W.H. Stufflebeam started Bingham Abstract Company in Bingham County, Idaho and began indexing each parcel of land by hand. He owned and operated the Company for 37 years.
W.H. Stufflebeam's wife, Ruth Hilliard Stufflebeam, succeeded him and took over as President of the Company. She successfully ran the business
through World War II and the Korean War.
The abstract company began writing title insurance and doing escrow closings under the name of
"The Bingham Title
& Trust Company."
In 1969, Ruth retired, at that time Dwain H. Stufflebeam, the founder's son
succeeded her.
Stufflebeam began planning to expand the Company's footprint outside of Blackfoot, Idaho into Southeastern Idaho.
Expansion into neighboring counties with Idaho Falls in 1971 and then in 1975 Pocatello, Driggs, Ketchum, Rexburg, and Twin Falls. Currently, First American Title Company operates 20 offices serving
30 counties in Idaho.
Missoula, Hamilton, and Superior offices join the newly formed First American Title Company of Montana, Inc. which now operates 25 offices serving 33 counties in Montana. In addition, Insured Titles operates four offices serving two counties, in Montana.
Dwain retires as CEO remaining as Chairman of the Board of Directors until his passing in 2020. Quinn H. Stufflebeam, the founder's grandson, takes the helm as CEO. Quinn currently serves as President and CEO.
Gillette Title Services becomes part of the TFC Family. Title Financial Corporation of Wyoming now operates three offices: Gillette Title Services, Jackson Hole Title & Escrow, and Laramie County Abstract & Title Co., serving 12 counties in Wyoming.
December 2021, TFC purchased First Montana Land Title Company extending its footprint into Lewis & Clark County.
First American Title Company, First Montana Land Title Company, Gillette Title Services, and Laramie County Abstract & Title Co. are rebranded to become Flying S Title & Escrow.
Today, Title Financial Corporation remains a family-owned regional company operating in 75 counties throughout Montana, Idaho,
and Wyoming.
Our Company founder, William Herman Stufflebeam, couldn’t have imagined that the abstract company he founded in 1905 with just four employees would grow to be one of the largest regional title companies in the Intermountain West.
Born in White Hall, New York, Herman Stufflebeam moved West with his family to start a cattle ranching operation in the Springfield area of Bingham County, Idaho in 1884. As a young man, Herman moved to Washington, D.C. to take a job with the U.S. Treasury Department. Years later, while working for the U.S. Treasury, he returned to Southeast Idaho to close a bank in Rexburg, Idaho, and ended up settling in Blackfoot, Idaho. There he saw the need for a business that produced abstracts based upon the county’s land records. He started a new company, Bingham Abstract Company, indexing each parcel of land by hand. Later the company became The Bingham Title & Trust Company and started to offer title insurance and escrow closings.
Herman owned and operated the business for 37 years until his death in 1942, at which time his wife Ruth took over the business. Ruth (Hilliard) Stufflebeam was an anomaly in a time and town where few women worked outside the home. She successfully ran the business throughout World War II and the Korean War. She and Herman’s only son, Dwain, also took an early interest in the family business where he worked during his teen years.
Once out of high school, Dwain attended the University of Utah and later transferred to the University of Montana where he earned his law degree in 1956. During this time, Dwain courted his high school sweetheart, Joyce Lambert. They married in 1954 and had four children; Scott, Eric, Sue, and Quinn. Dwain served in the United States Air Force from 1956 to 1958 as Assistant Staff Judge Advocate. After his service, he returned home to take a position in the family business. Ruth Stufflebeam served as the Company President until she retired in 1969. Upon her retirement, Dwain H. Stufflebeam became the President of the Company.
As President, Dwain began to actively expand the Company’s footprint outside of Bingham County into Southeastern Idaho and later Montana and Wyoming. First American Title Holding Co. (now known as Title Financial Corporation) was formed in 2003 as a vehicle to create administrative efficiency, consolidate acquired entities, and create resources that allowed further expansion. In 2012, Dwain retired as Chief Executive Officer and remained actively involved as the Chairman of the Board of Directors until his passing in 2020.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Quinn H. Stufflebeam began working in the family business at a young age. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Utah and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Arizona, Quinn returned to manage the Company’s Twin Falls County, Idaho office. From there, he went on to become the Idaho Subsidiary President and then Chief Executive Officer of Title Financial Corporation upon Dwain’s retirement in 2012. Under Quinn’s leadership, Title Financial Corporation (TFC) has continued to expand and in 2012 the Company broadened its footprint to include Wyoming.
For many years Title Financial Corporation was an exclusive agent for First American Title Insurance Company, but in recent years, insurance underwriters have moved away from exclusive contracts. In recent years, TFC has shifted its model to establish relationships with multiple underwriters. In addition to First American Title Insurance Company, TFC is now able to issue title insurance products as an agent for Old Republic National Title Insurance, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance, Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, and Westcor Land Title Insurance Company. By doing so, TFC is able to maximize the range of products and pricing, providing benefits to their customers that other title agents may not be able to provide.
Today, Title Financial Corporation consists of five wholly-owned subsidiaries: Flying S Title & Escrow of Idaho, Inc., which operates 20 offices serving 30 counties in Idaho; Flying S Title & Escrow of Montana, Inc., which operates 25 offices serving 33 counties in Montana; Flying S Title & Escrow of Wyoming, Inc. which operates three offices serving 12 counties in Wyoming; Insured Titles which operates four offices servicing two counties in Montana; Title Financial Specialty Services provides additional real estate-related services including non-judicial foreclosure services, reconveyance and mortgage release services, and long-term escrow services; Title Financial Exchange Services, which is part of the Title Financial Specialty Services division, serves as a Qualified Intermediary for 1031 exchange transactions.
Title Financial Corporation remains a family-owned company, with its culture and local commitment being its organizational cornerstone. TFC takes pride in hiring locally, actively supporting local community affairs, and keeping earnings local. Title Financial Corporation is committed to unrivaled customer service. By blending personalized hometown customer service with sophisticated, cutting-edge technology to meet our customer’s real estate transaction needs, TFC makes the real estate transaction easy and provides a “World Class Customer Experience.”