10-Q

Stewart Information Services Corp (STC)

10-Q 2023-08-08 For: 2023-06-30
View Original
Added on April 09, 2026

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

☑    QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2023

or

☐    TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                      to

Commission file number 001-02658

STEWART INFORMATION SERVICES CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware 74-1677330
(State or other jurisdiction of<br><br>incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. Employer<br><br>Identification No.)
1360 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 100
Houston, Texas 77056
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (713) 625-8100

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $1 par value per share STC New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☑  No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes ☑    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer Non-accelerated filer Emerging growth company
Accelerated filer Smaller reporting company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes ☐  No ☑

On August 1, 2023, there were 27,346,403 outstanding shares of the issuer's Common Stock.

FORM 10-Q QUARTERLY REPORT

QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Item Page
PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
1. Financial Statements 3
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 17
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 27
4. Controls and Procedures 28
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
1. Legal Proceedings 29
1A. Risk Factors 29
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds 29
5. Other Information 29
6. Exhibits 30
Signature 30

As used in this report, “we,” “us,” “our,” "Registrant," the “Company” and “Stewart” mean Stewart Information Services Corporation and our subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Item 1. Financial Statements

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended  June 30, Six Months Ended <br> June 30,
2023 2023 2022
(000 omitted, except per share)
Revenues
Title revenues:
Direct operations 257,994 465,864 668,956
Agency operations 208,755 457,775 814,076
Real estate solutions and other 71,387 133,978 211,415
Operating revenues 538,136 1,057,617 1,694,447
Investment income 12,123 18,722 10,361
Net realized and unrealized losses (1,105) (2,883) (7,820)
549,154 1,073,456 1,696,988
Expenses
Amounts retained by agencies 171,776 377,514 671,039
Employee costs 182,666 353,217 415,228
Other operating expenses 129,333 250,073 351,756
Title losses and related claims 19,802 37,476 55,619
Depreciation and amortization 15,528 30,434 28,037
Interest 4,875 9,724 8,918
523,980 1,058,438 1,530,597
Income before taxes and noncontrolling interests 25,174 15,018 166,391
Income tax expense (5,392) (454) (37,594)
Net income 19,782 14,564 128,797
Less net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 3,967 6,939 9,240
Net income attributable to Stewart 15,815 7,625 119,557
Net income 19,782 14,564 128,797
Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of taxes:
Foreign currency translation adjustments 4,254 4,852 (7,561)
Change in net unrealized gains and losses on investments (5,765) 852 (32,592)
Reclassification adjustments for realized gains and losses on investments 221 313 (302)
Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of taxes: (1,290) 6,017 (40,455)
Comprehensive income 18,492 20,581 88,342
Less net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 3,967 6,939 9,240
Comprehensive income attributable to Stewart 14,525 13,642 79,102
Basic average shares outstanding (000) 27,255 27,228 26,989
Basic earnings per share attributable to Stewart 0.58 0.28 4.43
Diluted average shares outstanding (000) 27,444 27,402 27,377
Diluted earnings per share attributable to Stewart 0.58 0.28 4.37

All values are in US Dollars.

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

June 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
(000 omitted)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents 190,039
Short-term investments 26,566
Investments, at fair value:
Debt securities (amortized cost of $635,247 and $646,728) 601,927
Equity securities 78,226
680,153
Receivables:
Premiums from agencies 40,601
Trade and other 73,218
Income taxes 9,661
Notes 13,464
Allowance for uncollectible amounts (7,853)
129,091
Property and equipment:
Land 2,545
Buildings 19,094
Furniture and equipment 226,455
Accumulated depreciation (166,331)
81,763
Operating lease assets 128,167
Title plants, at cost 73,358
Investments on equity method basis 4,073
Goodwill 1,074,678
Intangible assets, net of amortization 204,509
Deferred tax assets 2,582
Other assets 82,859
2,677,838
Liabilities
Notes payable 445,027
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 167,564
Operating lease liabilities 146,649
Estimated title losses 524,141
Deferred tax liabilities 28,462
1,311,843
Contingent liabilities and commitments
Stockholders’ equity
Common Stock ($1 par value) and additional paid-in capital 332,025
Retained earnings 1,074,458
Accumulated other comprehensive loss:
Foreign currency translation adjustments (19,004)
Net unrealized losses on debt securities investments (26,322)
Treasury stock – 352,161 common shares, at cost (2,666)
Stockholders’ equity attributable to Stewart 1,358,491
Noncontrolling interests 7,504
Total stockholders’ equity (27,266,830 and 27,130,412 shares outstanding) 1,365,995
2,677,838

All values are in US Dollars.

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

Six Months Ended  June 30,
2023
(000 omitted)
Reconciliation of net income to cash (used) provided by operating activities:
Net income 14,564
Add (deduct):
Depreciation and amortization 30,434
Adjustments for bad debt provisions 1,443
Net realized and unrealized losses 2,883
Amortization of net premium on debt securities investments 387
Payments for title losses (in excess of) less than provisions (27,468)
Adjustments for insurance recoveries of title losses
(Increase) decrease in receivables – net (6,692)
Increase in other assets – net (5,859)
Decrease in accounts payable and other liabilities – net (34,042)
Change in net deferred income taxes 585
Net income from equity method investments (378)
Dividends received from equity method investments 876
Stock-based compensation expense 7,043
Other – net 269
Cash (used) provided by operating activities (15,955)
Investing activities:
Proceeds from sales of investments in securities 39,488
Proceeds from matured investments in debt securities 55,250
Purchases of investments in securities (55,461)
Net purchases of short-term investments (2,838)
Purchases of property and equipment, and real estate (15,495)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment and other assets 106
Cash paid for acquisition of businesses (22,400)
Increase in notes receivable (6,360)
Other – net 400
Cash used by investing activities (7,310)
Financing activities:
Proceeds from notes payable 3,538
Payments on notes payable (5,776)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests (7,549)
Repurchases of Common Stock (1,353)
Proceeds from stock option and employee stock purchase plan exercises 1,991
Cash dividends paid (24,531)
Payment of contingent consideration related to acquisitions (2,000)
Other - net
Cash used by financing activities (35,680)
Effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates 617
Change in cash and cash equivalents (58,328)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 248,367
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 190,039

All values are in US Dollars.

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY (UNAUDITED)

Common Stock Retained earnings Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income Treasury stock Noncontrolling interests Total
(000 omitted)
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023
Balance at December 31, 2022 27,483 1,091,816 (51,343) (2,666) 8,114 1,370,265
Net income attributable to Stewart 7,625 7,625
Dividends on Common Stock ($0.90 per share) (24,983) (24,983)
Stock-based compensation 117 7,043
Stock repurchases (32) (1,353)
Stock option and employee stock purchase plan exercises 52 1,991
Change in net unrealized gains and losses on investments, net of taxes 852 852
Reclassification adjustment for realized gains and losses on investments, net of taxes 313 313
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of taxes 4,852 4,852
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 6,939 6,939
Distributions to noncontrolling interests (7,549) (7,549)
Balance at June 30, 2023 27,620 1,074,458 (45,326) (2,666) 7,504 1,365,995
Six Months Ended June 30, 2022
Balance at December 31, 2021 27,246 974,800 253 (2,666) 12,726 1,294,735
Net income attributable to Stewart 119,557 119,557
Dividends on Common Stock ($0.75 per share) (20,569) (20,569)
Stock-based compensation 126 6,440
Stock repurchases (37) (2,551)
Stock option and employee stock purchase plan exercises 55 2,713
Change in net unrealized gains and losses on investments, net of taxes (32,592) (32,592)
Reclassification adjustment for realized gains and losses on investments, net of taxes, net of taxes (302) (302)
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of taxes (7,561) (7,561)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 9,240 9,240
Distributions to noncontrolling interests (9,483) (9,483)
Net effect of other changes in ownership 194 194
Balance at June 30, 2022 27,390 1,073,788 (40,202) (2,666) 12,677 1,359,821

All values are in US Dollars.

