Building a Framework for Progress

Behind California’s multibillion-dollar initiative to expand access to behavioral health care is a complex network of real estate transactions. For First American Title National Commercial Services (NCS), the program presented an opportunity to bring greater coordination and consistency to the title and escrow processes supporting that effort.

Through the state’s Bond Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), funding is directed toward the development, acquisition and renovation of mental health and substance-use disorder treatment facilities. Administered by Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) on behalf of the California Department of Health Care Services, the program involves hundreds of potential properties, each with its own title history, ownership considerations and recording requirements.

In 2024, with AHP anticipating an upcoming round involving approximately 400 potential sites, our NCS team began preparing for the complexity ahead. Working closely with California Production and Extensive Search specialists, we developed a coordinated approach to identify potential title challenges early and establish a clear path for properties requiring more extensive examination.

That collaboration laid the groundwork for a comprehensive workflow spanning initial title searches, underwriting, escrow, recording and final policy issuance. Standardized documents, shared tracking systems and clearly defined responsibilities brought greater visibility to each transaction, while established communication and escalation procedures helped coordinate the many parties involved.

The team also established measurable service commitments, including three business days to prepare settlement statements and pro forma policies following receipt of complete recording packages, two business days for mobile notary coordination once required information is received, and three business days for final lender’s policy issuance following recording.

“The biggest difference has been creating clear ownership from the very beginning of the file,” said Amanda Angstman, Vice President, National Account Manager. “With so many parties involved, knowing exactly who has the next action keeps the work moving.”

As the program evolved, so did our approach. What began as advance planning developed into a repeatable process designed to bring consistency to a high-volume program while preserving the flexibility needed to address each property’s unique requirements.

The result is a framework that reflects the strength of collaboration across NCS and our production partners, and the value of anticipating challenges early. Our team’s work offers a model for managing complex title and escrow transactions at scale, with lessons that can extend to other large-scale programs.