by cross-functional partnerships, accommodating dynamic growth and promoting strategic execution aligned with impactful business outcomes. This role supports the company's workforce growth in India.

Role Responsibilities

• Conduct thorough examinations of title commitments, title reports, legal descriptions, and related documents for U.S. residential mortgage transactions.
• Verify current ownership (vesting), identify liens, judgments, encumbrances, and secure the appropriate lien position for Zillow Home Loans.
• Detect and document any title defects, curative requirements, and exceptions affecting insurability, marketability, or collateral status.
• Assess title commitment conditions to determine necessary steps for clear-to-close certification from a title standpoint.
• Advise on actions like curative measures, title updates, endorsements, or escalation to safeguard Zillow from title-related losses.

• Promote a defect-prevention approach aimed at upfront clarity to reduce rework for title agents, processors, and underwriters.
• Maintain a balance between quality and operational speed, meeting or surpassing turnaround and volume standards while adhering to risk protocols.
• Utilize and contribute to improving checklists, standard operating procedures, and job aids to ensure consistent title review and condition handling across the team.
• Ensure compliance with investor, insurer, and internal requirements on title, vesting, and lien positioning.

• Collaborate closely with processing teams to clarify title-related issues, manage curative requirements, formulate requests to title and settlement partners, and efficiently resolve outstanding matters to advance files toward closure.
• Coordinate tangentially with underwriting to align on acceptable risk regarding complex vesting and lien scenarios and establish escalation protocols.
• Communicate effectively in English, delivering clear, concise, and actionable notes and condition language understandable to non-title specialists.

• Identify trends in recurring defects, curative delays, and risk patterns, providing insights to leadership to guide training, technology upgrades, and process enhancements.
• Engage in calibration meetings, quality audits, and knowledge exchanges to promote consistency within the team.

Additional Information

This is an office-based position requiring employees to work onsite at Zillow India's office approximately 80-100% of the time each month. Candidates must reside within a reasonable commuting distance, with the expectation to assess commuting implications related to time and cost independently.

Beyond a competitive base salary, this role includes eligibility for incentive compensation subject to governing laws and company policies, with actual compensation varying by experience, performance, and location.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum of 3 years recent experience reviewing U.S. residential title commitments and reports within mortgage lenders, title companies, or settlement agents with responsibility for clearing or conditioning title for closings.
• Expertise in vesting, legal property descriptions, property types, liens, judgments, encumbrances, easements, and restrictions.
• Strong understanding of title insurance fundamentals including requirements and exceptions, policy types, and common endorsements.
• Ability to recognize title defects and prescribe clear, actionable curative steps.
• Demonstrated success in high-volume environments meeting production and quality goals.
• Fluent in English with excellent written and verbal communication skills for documenting conditions and rationale definitively.

• Team-oriented and adept at working collaboratively with processing, underwriting, and external title/settlement parties.
• Flexible and open to changes, participating in the evolution of team scope, processes, and tools.
• Eager to learn and adapt to new products, regional requirements, guidelines, and systems as company practices evolve.
• Strong ownership and accountability emphasizing quality (minimal title-related defects) and efficiency (turnaround time, throughput).

• Experience in India-based operations supporting U.S. mortgage or title services is a plus.
• Familiarity with common loan origination systems and title/settlement platforms utilized by U.S. lenders is advantageous.

Success Metrics

• Maintain a low incidence of title-related issues pre-funding and post-closing, including investor and insurer findings and rework due to curative needs.
• Consistently reach or exceed established turnaround times and volume targets for title review and condition issuance.
• Ensure strong alignment between reviewers and underwriting standards on collateral across files.
• Receive positive collaboration feedback from processing, underwriting, and title partners in clarity, responsiveness, and partnership.

Company and Culture

Zillow leads innovation in how people buy, sell, finance, and rent homes, leveraging one of the most popular real estate platforms in the United States. The India teams significantly contribute to building and scaling technology, product, and operations functions that enhance customer experiences globally. Zillow values innovation, inclusivity, and engagement, striving to empower employees to grow professionally. The company is recognized among top workplaces and is devoted to equal employment opportunities and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.