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY (UNAUDITED)

Common Stock Retained earnings Accumulated other comprehensive loss Treasury stock Noncontrolling interests Total
(000 omitted)
Three Months Ended June 30, 2023
Balance at March 31, 2023 27,598 1,071,320 (44,036) (2,666) 7,311 1,359,752
Net income attributable to Stewart 15,815 15,815
Dividends on Common Stock ($0.45 per share) (12,677) (12,677)
Stock-based compensation 24 4,284
Stock repurchases (2) (82)
Change in net unrealized gains and losses on investments, net of taxes (5,765) (5,765)
Reclassification adjustment for realized gains and losses on investments, net of taxes 221 221
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of taxes 4,254 4,254
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 3,967 3,967
Distributions to noncontrolling interests (3,774) (3,774)
Balance at June 30, 2023 27,620 1,074,458 (45,326) (2,666) 7,504 1,365,995
Three Months Ended June 30, 2022
Balance at March 31, 2022 27,367 1,022,456 (19,210) (2,666) 12,317 1,324,788
Net income attributable to Stewart 61,660 61,660
Dividends on Common Stock ($0.38 per share) (10,328) (10,328)
Stock-based compensation 18 4,201
Stock repurchases (1) (89)
Stock option exercises 6 221
Change in net unrealized gains and losses on investments, net of taxes (12,694) (12,694)
Reclassification adjustment for realized gains and losses on investments, net of taxes, net of taxes (117) (117)
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of taxes (8,181) (8,181)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 5,225 5,225
Distributions to noncontrolling interests (4,915) (4,915)
Net effect of other changes in ownership 50 50
Balance at June 30, 2022 27,390 1,073,788 (40,202) (2,666) 12,677 1,359,821

All values are in US Dollars.

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1

Interim financial statements. The financial information contained in this report for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, and as of June 30, 2023, is unaudited. This report should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2023 (2022 Form 10-K).

A. Management’s responsibility. The accompanying interim financial statements were prepared by management, who is responsible for their integrity and objectivity. These financial statements have been prepared in conformity with the United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), including management’s best judgments and estimates. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of this information for all interim periods, consisting only of normal recurring accruals, have been made. The Company’s results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year and actual results could differ.

B. Consolidation. The condensed consolidated financial statements include all subsidiaries in which the Company owns more than 50% voting rights in electing directors. All significant intercompany amounts and transactions have been eliminated and provisions have been made for noncontrolling interests. Unconsolidated investees, in which the Company typically owns from 20% to 50% of the voting stock, are accounted for using the equity method.

C. Restrictions on cash and investments. The Company maintains investments in accordance with certain statutory requirements for the funding of statutory premium reserves. Statutory reserve funds are required to be fully funded and invested in high-quality securities and short-term investments. Statutory reserve funds are not available for current claim payments, which must be funded from current operating cash flow. Included in investments in debt and equity securities are statutory reserve funds of approximately $519.5 million and $544.0 million at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. In addition, included within cash and cash equivalents are statutory reserve funds of approximately $10.2 million and $8.6 million at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Although these cash statutory reserve funds are not restricted or segregated in depository accounts, they are required to be held pursuant to state statutes. If the Company fails to maintain minimum investments or cash and cash equivalents sufficient to meet statutory requirements, the Company may be subject to fines or other penalties, including potential revocation of its business license. These funds are not available for any other purpose. In the event that insurance regulators adjust the determination of the statutory premium reserves of the Company’s title insurers, these restricted funds as well as statutory surplus would correspondingly increase or decrease.

NOTE 2

Revenues. The Company's operating revenues, summarized by type, are as follows:

Three Months Ended  June 30, Six Months Ended <br> June 30,
2023 2023 2022
(000 omitted)
Title insurance premiums:
Direct 170,677 301,494 437,283
Agency 208,755 457,775 814,076
Escrow fees 42,323 75,250 117,289
Real estate solutions and abstract fees 89,811 166,971 213,015
Other revenues 26,570 56,127 112,784
538,136 1,057,617 1,694,447

All values are in US Dollars.

NOTE 3

Investments in debt and equity securities. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the net unrealized investment gains relating to investments in equity securities held were $13.6 million and $19.2 million, respectively (refer to Note 5).

The amortized costs and fair values of investments in debt securities are as follows:

June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022
Amortizedcosts Amortized<br><br>costs Fair<br><br>values
(000 omitted)
Municipal 26,273 30,104 29,835
Corporate 249,888 272,362 254,316
Foreign 326,937 315,184 299,137
U.S. Treasury Bonds 32,149 29,078 28,646
635,247 646,728 611,934

All values are in US Dollars.

Foreign debt securities consist of Canadian government, provincial and corporate bonds, United Kingdom treasury and corporate bonds, and Mexican government bonds.

Gross unrealized gains and losses on investments in debt securities are as follows:

June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022
Gains Gains Losses
(000 omitted)
Municipal 1 3 272
Corporate 433 489 18,535
Foreign 293 165 16,212
U.S. Treasury Bonds 12 21 453
739 678 35,472

All values are in US Dollars.

Debt securities as of June 30, 2023 mature, according to their contractual terms, as follows (actual maturities may differ due to call or prepayment rights):

Amortizedcosts
(000 omitted)
In one year or less 90,765
After one year through five years 357,970
After five years through ten years 171,140
After ten years 15,372
635,247

All values are in US Dollars.

Gross unrealized losses on investments in debt securities and the fair values of the related securities, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at June 30, 2023, were:

Less than 12 months More than 12 months Total
Losses Losses Fair values Losses Fair values
(000 omitted)
Municipal 191 134 4,033 325 24,699
Corporate 1,990 15,131 165,730 17,121 216,709
Foreign 1,335 14,541 206,510 15,876 291,359
U.S. Treasury Bonds 656 81 1,278 737 30,026
4,172 29,887 377,551 34,059 562,793

All values are in US Dollars.

The number of specific debt investment holdings held in an unrealized loss position as of June 30, 2023 was 356. Of these securities, 216 were in unrealized loss positions for more than 12 months. Total gross unrealized investment losses at June 30, 2023 slightly improved compared to December 31, 2022 primarily due to slower interest rate increases during 2023. Since the Company does not intend to sell and will more likely than not maintain each investment security until its maturity or anticipated recovery in value, and no significant credit risk is deemed to exist, these investments are not considered as credit-impaired. The Company believes its investment portfolio is diversified and expects no material loss to result from the failure to perform by issuers of the debt securities it holds. Investments made by the Company are not collateralized.

Gross unrealized losses on investments in debt securities and the fair values of the related securities, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at December 31, 2022, were:

Less than 12 months More than 12 months Total
Losses Losses Fair values Losses Fair values
(000 omitted)
Municipal 262 10 67 272 27,558
Corporate 12,935 5,600 44,342 18,535 237,581
Foreign 7,608 8,604 101,294 16,212 287,515
U.S. Treasury Bonds 413 40 445 453 25,547
21,218 14,254 146,148 35,472 578,201

All values are in US Dollars.

NOTE 4

Fair value measurements. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal, or most advantageous, market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Under U.S. GAAP, there is a three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs when possible.

The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:

•Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

•Level 2 – observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data; and

•Level 3 – unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair values of the assets or liabilities, including certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs.

As of June 30, 2023, financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below:

Level 1 Fair value<br><br>measurements
(000 omitted)
Investments in securities:
Debt securities:
Municipal 25,949
Corporate 233,200
Foreign 311,354
U.S. Treasury Bonds 31,424
Equity securities 78,226 78,226
78,226 680,153

All values are in US Dollars.

