The last two years have resulted in tremendous success for all in the real estate finance industry and for Greater Illinois Title Company (GIT). The company exceeded its internal goals in financial performance and has made large strides in increasing market share in targeted segments. GIT continues to grow in a planned and careful way while operating from a foundation of sound fundamentals.

In 2002, Greater Illinois Title Company experienced record setting order and closing counts. The company was successful in achieving all of its strategic goals for the year including exceeding planned results in financial performance, productivity and growth. The company continues its commitment to building on its reputation of integrity, professionalism and exceptional customer service. Although strained at times during the past few months, exceptional customer service remains the key fundamental upon which the company will focus its efforts to improve in the coming year. As an organization, GIT will pursue its defined goals of controlled growth, making the right strategic moves, and doing the best job possible to respond to the unpredictable realities of customers and markets.

One of the strategic goals of the company is to dedicate resources to specific market segments. The commercial/construction division has experienced explosive growth that resulted from devoting critical resources to ensure that customers are serviced with the highest level of professionalism. In this market segment, GIT offers an expanded menu of products and services for customers by providing "One-Stop Shopping" capabilities for commercial, industrial and new construction projects. The expanded menu of services, including 1031 tax deferred real estate exchanges through Greater Illinois Tax Deferred Exchange Corporation, land surveys through Greater Illinois Survey Company and real estate information through REALINFO™, give GIT the ability to facilitate virtually any transaction and tailor services to specific customer needs. For the convenience of customers and contractors, GIT has the ability to extend out to its branch office locations the services of its commercial and construction division to properly accommodate the needs of this customer group.

Another targeted segment has resulted in the steady growth of the Gateway Services Program. Through this program, GIT offers title and closing services to policy-issuing agents of Chicago Title Insurance Company. GIT facilitates the closing process through its many office locations located throughout the Chicago area. By fulfilling its mission to "view customers as partners in business", GIT has successfully penetrated this and other traditional market segments with the result being a higher market share across the board in 2002.

Since 1985, Greater Illinois Title Company has been providing the Chicago area with an innovative range of title insurance, escrow closing and real estate information services. GIT is the largest title agent in Illinois and one of the largest title agents in the country. Through its affiliation with H. B. Wilkinson Title Company based in Galena, GIT can handle any transaction on property located in northern and northwestern Illinois. GIT currently operates from eleven full-service offices including locations in Arlington Heights, Libertyville, Wheaton, Naperville, Westchester, Oak Park, Oak Lawn, Tinley Park, Homewood, in Chicago on North Milwaukee Avenue and in the Loop at 120 North LaSalle Street. The growth areas of the far northwestern and far southwestern suburbs are now being targeted for new office locations in the coming year.

Greater Illinois Title Company is proud of what it accomplished in 2002. The company is committed to improving performance by continuing to provide high levels of customer service and developing innovative solutions to meet the demands of customers.

About Greater Illinois Title
Greater Illinois Title, celebrating its 22nd Anniversary in 2007, is Chicago Title's largest title agent in Illinois and one of its largest title agents in the country. The company provides title insurance, construction and commercial escrow services, sale and refinance closing services, 1031 tax deferred exchanges, land surveys and real estate information in the Chicago metro region. It currently operates through a network of nineteen offices located in Arlington Heights, Crystal Lake, Downers Grove, Geneva, Homewood, Joliet, Libertyville, Lindenhurst, Naperville, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Shorewood, Tinley Park, Waukegan, Westchester, Wheaton, Yorkville, in Chicago on North Milwaukee Avenue and in the Loop at 120 N. La Salle Street. Greater Illinois Title is authorized to write Title Insurance and issue policies in the Counties of Cook, DeKalb, Du Page, Grundy, Lake, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry and Will. The company coordinates title insurance and escrows in all Illinois Counties and across the United States.