QualiaQualia
Mandatoryand utilize our approved title production software, which is provided by a third-party vendor. As of the date of this disclosure document our approved title production software is Qualia, a widely rec
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
TitleEase
Real estateSoftware purchasing control at TitleEase sits with the franchisor's executive team, led by CEO Joseph D'Urso and President Jennifer S. Johnson. The system currently mandates Qualia for title production alongside proprietary TitleEase Business and intranet platforms. Vendors are targeting a compact, fully franchised network of 12 locations concentrated in Texas, Colorado, and Georgia.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
12
12 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
—
national + local
Initial fee
$10K
per unit
Investment range
$35K–$210K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
No claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing. It is a floor, not a total — the filing discloses one of the two headline fees.
5%+of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
2 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
TitleEaseTitleEase
MandatoryITEM 16 RESTRICTIONS ON WHAT THE FRANCHISEE MAY SELL You must use the Business solely for the operation of the TitleEase Business. You must keep your Business open and in normal operation during the h
FacebookMeta
4, 7.04). 20 2026 TitleEase FDD You are strictly prohibited from promoting your Business or using the Proprietary Marks in any manner on social and/or networking websites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn,
InstagramMeta
tleEase FDD You are strictly prohibited from promoting your Business or using the Proprietary Marks in any manner on social and/or networking websites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitt
LinkedInLinkedIn
20 2026 TitleEase FDD You are strictly prohibited from promoting your Business or using the Proprietary Marks in any manner on social and/or networking websites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram,
TwitterX
m promoting your Business and/or using any of the Proprietary Marks in any manner on social C-10 and/or networking websites, including, but not limited to, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, without our
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
22 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 7 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You shall be required to use such software program(s) designated by us for management, bookkeeping, accounting, and record-keeping for the business of the TitleEase Franchise
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to the information generated and stored in the computer system.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesItem 22
Within 30 days after the close of each fiscal quarter of Franchisee’s Business, Franchisee shall give Franchisor a copy of Franchisee’s unaudited financial statements for such quarter in form prescribed by Franchisor, together C-7 with such supporting schedules and information as Franchisor may require.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
The TitleEase officers hold an ownership interest in Lincoln Abstract & Settlement Services, LLC, an affiliate, which may sell products and services to you as part of the TitleEase franchise or perform related work for TitleEase directly.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 22
you must promptly update and otherwise change your computer hardware and software systems as we require from time to time, at your expense.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We have the right to collect and retain any and all allowances, rebates, credits, incentives, or benefits (collectively, “Allowances”) offered by manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors to you, to us, or to our Affiliates, based upon your purchases of products and services from manufacturers, suppliers, and…
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
5Item 8
We estimate that approximately 5% to 15% of your total purchases and leases in the continuing operation of the Business will be either from approved suppliers, of which we may be the designated approved supplier, or according to our specifications.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
If you request us to evaluate, and we agree to evaluate, a new supplier or product for approval, you or the supplier must reimburse our costs related to our evaluation of the proposed product or supplier which shall not exceed $1,000.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to use any product or render any service that does not comply with the standards of the System or is to be purchased from a supplier that has not yet been approved, you must first submit a written request for approval of the proposed product, service, or supplier and obtain our approval of the product or…
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must ensure that any technology you use in connection with the Business, has appropriate data security controls, including but not limited to the following: (i) authentication mechanisms designed so that they cannot be bypassed to gain unauthorized access to systems, (ii) encryption; and (iii) password protection…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 22
We or our representatives or agents shall have the right at any time during normal business hours, upon 24 hours notice to you to enter and inspect your Business and all aspects of the operation of the Business together with all records, books of account, tax returns and other documents and materials in your…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 22
We shall have the right to add to, and otherwise modify, the Manual from time to time to reflect changes in the Approved Products and Services, the System, or the operation of the Business.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
We must approve the specific location in the Territory where you operate your Business.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
You are strictly prohibited from promoting your Business or using the Proprietary Marks in any manner on social and/or networking websites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, without our prior written consent.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
In addition, you must purchase your supplies, equipment, and signage from an approved supplier, which in the future may be us.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
In addition, you must purchase your supplies, equipment, and signage from an approved supplier, which in the future may be us.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
8.09 Forms of Payment You shall maintain at all times such arrangements with (and only with) such banks, credit card issuers or sponsors, and shall implement and at all times operate such credit verification systems as we may designate from time to time.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
If we require you to pay us through electronic transfer of funds, you agree to sign and deliver to us any documents required to authorize us to initiate debit and credit entries to/from your operating account automatically for payments to you or us as described above.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
You must also maintain a competent, conscientious, trained staff sufficient to adequately provide the Approved Products and Services.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to the information generated and stored in the computer system.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to hold periodic refresher or additional training courses, and we may designate that attendance at these training courses be mandatory for any of your employees.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 22
you shall be required to attend virtually, via video platform as we determine, any regional and/or national meetings organized and conducted by us for Franchisees.