As of December 31, 2022, financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below:

Level 1 Fair value<br><br>measurements
(000 omitted)
Investments in securities:
Debt securities:
Municipal 29,835
Corporate 254,316
Foreign 299,137
U.S. Treasury Bonds 28,646
Equity securities 98,149 98,149
98,149 710,083

All values are in US Dollars.

As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, Level 1 financial instruments consist of equity securities. Level 2 financial instruments consist of municipal, governmental, and corporate bonds, both U.S. and foreign. In accordance with the Company’s policies and guidelines which incorporate relevant statutory requirements, the Company’s third-party registered investment manager invests only in securities rated as investment grade or higher by the major rating services, where observable valuation inputs are significant. The fair value of the Company's investments in debt and equity securities is primarily determined using a third-party pricing service provider. The third-party pricing service provider calculates the fair values using both market approach and model valuation methods, as well as pricing information obtained from brokers, dealers and custodians. Management ensures the reasonableness of the third-party service valuations by comparing them with pricing information from the Company's investment manager.

NOTE 5

Net realized and unrealized gains. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are detailed as follows:

Three Months Ended  June 30, Six Months Ended <br> June 30,
2023 2023 2022
(000 omitted)
Realized gains 278 339 3,277
Realized losses (3,430) (4,177) (3,839)
Net unrealized investment gains (losses) recognized on equity securities still held at end of period 2,047 955 (7,258)
(1,105) (2,883) (7,820)

All values are in US Dollars.

Realized losses during the second quarter and first six months of 2023 included a $3.2 million contingent receivable loss adjustment resulting from a previous disposition of a business, while realized gains and losses during the second quarter and first six months of 2022 included a loss of $3.6 million from the same disposition of a business, partially offset by a $1.0 million gain from an acquisition contingent liability adjustment.

Investment gains and losses recognized related to investments in equity securities are as follows:

Three Months Ended  June 30, Six Months Ended <br> June 30,
2023 2023 2022
(000 omitted)
Net investment gains (losses) recognized on equity securities during the period 1,988 232 (6,795)
Less: Net realized (losses) gains on equity securities sold during the period (59) (723) 463
Net unrealized investment gains (losses) recognized on equity securities still held at end of period 2,047 955 (7,258)

All values are in US Dollars.

Proceeds from sales of investments in securities are as follows:

Three Months Ended  June 30, Six Months Ended <br> June 30,
2023 2023 2022
(000 omitted)
Proceeds from sales of debt securities 7,433 14,879 28,282
Proceeds from sales of equity securities 5,283 24,609 487
Total proceeds from sales of investments in securities 12,716 39,488 28,769

All values are in US Dollars.

NOTE 6

Goodwill. The summary of changes in goodwill is as follows:

Title Corporate and Other Consolidated Total
(000 omitted)
Balances at December 31, 2022 720,478 1,072,982
Acquisitions 4,674 22,674
Purchase accounting adjustments (20,978) (20,978)
Balances at June 30, 2023 704,174 1,074,678

All values are in US Dollars.

During the first six months of 2023, goodwill recorded in the real estate solutions and title segments was related to acquisitions of a financial and personal information online verification services provider and several title offices, respectively, while title purchase accounting adjustments were primarily related to provisional recognition of intangible assets (customer relationships) related to recent acquisitions.

NOTE 7

Estimated title losses. A summary of estimated title losses for the six months ended June 30 is as follows:

2023 2022
(000 omitted)
Balances at January 1 549,448 549,614
Provisions:
Current year 36,773 55,760
Previous policy years 703 (141)
Total provisions 37,476 55,619
Payments, net of recoveries:
Current year (6,990) (8,927)
Previous policy years (57,954) (29,790)
Total payments, net of recoveries (64,944) (38,717)
Effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates 2,161 (3,835)
Balances at June 30 524,141 562,681
Loss ratios as a percentage of title operating revenues:
Current year provisions 4.0 3.8 %
Total provisions 4.1 3.8 %

All values are in US Dollars.

NOTE 8

Share-based payments. As part of its incentive compensation program for executives and senior management employees, the Company provides share-based awards, which usually include a combination of time-based restricted stock units, performance-based restricted stock units and stock options. Each restricted stock unit represents a contractual right to receive a share of the Company's common stock. The time-based units generally vest on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date, while the performance-based units vest upon achievement of certain financial objectives and an employee service requirement over a period of approximately three years. The stock options vest on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date at a rate of 20%, 30% and 50%, chronologically, and expire 10 years after the grant date. Each vested stock option can be exercised to purchase a share of the Company's common stock at the strike price set by the Company at the grant date. The compensation expense associated with the share-based awards is calculated based on the fair value of the related award and recognized over the corresponding vesting period.

During the first six months of 2023 and 2022, the Company granted time-based and performance-based restricted stock units with an aggregate grant-date fair values of $12.0 million (293,000 units with an average grant price per unit of $41.01) and $11.2 million (174,000 units with an average grant price per unit of $64.15).

NOTE 9

Earnings per share. Basic earnings per share (EPS) attributable to Stewart is calculated by dividing net income attributable to Stewart by the weighted-average number of shares of Common Stock outstanding during the reporting periods. Outstanding shares of Common Stock granted to employees that are not yet vested (restricted shares) are excluded from the calculation of the weighted-average number of shares outstanding for calculating basic EPS. To calculate diluted EPS, the number of shares is adjusted to include the number of additional shares that would have been outstanding if restricted units and shares were vested and stock options were exercised. In periods of loss, dilutive shares are excluded from the calculation of the diluted EPS and diluted EPS is computed in the same manner as basic EPS.

The calculation of the basic and diluted EPS is as follows:

Three Months Ended  June 30, Six Months Ended <br> June 30,
2023 2023 2022
(000 omitted, except per share)
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Stewart 15,815 7,625 119,557
Denominator (000):
Basic average shares outstanding 27,255 27,228 26,989
Average number of dilutive shares relating to options 43 52 226
Average number of dilutive shares relating to grants of restricted units and shares 146 122 162
Diluted average shares outstanding 27,444 27,402 27,377
Basic earnings per share attributable to Stewart 0.58 0.28 4.43
Diluted earnings per share attributable to Stewart 0.58 0.28 4.37

All values are in US Dollars.

NOTE 10

Contingent liabilities and commitments. In the ordinary course of business, the Company guarantees the third-party indebtedness of certain of its consolidated subsidiaries. As of June 30, 2023, the maximum potential future payments on the guarantees are not more than the related notes payable recorded in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company also guarantees the indebtedness related to lease obligations of certain of its consolidated subsidiaries. The maximum future obligations arising from these lease-related guarantees are not more than the Company’s future lease obligations, as presented on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, plus lease operating expenses. As of June 30, 2023, the Company also had unused letters of credit aggregating $4.9 million related to workers’ compensation and other insurance. The Company does not expect to make any payments on these guarantees.

