Houlihan Lokey Advises Doma Holdings
Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Doma Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DOMA) (Doma) has closed its plan of merger with Title Resources Group (TRG). The transaction was announced on March 28, 2024, and approved during the stockholder meeting on August 27, 2024. The transaction closed on September 27, 2024.
Doma is a real estate technology company that is innovating a century-old industry by building an instant and frictionless home closing experience for buyers and sellers. The company uses proprietary machine intelligence technology and deep human expertise to create a vastly simpler and affordable experience for everyone involved in a residential real estate transaction, including current and prospective homeowners, mortgage lenders, title agents, and real estate professionals.
TRG, backed by Centerbridge Partners, a leading private equity firm, is one of the nation’s largest title insurance underwriters, according to the American Land Title Association’s 2023 market share data. TRG serves title insurance agents in 38 states and Washington, D.C. With a mission to provide knowledgeable and responsive underwriting solutions, TRG is dedicated to growing lifelong relationships and maintaining quality through integrity and financial stability.
In this transaction, TRG acquired all outstanding shares of Doma for $6.29 per share of common stock in an all-cash transaction, an approximate 43.0% premium over Doma’s closing share price on March 27, 2024, and an approximate 33.9% premium over the trailing 30-day volume weighted average closing price ending March 27, 2024. Doma’s underwriting division, Doma Title Insurance, Inc., will operate as a subsidiary of TRG. Doma’s technology division, renamed Doma Technology, LLC (Doma TechCo), will operate on a separately capitalized basis, with a new board chaired by mortgage technology leader Alan Colberg, former Chief Executive Officer of Assurant, Inc. TRG and Doma TechCo will operate as sister companies, with Centerbridge Partners, LP, the largest shareholder in TRG and, through a subsidiary, the majority owner of Doma TechCo. Hudson Structured Capital Management, which also participated in the transaction, will hold a significant ownership stake in Doma TechCo. On August 27, 2024, the majority of Doma’s common stockholders voted in favor of the merger. On September 27, 2024, the transaction closed, following regulatory approvals.
Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor and fairness opinion advisor to the special committee of the board of directors. This transaction solidifies Houlihan Lokey’s continued position as a leading advisor within the title insurance, PropTech, insurtech, and mortgage services sectors. The transaction also highlights Houlihan Lokey’s ability to deliver comprehensive solutions for clients, with a full suite of services brought together: M&A, capital markets, and liability management, alongside financial advisory capabilities to public companies, including special committee advisory and fairness opinion.
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