The filing answers no to 5 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?Item 22
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Item 11
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at TitleEase
TitleEase presents a small, tightly controlled target for software vendors. The system comprises 12 franchised units with no company-owned locations disclosed in the 2026 FDD. Average unit volume is not reported, and year-over-year unit growth is not disclosed. The franchise is concentrated in Texas (3 units), Colorado (2), and Georgia (2), with additional single-unit presences in Florida and Michigan. All 12 operators are single-unit franchisees; no multi-unit operators exist in the network. This structure means every purchasing decision flows through the franchisor. For a vendor, the addressable market is exactly 12 locations, and the path to a deal runs through the executive team at the Rhode Island headquarters.
Who controls software purchasing
Purchasing authority is centralized at the franchisor level. The FDD lists Joseph D'Urso as Chief Executive Officer and a director of TitleEase LLC, and also as CEO and Chairman of Lincoln Holdco. Jennifer S. Johnson serves as President and General Counsel of both TitleEase and Lincoln Abstract & Settlement Services, LLC. Kevin Jones holds the Chief Financial Officer role. Jason Bilbruck, Vice President of Business Development, and Rick Bissen, Executive Vice President of Business Development, round out the named leadership. For a software vendor, Bilbruck and Bissen are the most natural first contacts given their business development titles, while any contract or compliance discussion will likely involve Johnson as General Counsel and Jones on the financial side. There is no CIO or CTO named in the FDD, suggesting technology decisions are made within this existing executive group.
Mandated and current tech stack
The FDD mandates specific technology for franchisees. Qualia is the required title production software. Franchisees must also use TitleEase Business, a proprietary system, and the TitleEase Online Franchisee Intranet. These three systems form the core operational stack. No other mandated or recommended vendors are disclosed. For a software vendor, this means any pitch must either integrate with or displace Qualia in the title production workflow, or complement the proprietary TitleEase systems in areas like CRM, marketing automation, or back-office functions that are not currently mandated. The absence of a named POS or general ledger system is consistent with a title and settlement services business rather than a retail or food-service operation.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 extract detailing procurement or purchasing obligations. This leaves the formal supplier designation process unknown. Given that Qualia and proprietary systems are mandated, the practical procurement model is a designated-supplier approach controlled by the franchisor. Franchise agreements carry a 5-year initial term. Renewal conditions require the franchisee to provide written notice between 6 and 12 months before the end of the term, be in substantial compliance, be current on all payments, sign a general release, sign a renewal Franchise Agreement, and pay a renewal fee. The renewal term is an additional 5 years. With only 12 units and no disclosed growth rate, contract windows are infrequent and tied to individual franchisee anniversary dates. Vendors should map those dates to time outreach effectively.
How to read the TitleEase FDD
The embedded PDF viewer below contains the full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. For software vendors, the critical sections are Item 1, which identifies the executive team and corporate structure, and Item 11, which lists mandated technology systems. Item 17 provides the renewal terms that dictate when franchisees may be open to changing vendors. Item 8, if present in future filings, would clarify the formal supplier approval process. Because TitleEase is a small, independently owned system with no parent company on file, the FDD is the single best source of intelligence on how to engage this account. Review it carefully before outreach, and talk to FranCloud when you need a ranked target list built around real FDD data.
Questions vendors ask
TitleEase, answered from the filing
The executive team controls purchasing. Key contacts include Joseph D'Urso (CEO), Jennifer S. Johnson (President/General Counsel), and Kevin Jones (CFO). Jason Bilbruck (VP of Business Development) is a likely entry point for vendor pitches.
TitleEase mandates Qualia for title production software. Franchisees must also use the proprietary TitleEase Business system and the TitleEase Online Franchisee Intranet. No POS system is disclosed, consistent with a title and settlement services business.
The most recent FDD discloses 12 total units, all franchised. No company-owned locations are reported. The footprint is concentrated in Texas (3), Colorado (2), and Georgia (2), with single units in Florida and Michigan.
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract. Without that signal, the model is unknown. Vendors should assume designated-supplier control given the mandated Qualia and proprietary systems, and verify directly with HQ.
Franchise agreements run for 5-year initial terms. Renewal requires written notice 6–12 months before expiration. With 12 units and no disclosed growth rate, windows are sporadic. Tracking individual franchisee agreement dates is essential for timing outreach.
The 2026 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the full document in the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze Item 11 tech mandates, Item 1 executives, and Item 17 renewal conditions directly.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
12 operators run 12 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit12
Top states by locations
| TX | 3 |
|---|---|
| CO | 2 |
| GA | 2 |
| FL | 1 |
| MI | 1 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind TitleEase
unknown of lincoln holdco.
Related Real estate brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.