NOTE 11

Regulatory and legal developments. The Company is subject to claims and lawsuits arising in the ordinary course of its business, most of which involve disputed policy claims. In some of these lawsuits, the plaintiffs seek exemplary or treble damages in excess of policy limits. The Company does not expect that any of these ordinary course proceedings will have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial condition or results of operations. The Company believes that it has adequate reserves for the various litigation matters and contingencies referred to in this paragraph and that the likely resolution of these matters will not materially affect its consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

The Company is subject to non-ordinary course of business claims or lawsuits from time to time. To the extent the Company is currently the subject of these types of lawsuits, the Company has determined either that a loss is not reasonably possible or that the estimated loss or range of loss, if any, will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Additionally, the Company occasionally receives various inquiries from governmental regulators concerning practices in the insurance industry. Many of these practices do not concern title insurance. To the extent the Company is in receipt of such inquiries, it believes that, where appropriate, it has adequately reserved for these matters and does not anticipate that the outcome of these inquiries will materially affect its consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

The Company is subject to various other administrative actions, investigations and inquiries into its business conduct in certain of the states in which it operates. While the Company cannot predict the outcome of the various regulatory and administrative matters, it believes that it has adequately reserved for these matters and does not anticipate that the outcome of any of these matters will materially affect its consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

NOTE 12

Segment information. The Company has three reportable operating segments: the title segment, the real estate solutions segment, and the corporate and other segment. The title segment provides services needed to transfer title to property in a real estate transaction and includes services such as searching, abstracting, examining, closing and insuring the condition of the title to the property. In addition, the title segment includes home and personal insurance services, Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 tax-deferred exchanges, and digital customer engagement platform services. The real estate solutions segment supports the real estate industry and primarily includes credit and real estate information services, valuation management services, online notarization and closing services, and search services. The corporate and other segment is primarily comprised of the parent holding company and centralized administrative services departments.

Selected statement of income information related to these segments is as follows:

Three Months Ended  June 30, Six Months Ended <br> June 30,
2023 2023 2022
(000 omitted)
Title segment:
Revenues 480,825 942,468 1,488,393
Depreciation and amortization 8,883 16,986 13,631
Income before taxes and noncontrolling interest 35,459 34,794 176,375
Real estate solutions segment:
Revenues 71,411 134,035 172,255
Depreciation and amortization 6,280 12,581 13,177
Income before taxes 3,282 4,648 12,886
Corporate and other segment:
Revenues (net realized losses) (3,082) (3,047) 36,340
Depreciation and amortization 365 867 1,229
Loss before taxes (13,567) (24,424) (22,870)
Consolidated Stewart:
Revenues 549,154 1,073,456 1,696,988
Depreciation and amortization 15,528 30,434 28,037
Income before taxes and noncontrolling interest 25,174 15,018 166,391

All values are in US Dollars.

The Company does not provide asset information by reportable operating segment as it does not routinely evaluate the asset position by segment. During 2022, the corporate and other segment included results of a real estate brokerage company that was sold during the second quarter 2022.

Total revenues generated in the United States and all international operations are as follows:

Three Months Ended  June 30, Six Months Ended <br> June 30,
2023 2023 2022
(000 omitted)
United States 514,699 1,012,228 1,600,651
International 34,455 61,228 96,337
549,154 1,073,456 1,696,988

All values are in US Dollars.

NOTE 13

Other comprehensive (loss) income. Changes in the balances of each component of other comprehensive (loss) income and the related tax effects are as follows:

Three Months Ended  June 30, 2023 Three Months Ended <br> June 30, 2022
Before-Tax Amount Net-of-Tax Amount Before-Tax Amount Tax Expense (Benefit) Net-of-Tax Amount
(000 omitted)
Net unrealized gains and losses on investments:
Change in net unrealized gains and losses on investments (7,298) (5,765) (16,068) (3,374) (12,694)
Reclassification adjustments for realized gains and losses on investments 280 221 (148) (31) (117)
(7,018) (5,544) (16,216) (3,405) (12,811)
Foreign currency translation adjustments 5,102 4,254 (9,329) (1,148) (8,181)
Other comprehensive loss (1,916) (1,290) (25,545) (4,553) (20,992)

All values are in US Dollars.

Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 Six Months Ended June 30, 2022
Before-Tax Amount Net-of-Tax Amount Before-Tax Amount Tax Expense (Benefit) Net-of-Tax Amount
(000 omitted)
Net unrealized gains and losses on investments:
Change in net unrealized gains and losses on investments 1,078 852 (41,256) (8,664) (32,592)
Reclassification adjustment for realized gains and losses on investments 396 313 (382) (80) (302)
1,474 1,165 (41,638) (8,744) (32,894)
Foreign currency translation adjustments 5,812 4,852 (8,353) (792) (7,561)
Other comprehensive income (loss) 7,286 6,017 (49,991) (9,536) (40,455)

All values are in US Dollars.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

MANAGEMENT’S OVERVIEW

Second quarter 2023 overview. We reported net income attributable to Stewart of $15.8 million ($0.58 per diluted share) for the second quarter 2023, compared to net income attributable to Stewart of $61.7 million ($2.26 per diluted share) for the second quarter 2022. Pretax income before noncontrolling interests for the second quarter 2023 was $25.2 million compared to pretax income before noncontrolling interests of $86.8 million for the prior year quarter. The second quarter 2023 results included $1.1 million of pretax net realized and unrealized losses, primarily composed of a contingent receivable loss adjustment resulting from a previous disposition of a business, partially offset by net unrealized gains on fair value changes of equity securities investments, while the second quarter 2022 results included $11.9 million of pretax net realized and unrealized losses, primarily related to net unrealized losses on fair value changes of equity securities investments.

Summary results of the title segment are as follows ($ in millions, except pretax margin):

For the Three Months<br>Ended June 30
2023 2022 % Change
Operating revenues 466.7 761.1 (39) %
Investment income 12.1 6.7 80 %
Net realized and unrealized (losses) gains 2.0 (8.8) 123 %
Pretax income 35.5 93.6 (62) %
Pretax margin 7.4 % 12.3 %

Title segment operating revenues for the second quarter 2023 decreased $294.3 million, or 39%, compared to the second quarter 2022, as a result of transaction volume declines in our direct and agency title businesses, while total segment operating expenses decreased $220.1 million, or 33%, primarily driven by lower revenues. Agency retention expenses in the second quarter 2023 decreased $168.1 million, or 49%, in line with $201.2 million, or 49%, lower gross agency revenues, while the average independent agency remittance rate in the second quarter 2023 slightly improved to 17.7% compared to 17.1% in the prior year quarter, primarily as a result of geographic mix.

Total employee costs and other operating expenses in the second quarter 2023 decreased $47.2 million, or 16%, compared to the prior year quarter. As a percentage of operating revenues, these expenses were 52.4% in the second quarter 2023 compared to 38.3% in the second quarter 2022, primarily due to lower second quarter 2023 revenues. Title loss expense decreased $6.6 million, or 25%, in the second quarter 2023 compared to the prior year quarter primarily as a result of lower title revenues. As a percentage of title revenues, title loss expense was 4.2% in the second quarter 2023 compared to 3.5% in the second quarter 2022, which benefited from last year’s favorable claims experience.

The title segment’s net realized and unrealized gains in the second quarter 2023 were primarily driven by $2.0 million of unrealized gains from fair value changes of equity securities investments, while the segment’s net realized and unrealized losses in the prior year quarter were primarily due to $9.9 million of net unrealized losses on fair value changes of equity securities investments, partially offset by a $1.0 million gain related to an acquisition contingent liability adjustment. Investment income in the second quarter 2023 increased $5.4 million compared to the second quarter 2022, primarily due to higher interest income resulting from earned interest from eligible escrow balances and increased interest rates and higher short-term investment balances in the second quarter 2023. The segment's pretax income included $3.3 million and $2.5 million of acquisition intangible asset amortization and other expenses in the second quarters 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Summary results of the real estate solutions segment are as follows ($ in millions):

For the Three Months<br>Ended June 30
2023 2022 % Change
Operating revenues 71.4 82.9 (14) %
Pretax income 3.3 6.1 (46) %
Pretax margin 4.6 % 7.4 %

The segment’s operating revenues in the second quarter 2023 decreased $11.5 million, or 14%, compared to the second quarter 2022, primarily due to lower transaction volumes resulting from the continuing elevated interest rate environment. Consistent with the revenue decline, combined employee costs and other operating expenses in the second quarter 2023 decreased $8.5 million, or 12%. The segment's pretax income included acquisition intangible asset amortization expenses of $5.8 million and $6.1 million in the second quarters 2023 and 2022, respectively, and a $1.2 million state sales tax assessment expense in the second quarter 2023 related to an acquisition.

