Lincoln, Evans title companies merge

|tab|

Two local title companies both of which have been doing business in southwest Missouri since the 1800s have merged. |ret||ret||tab|

Lincoln Land Title Company Inc. and Evans Land Title merged effective April 1, according to Lincoln Land Title President Kelly Jones. Lincoln Land Title has one location at 3256 S. Fremont Ave. Evans Land Title has three locations one each in Greene, Taney and Christian counties, according to Attorney Ken Rogers, one of its principals.|ret||ret||tab|

Rogers said the merged company will operate as Lincoln Evans Land Title Company in Greene and Christian counties, but will retain the Evans Land Title name in Taney County.|ret||ret||tab|

"Evans Title Company was established in 1892 in Taney County, and it has a strong presence and the name's very recognizable there ... Evans Land Title in Greene County was established in 1978, so we're trying to take advantage of the long tenure of both companies in each county and the good reputations that the companies have," Rogers said.|ret||ret||tab|

Jones said Lincoln Land Title was established locally in 1886 by Will Lincoln. The company remained in the Lincoln family until 1984, when Kelly Jones' father, Larry Jones, became involved with the Lincoln family. In the next several years, Larry Jones bought out the Lincoln family's interest in the company and it has been in the Jones family since that time. |ret||ret||tab|

Kelly Jones, Rogers and Gail Fredrick, the other principal in Evans Land Title, agreed to merge the companies for several reasons.|ret||ret||tab|

"What it'll do for us is make both companies larger and give us a more stable base. We'll be able to compact some things, close a couple different locations and combine some elements," Jones said. He added that the merger also allows for a reduction in overhead and enables the company to provide better customer service, to which Rogers agreed. |ret||ret||tab|

Rogers noted that at this point, the only location that will close because of the merger is Evans Land Title's title plant on South Campbell Avenue, which will relocate to Jones' South Fremont Avenue office. Rogers said the title plant is used for research purposes. |ret||ret||tab|

Services offered by the merged company include escrow and closing services, title insurance history, closings, research for deeds and easements, zoning surveys, building inspections and construction disbursements. |ret||ret||tab|

" ... Once two parties come into agreement that they're going to buy and sell, and they have a contract, we can complete the transaction past the contract," Jones said.|ret||ret||tab|

He added that with attorneys Rogers and Fredrick on staff, the company also can assist with the preparation of contracts. |ret||ret||tab|

"We'll be available to give any legal advice, if needed, to the title companies," Rogers added. |ret||ret||tab|

Rogers said the merger allows the combination of the two companies' separate customer bases, and Jones added that all customers will benefit from the merger because it streamlines operations for faster and more accurate service.|ret||ret||tab|

"Any client of either organization ... is just going to see an increase in the amount of service that we'll be able to provide, and it should be a very positive move for customers of both businesses," Jones said.|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|(The preceding article originally appeared in the April 3 edition of the SBJ Daily Update, a subscriber-only service.)|ret||ret||tab|

[[In-content Ad]]