In regard to the corporate and other segment, pretax results for the second quarter 2023 included net realized losses of $3.1 million, primarily driven by a contingent receivable loss adjustment resulting from a previous disposition of a business, while second quarter 2022 results included net realized losses of $3.2 million primarily resulting from the same disposition of a business. Net expenses attributable to corporate operations during the second quarter 2023 were $10.5 million compared to $10.2 million in the prior year quarter.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

The preparation of the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of certain assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related disclosures surrounding contingencies and commitments.

Actual results can differ from our accounting estimates. While we do not anticipate significant changes in our estimates, there is a risk that such changes could have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations for future periods. During the six months ended June 30, 2023, we made no material changes to our critical accounting estimates as previously disclosed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis in the 2022 Form 10-K.

Operations. Our primary business is title insurance and settlement-related services. We close transactions and issue title policies on homes, commercial and other real properties located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and international markets through policy-issuing offices, agencies and centralized title services centers. Our real estate solutions operations include credit and real estate information services, valuation management services, online notarization and closing services, and search services. The corporate and other segment includes our parent holding company expenses and certain enterprise-wide overhead costs, along with other businesses not related to title or real estate solutions operations.

Factors affecting revenues. The principal factors that contribute to changes in our operating revenues include:

•interest rates;

•availability of mortgage loans;

•number and average value of mortgage loan originations;

•ability of potential purchasers to qualify for loans;

•inventory of existing homes available for sale;

•ratio of purchase transactions compared with refinance transactions;

•ratio of closed orders to open orders;

•home prices;

•consumer confidence, including employment trends;

•demand by buyers;

•premium rates;

•foreign currency exchange rates;

•market share;

•ability to attract and retain highly productive sales associates;

•independent agency remittance rates;

•opening and integration of new offices and acquisitions;

•office closures;

•number and value of commercial transactions, which typically yield higher premiums;

•government or regulatory initiatives, including tax incentives and the implementation of the integrated disclosure requirements;

•acquisitions or divestitures of businesses;

•volume of distressed property transactions;

•seasonality and/or weather; and

•outbreaks of diseases and related quarantine orders and restrictions on travel, trade and business operations.

Premiums are determined in part by the values of the transactions we handle. To the extent inflation or market conditions cause increases in the prices of homes and other real estate, premium revenues are also increased. Conversely, falling home prices cause premium revenues to decline. Home price changes may override the seasonal nature of the title insurance business. Historically, our first quarter is the least active in terms of title insurance revenues as home buying is generally depressed during winter months. Our second and third quarters are typically the most active as the summer is the traditional home buying season, and while commercial transaction closings are skewed to the end of the year, individually large commercial transactions can occur any time of the year. On average, refinance title premium rates are 60% of the premium rates for a similarly priced sale transaction.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Comparisons of our results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 with the corresponding periods in the prior year are set forth below. Factors contributing to fluctuations in the results of operations are presented in the order of their monetary significance, and we have quantified, when necessary, significant changes. Segment results are included in the discussions and, when relevant, are discussed separately.

Our statements on home sales and loan activity are based on published U.S. industry data from sources including Fannie Mae, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and the U.S. Census Bureau as of June 30, 2023. We also use information from our direct operations.

Operating environment. According to NAR, existing home sales (seasonally-adjusted basis) in June 2023 were 4.2 million units, a decrease of 19% from a year ago and 3% from May 2023, primarily due to the current elevated mortgage interest rate environment. Housing inventory continued to be low and was 14% lower in June 2023 compared to June 2022, while home prices have steadily increased. The existing home median price in June 2023 was $410,200, which was the second highest since 1999, when NAR began tracking the data. The June 2023 median price was 3% higher than May 2023, but 1% lower compared to $413,800 observed in June 2022 which was the all-time high. With new residential construction, U.S. housing starts (seasonally-adjusted) in June 2023 were 8% lower compared to both June 2022 and May 2023, while newly-issued building permits in June 2023 were 15% and 4% lower compared to a year ago and May 2023, respectively.

With regard to lending activity, single family mortgage originations during the second quarter 2023 decreased 34% to $450 billion compared to the second quarter 2022, resulting from 58% and 25% lower refinancing and purchase transactions, respectively, according to Fannie Mae and MBA (averaged). During the second quarter 2023, the average 30-year fixed interest rate was 6.5% compared to 5.3% during the second quarter 2022. For the year 2023, Fannie Mae and MBA expect the interest rate to average 6.3%, higher than the 5.4% average observed during 2022, while total originations for the year 2023 are expected to decline 27% compared to 2022.

Title revenues. Direct title revenue information is presented below:

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
2023 Change % Chg 2023 Change % Chg
( in millions) ( in millions)
Non-commercial
Domestic 184.5 (49.9) (21) % 334.9 (119.9) (26) %
International 25.9 (15.3) (37) % 45.0 (27.6) (38) %
210.4 (65.2) (24) % 379.9 (147.5) (28) %
Commercial:
Domestic 41.5 (25.6) (38) % 74.2 (49.3) (40) %
International 6.1 (2.3) (27) % 11.8 (6.3) (35) %
47.6 (27.9) (37) % 86.0 (55.6) (39) %
Total direct title revenues 258.0 (93.1) (27) % 465.9 (203.1) (30) %

All values are in US Dollars.

Non-commercial revenues decreased in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, compared to the same periods in 2022, primarily resulting from lower residential purchase and refinancing transactions influenced by the rising mortgage interest rates during 2023. Combined purchase and refinancing orders closed declined 31% and 41% in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2022, while average residential fee per file in both the second quarter and first six months of 2023 increased to $3,300 (or 11% and 19%, respectively), primarily due to the higher mix of purchase transactions.

Commercial revenues in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 were lower compared to the same periods in 2022, as a result of lower transaction volume and average transaction size. Domestic commercial orders closed decreased 30% and 22% in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, while average domestic commercial fee per file decreased 12% to $11,600 and 23% to $9,900 in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2022. Total international revenues in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 declined by $17.6 million, or 35%, and $33.9 million, or 37%, respectively, primarily due to lower transaction volumes in our Canadian operations compared to the same periods in 2022.

Orders information for the three and six months ended June 30 is as follows:

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
2023 2022 Change % Chg 2023 2022 Change % Chg
Opened Orders:
Commercial 3,294 5,530 (2,236) (40) % 7,136 11,572 (4,436) (38) %
Purchase 58,637 72,084 (13,447) (19) % 108,106 140,582 (32,476) (23) %
Refinance 18,642 24,953 (6,311) (25) % 34,771 65,527 (30,756) (47) %
Other 4,611 1,079 3,532 327 % 9,032 2,721 6,311 232 %
Total 85,184 103,646 (18,462) (18) % 159,045 220,402 (61,357) (28) %
Closed Orders:
Commercial 3,585 5,132 (1,547) (30) % 7,509 9,563 (2,054) (21) %
Purchase 43,082 55,354 (12,272) (22) % 74,710 102,680 (27,970) (27) %
Refinance 10,674 22,677 (12,003) (53) % 20,287 57,164 (36,877) (65) %
Other 2,905 1,719 1,186 69 % 5,639 3,359 2,280 68 %
Total 60,246 84,882 (24,636) (29) % 108,145 172,766 (64,621) (37) %

Gross revenues from independent agency operations in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 decreased $201.2 million, or 49%, and $356.3 million, or 44%, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2022, primarily influenced by lower commercial and residential market activity. Agency revenues, net of retention, declined $33.1 million, or 47%, and $62.8 million, or 44%, in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 compared to the same periods in 2022, generally in line with the change in gross agency revenues. Refer further to the "Retention by agencies" discussion under Expenses below.

Real estate solutions and other revenues. Real estate solutions and other revenues are comprised of revenues generated by our real estate solutions segment and, for 2022, by a real estate brokerage company which we sold during the second quarter 2022. Real estate solutions revenues decreased $11.5 million, or 14%, and $38.3 million, or 22%, in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, primarily due to the decreased market activity resulting from the continued elevated interest rate environment. The disposed real estate brokerage company generated revenues of $5.3 million and $39.2 million during the second quarter and first six months of 2022, respectively.

Investment income. Investment income increased by $5.4 million, or 80%, and $8.4 million, or 81%, in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2022, primarily as a result of higher interest income resulting from earned interest from eligible escrow balances and increased interest rates and higher short-term investments balances in 2023.

Net realized and unrealized gains. Refer to Note 5 to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Expenses. An analysis of expenses is shown below:

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
2023 2022 Change* % Chg 2023 2022 Change* % Chg
( in millions) ( in millions)
Amounts retained by agencies 171.8 339.8 (168.0) (49 %) 377.5 671.0 (293.5) (44 %)
As a % of agency revenues 82.3 82.9 % 82.5 82.4 %
Employee costs 182.7 210.2 (27.6) (13 %) 353.2 415.2 (62.0) (15 %)
As a % of operating revenues 33.9 24.8 % 33.4 24.5 %
Other operating expenses 129.3 162.0 (32.7) (20 %) 250.1 351.8 (101.7) (29 %)
As a % of operating revenues 24.0 19.1 % 23.6 20.8 %
Title losses and related claims 19.8 26.4 (6.6) (25 %) 37.5 55.6 (18.1) (33 %)
As a % of title revenues 4.2 3.5 % 4.1 3.8 %

All values are in US Dollars.

*Amounts change may not foot due to rounding.

Retention by agencies. Amounts retained by title agencies are based on agreements between agencies and our title underwriters. Amounts retained by independent agencies, as a percentage of revenues generated by them, averaged 82.3% and 82.5% in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, compared to 82.9% and 82.4% in the same periods in 2022. The average retention percentage may vary from period to period due to the geographical mix of agency operations, the volume of title revenues and, in some states, laws or regulations. Due to the variety of such laws or regulations, as well as competitive factors, the average retention rate can differ significantly from state to state. In addition, a high proportion of our independent agencies are in states with retention rates greater than 80%. We continue to focus on increasing profit margins in every state, increasing premium revenue in states where remittance rates are above 20%, and maintaining the quality of our agency network, which we believe to be the industry’s best, in order to mitigate claims risk and drive consistent future performance. While market share is important in our agency operations channel, it is not as important as margins, risk mitigation and profitability.

Employee costs. Consolidated employee costs in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 decreased $27.6 million, or 13%, and $62.0 million, or 15%, respectively, compared to the second quarter and first six months of 2022, primarily resulting from lower salaries expenses, incentive compensation and temporary labor costs related to lower volumes and 11% and 10% lower average employee counts in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively. Compared to corresponding periods in the prior year, employee costs for the second quarter and first six months of 2023 in the title segment decreased $27.9 million, or 14%, and $58.6 million, or 15%, respectively, while employee costs in the real estate solutions segment decreased $0.3 million, or 2%, and $1.3 million, or 5%, respectively.

Total employee costs, as a percentage of total operating revenues, were higher at 33.9% and 33.4% in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, compared to 24.8% and 24.5% in the same periods in 2022, primarily as a result of lower revenues in 2023. As of June 30, 2023, we had approximately 6,900 employees compared to approximately 7,700 and 7,100 employees as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

Other operating expenses. Other operating expenses include costs that are primarily fixed in nature, costs that follow, to varying degrees, changes in transaction volumes and revenues (variable costs) and costs that fluctuate independently of revenues (independent costs). Costs that are primarily fixed in nature include rent and other occupancy expenses, equipment rental, insurance, repairs and maintenance, technology costs, telecommunications and title plant expenses. Variable costs include appraiser and service expenses related to real estate solutions operations, outside search fees, attorney fee splits, credit losses (on receivables), copy supplies, delivery fees, postage, premium taxes and title plant maintenance expenses. Independent costs include general supplies, litigation defense, business promotion and marketing and travel.

Consolidated other operating expenses in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 declined $32.7 million, or 20%, and $101.7 million, or 29%, respectively, compared to the second quarter and first six months of 2022, primarily due to decreased costs tied to lower title and real estate solutions revenues. Total variable costs in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 decreased $25.7 million, or 26%, and $90.3 million, or 40%, respectively, primarily due to lower appraisal and outside search expenses and premium taxes. Total costs that are primarily fixed in nature in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 decreased $5.0 million, or 10%, and $7.3 million, or 7%, respectively, primarily due to reduced outsourcing and insurance expenses, while independent costs decreased $2.0 million, or 13%, and $4.1 million, or 14%, respectively, primarily due to lower business promotion and marketing costs and bank fees expense.

As a percentage of total operating revenues, consolidated other operating expenses in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 increased to 24.0% and 23.6%, respectively, compared to 19.1% and 20.8% in the same periods in 2022, primarily due to lower operating revenues in 2023.

Title losses. Provisions for title losses, as a percentage of title operating revenues, were 4.2% and 4.1% for the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, compared to 3.5% and 3.8% for the second quarter and first six months of 2022, respectively. The slightly higher title loss ratios in 2023 were primarily due to the favorable claims experience during 2022. Title loss expense in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 decreased $6.6 million, or 25%, and $18.1 million, or 33%, respectively, primarily as a result of lower title revenues in 2023. The title loss ratio in any given quarter can be significantly influenced by changes in new large claims incurred, escrow losses and adjustments to reserves for existing large claims.

The composition of title policy loss expense is as follows:

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
2023 Change % Chg 2023 Change % Chg
( in millions) ( in millions)
Provisions – known claims:
Current year 3.3 (0.4) (11) % 5.8 (2.6) (31) %
Prior policy years 24.5 7.8 47 % 42.5 10.9 34 %
27.8 7.4 36 % 48.3 8.3 21 %
Provisions – IBNR
Current year 16.3 (6.9) (30) % 31.0 (16.3) (34) %
Prior policy years 0.2 0.7 (140) % 0.7 0.8 (800) %
16.5 (6.2) (27) % 31.7 (15.5) (33) %
Transferred from IBNR to known claims (24.5) (7.8) 47 % (42.5) (10.9) 34 %
Total provisions 19.8 (6.6) (25) % 37.5 (18.1) (33) %

All values are in US Dollars.

Provisions for known claims arise primarily from prior policy years as claims are not typically reported until several years after policies are issued. Provisions - Incurred But Not Reported (IBNR) are estimates of claims expected to be incurred over the next 20 years; therefore, it is not unusual or unexpected to experience changes to those estimated provisions in both current and prior policy years as additional loss experience on policy years is obtained. This loss experience may result in changes to our estimate of total ultimate losses expected (i.e., the IBNR policy loss reserve). Current year provisions - IBNR are recorded on policies issued in the current year as a percentage of premiums earned (provisioning rate). As claims become known, provisions are reclassified from IBNR to known claims. Adjustments relating to large losses (those individually in excess of $1.0 million) may impact provisions either for known claims or for IBNR.

Total known claims provision increased in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, compared to the same periods in 2022, as a result of increases to existing large and non-large claims related to prior policy years, while current year IBNR provisions in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 decreased, primarily due to lower title premiums. As a percentage of title operating revenues, provisions - IBNR for the current policy year were 3.5% and 3.4% in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, compared to 3.0% and 3.2% in the second quarter and first six months of 2022, respectively. Cash claim payments in the second quarter and first six months of 2023 increased $13.0 million, or 71%, and $26.2 million, or 68%, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2022, primarily due to payments on existing large claims related to prior policy years resulting from resolution of those claims in 2023. We continue to manage and resolve large claims prudently and in keeping with our commitments to our policyholders.

In addition to title policy claims, we incur losses in our direct operations from escrow, closing and disbursement functions. These escrow losses typically relate to errors or other miscalculations of amounts to be paid at closing, including timing or amount of a mortgage payoff, payment of property or other taxes and payment of homeowners’ association fees. Escrow losses also arise in cases of fraud, and in those cases, the title insurer incurs the loss under its obligation to ensure that an unencumbered title is conveyed. Escrow losses are recognized as expenses when discovered or when contingencies associated with them (such as litigation) are resolved and are typically paid less than 12 months after the loss is recognized.

Total title policy loss reserve balances are as follows:

June 30, 2023
( in millions)
Known claims 70.5
IBNR 453.6
Total estimated title losses 524.1

All values are in US Dollars.

The actual timing of estimated title loss payments may vary since claims, by their nature, are complex and paid over long periods of time. Based on historical payment patterns, the outstanding loss reserves are substantially paid out within eight years. As a result, the estimate of the ultimate amount to be paid on any claim may be modified over that time period. Due to the inherent uncertainty in predicting future title policy losses, significant judgment is required by both our management and our third party actuaries in estimating reserves. As a consequence, our ultimate liability may be materially greater or less than current reserves and/or our third party actuary’s calculated estimates.

Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $1.2 million and $2.4 million (both 9%) in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2022, primarily due to increased depreciation expenses related to internal-use systems placed into operation starting in the second quarter 2022. Acquisition intangible amortization expenses for the second quarter and first six months of 2023 were $8.7 million and $17.0 million, respectively, compared to $8.5 million and $16.9 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2022.

Income taxes. Our effective tax rates, based on income before taxes and after deducting income attributable to noncontrolling interests, were 25% and 6% in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively, compared to 24% for both the second quarter and first six months of 2022. Excluding discrete tax adjustments, primarily recorded during the first quarter 2023 and related to increased utilization of net operating loss carryforwards of prior years' acquisitions, the effective tax rate for the first six months of 2023 would have been 26%.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Our liquidity and capital resources reflect our ability to generate cash flow to meet our obligations to stockholders, customers (payments to satisfy claims on title policies), vendors, employees, lenders and others. As of June 30, 2023, our total cash and investments, including amounts reserved pursuant to statutory requirements aggregated $896.8 million. Of our total cash and investments at June 30, 2023, $497.5 million ($244.2 million, net of statutory reserves) was held in the United States and the rest internationally (principally in Canada).

As a holding company, the parent company is funded principally by cash from its subsidiaries' earnings in the form of dividends, operating and other administrative expense reimbursements and pursuant to intercompany tax sharing agreements. Cash held at the parent company and its unregulated subsidiaries (which totaled $42.3 million at June 30, 2023) is available for funding the parent company's operating expenses, interest payments on debt and dividend payments to common stockholders. The parent company also receives distributions from Stewart Title Guaranty Company (Guaranty), its regulated title insurance underwriter, to meet cash requirements for acquisitions and other strategic investments.

A substantial majority of our consolidated cash and investments as of June 30, 2023 was held by Guaranty and its subsidiaries. The use and investment of these funds, dividends to the parent company, and cash transfers between Guaranty and its subsidiaries and the parent company are subject to certain legal and regulatory restrictions. In general, Guaranty uses its cash and investments in excess of its legally-mandated statutory premium reserve (established in accordance with requirements under Texas law) to fund its insurance operations, including claims payments. Guaranty may also, subject to certain limitations, provide funds to its subsidiaries (whose operations consist principally of field title offices and real estate solutions operations) for their operating and debt service needs.

We maintain investments in accordance with certain statutory requirements for the funding of statutory premium reserves. Statutory reserve funds are required to be fully funded and invested in high-quality securities and short-term investments. Statutory reserve funds are not available for current claim payments, which must be funded from current operating cash flow. Included in investments in debt and equity securities are statutory reserve funds of approximately $519.5 million and $544.0 million at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. In addition, included within cash and cash equivalents are statutory reserve funds of approximately $10.2 million and $8.6 million at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. As of June 30, 2023, our known claims reserve totaled $70.5 million and our estimate of claims that may be reported in the future, under generally accepted accounting principles, totaled $453.6 million. In addition to this, we had cash and investments (excluding equity method investments) of $289.6 million, which are available for underwriter operations, including claims payments, and acquisitions.

The ability of Guaranty to pay dividends to its parent is governed by Texas insurance law. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) must be notified of any dividend declared, and any dividend in excess of the greater of the statutory net operating income or 20% of surplus (which was approximately $158.1 million as of December 31, 2022) would be, by regulation, considered extraordinary and subject to pre-approval by the TDI. Also, the Texas Insurance Commissioner may raise an objection to a planned distribution during the notification period. Guaranty’s actual ability or intent to pay dividends to its parent may be constrained by business and regulatory considerations, such as the impact of dividends on surplus and liquidity, which could affect its ratings and competitive position, the amount of insurance it can write and its ability to pay future dividends. During the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, no dividends have been paid by Guaranty to the parent company.

As the parent company conducts no operations apart from its wholly-owned subsidiaries, the discussion below focuses on consolidated cash flows.

Six Months Ended June 30,
2023
( in millions)
Net cash (used) provided by operating activities (16.0)
Net cash used by investing activities (7.3)
Net cash used by financing activities (35.7)

All values are in US Dollars.

Operating activities. Our principal sources of cash from operations are premiums on title policies and revenue from title service-related transactions, real estate solutions and other operations. Our independent agencies remit cash to us net of their contractual retention. Our principal cash expenditures for operations are employee costs, operating costs and title claims payments.

Net cash used by operations in the first six months of 2023 was $16.0 million compared to net cash provided by operations of $118.2 million in the same period in 2022, primarily driven by lower net income and higher claims payments during 2023. Although our business is labor intensive, we are focused on a cost-effective, scalable business model which includes utilization of technology, centralized back and middle office functions and business process outsourcing. We are continuing our emphasis on cost management, especially in light of the current economic environment due to elevated mortgage interest rates, specifically focusing on lowering unit costs of production and improving operating margins in our direct title and real estate solutions operations. Our plans to improve margins include additional automation of manual processes, further consolidation of our various systems and production operations, and full integration of acquisitions. We continue to invest in the technology necessary to accomplish these goals.

Investing activities. Net cash used by investing activities is primarily driven by proceeds from matured and sold investments, purchases of investments, capital expenditures and acquisition of businesses. During the first six months of 2023, total proceeds from securities investments sold and matured were $94.7 million, compared to $52.3 million during the first six months of 2022. Cash used for purchases of securities investments was $55.5 million during the first six months of 2023 compared to $117.9 million during the same period in 2022.

We used $22.4 million and $23.3 million of net cash for acquisitions in the title and real estate solutions segments during the first six months of 2023 and 2022, respectively, while we received $6.6 million during the first six months of 2022 from the sale of a subsidiary. We used $15.5 million and $26.2 million of cash for purchases of property and equipment during the first six months of 2023 and 2022, respectively. We maintain investment in capital expenditures at a level that enables us to implement technologies for increasing our operational and back-office efficiencies and to pursue growth in key markets.

Financing activities and capital resources. Total debt and stockholders’ equity were $445.0 million and $1.37 billion, respectively, as of June 30, 2023. During the first six months of 2023 and 2022, payments on notes payable of $5.7 million and $42.9 million, respectively, and notes payable additions of $3.5 million and $5.7 million, respectively, were related to short-term loan agreements in connection with our Section 1031 tax-deferred property exchange (Section 1031) business.

At June 30, 2023, our line of credit facility was fully available, while our debt-to-equity and debt-to-capitalization ratios, excluding our Section 1031 notes, were approximately 33% and 25%, respectively. During the first six months of 2023, we paid total dividends of $24.5 million ($0.90 per common share), compared to the total dividends paid in the same period in 2022 of $20.3 million ($0.75 per common share).

We believe we have sufficient liquidity and capital resources to meet the cash needs of our ongoing operations, including consideration of the current economic and real estate environment created by the higher mortgage interest rates. However, we may determine that additional debt or equity funding is warranted to provide liquidity for achievement of strategic goals or acquisitions or for unforeseen circumstances. Other than scheduled maturities of debt, operating lease payments and anticipated claims payments, we have no material contractual commitments. We expect that cash flows from operations and cash available from our underwriters, subject to regulatory restrictions, will be sufficient to fund our operations, including claims payments. However, to the extent that these funds are not sufficient, we may be required to borrow funds on terms less favorable than we currently have or seek funding from the equity market, which may not be successful or may be on terms that are dilutive to existing stockholders.

Contingent liabilities and commitments. See discussion of contingent liabilities and commitments in Note 10 to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Other comprehensive loss. Unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale debt securities investments and changes in foreign currency exchange rates are reported net of deferred taxes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of stockholders’ equity, until they are realized. During the first six months of 2023, net unrealized investment gains of $1.2 million, net of taxes, which increased our other comprehensive income, were primarily related to net increases in the fair values of our corporate bond securities investments. During the first six months of 2022, net unrealized investment losses of $32.9 million, net of taxes, which increased our other comprehensive loss, were primarily related to net decreases in the fair values of our corporate and foreign bond securities investments, primarily driven by the effect of higher interest rates and credit spreads.

Changes in foreign currency exchange rates, primarily related to our Canadian and United Kingdom operations, increased our other comprehensive income, net of taxes, by $4.9 million in the first six months of 2023, while they increased our other comprehensive loss, net of taxes, by $7.6 million in the first six months of 2022.

Off-balance sheet arrangements. We do not have any material source of liquidity or financing that involves off-balance sheet arrangements, other than our contractual obligations under operating leases. We also routinely hold funds in segregated escrow accounts pending the closing of real estate transactions and have qualified intermediaries in tax-deferred property exchanges for customers pursuant to Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Company holds the proceeds from these transactions until a qualifying exchange can occur. In accordance with industry practice, these segregated accounts are not included on the balance sheet. See Note 15 in our 2022 Form 10-K.

Forward-looking statements. Certain statements in this report are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate to future, not past, events and often address our expected future business and financial performance. These statements often contain words such as “may,” "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "will," "foresee" or other similar words. Forward-looking statements by their nature are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to be materially different than those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the following:

•the volatility of economic conditions;

•adverse changes in the level of real estate activity;

•changes in mortgage interest rates, existing and new home sales, and availability of mortgage financing;

•our ability to respond to and implement technology changes, including the completion of the implementation of our enterprise systems;

•our ability to prevent and mitigate cyber risks;

•the impact of unanticipated title losses or the need to strengthen our policy loss reserves;

•any effect of title losses on our cash flows and financial condition;

•the ability to attract and retain highly productive sales associates;

•the impact of vetting our agency operations for quality and profitability;

•independent agency remittance rates;

•changes to the participants in the secondary mortgage market and the rate of refinancing that affects the demand for title insurance products;

•regulatory non-compliance, fraud or defalcations by our title insurance agencies or employees;

•our ability to timely and cost-effectively respond to significant industry changes and introduce new products and services;

•our ability to realize anticipated benefits of our previous acquisitions;

•the outcome of pending litigation;

•the impact of changes in governmental and insurance regulations, including any future reductions in the pricing of title insurance products and services;

•our dependence on our operating subsidiaries as a source of cash flow;

•our ability to access the equity and debt financing markets when and if needed;

•effects of seasonality and weather; and

•our ability to respond to the actions of our competitors.

The above risks and uncertainties, as well as others, are discussed in more detail in our documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" in our 2022 Form 10-K, and as may be further updated and supplemented from time to time in our future Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed subsequently. All forward-looking statements included in this report are expressly qualified in their entirety by such cautionary statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update, amend or clarify any forward-looking statements contained in this report to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date hereof, except as may be required by applicable law.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

There have been no material changes during the quarter ended June 30, 2023 in our investment strategies, types of financial instruments held or the risks associated with such instruments that would materially alter the market risk disclosures made in our 2022 Form 10-K.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures. Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures. They evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) as of June 30, 2023, and have concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures are adequate and effective to ensure that information we are required to disclose in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms, and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in internal control over financial reporting. There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended June 30, 2023, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

See discussion of legal proceedings in Note 11 to the condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this Report, which is incorporated by reference into this Part II, Item 1, as well as Item 3. Legal Proceedings, in our 2022 Form 10-K.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our 2022 Form 10-K. There have been no material changes to our risk factors since our 2022 Form 10-K.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

There were no repurchases of our Common Stock during the six months ended June 30, 2023, except for repurchases of approximately 32,200 shares (aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.4 million) related to the statutory income tax withholding on the vesting of restricted unit grants to executives and senior management employees.

Item 5. Other Information

Book value per share. Our book value per share was $49.82 and $50.21 as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. As of June 30, 2023, our book value per share was based on approximately $1.36 billion of stockholders’ equity attributable to Stewart and 27,266,830 shares of Common Stock outstanding. As of December 31, 2022, our book value per share was based on approximately $1.36 billion of stockholders’ equity attributable to Stewart and 27,130,412 shares of Common Stock outstanding.

Item 6. Exhibits

Exhibit
3.1 Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, dated April 28, 2016 (incorporated by reference in this report from Exhibit 3.1 of the Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 29, 2016)
3.2 Fifth Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant, as of December 27, 2022 (incorporated by reference in this report from Exhibit 3.1 of the Current Report on Form 8-K filed December 30, 2022)
31.1* Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2* Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1* Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.2* Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
101.INS* XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.
101.SCH* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104* Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101) * Filed herewith
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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

August 8, 2023
Date Stewart Information Services Corporation
--- ---
Registrant
By: /s/ David C. Hisey
David C. Hisey, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

30

Document

EXHIBIT 31.1

CERTIFICATION

Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Frederick H. Eppinger, certify that:

  1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Stewart Information Services Corporation (registrant);

  2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

  3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

  4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
--- ---
(c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
--- ---
(d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
--- ---
  1. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
--- ---

Dated: August 8, 2023

/s/ Frederick H. Eppinger
Name: Frederick H. Eppinger
Title: Chief Executive Officer

Document

EXHIBIT 31.2

CERTIFICATION

Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, David C. Hisey, certify that:

  1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Stewart Information Services Corporation (registrant);

  2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

  3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

  4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

| (a) | designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; | | --- | --- || (b) | designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; | | --- | --- || (c) | evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and | | --- | --- || (d) | disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and | | --- | --- |

  1. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

| (a) | all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and | | --- | --- || (b) | any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. | | --- | --- |

Dated: August 8, 2023

/s/ David C. Hisey
Name: David C. Hisey
Title: Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Document

EXHIBIT 32.1

CERTIFICATION

PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Stewart Information Services Corporation (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period ending June 30, 2023, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Frederick H. Eppinger, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:

(1) the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2) the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

Dated: August 8, 2023

/s/ Frederick H. Eppinger
Name: Frederick H. Eppinger
Title: Chief Executive Officer

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to Stewart Information Services Corporation and will be retained by Stewart Information Services Corporation and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.

Document

EXHIBIT 32.2

CERTIFICATION

PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Stewart Information Services Corporation (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period ending June 30, 2023, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, David C. Hisey, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:

(1) the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2) the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

Dated: August 8, 2023

/s/ David C. Hisey
Name: David C. Hisey
Title: Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to Stewart Information Services Corporation and will be retained by Stewart Information Services Corporation and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.