Breaking Barriers in Title & Escrow: How Brooke Sharrard is Shaping the Future

For Brooke Sharrard, innovation in title and escrow isn’t about chasing the latest technology—it’s about solving real problems. As Vice President of Operations at Proliant Settlement Systems, LLC, she has spent the last decade refining processes, eliminating inefficiencies, and pushing the industry toward better collaboration.

She’s seen the industry evolve from paper files to digital systems, but to her, that was just the beginning. The next frontier? A title and escrow industry that is more connected, automated, and future-ready.

Her focus is simple: Make title and escrow more efficient, more transparent, and a career worth pursuing.

From Paper to Paperless: The First Big Innovation

When Brooke first entered the industry at 22 years old, title offices were drowning in paperwork. Every order had a physical file, and employees spent hours organizing, filing, and retrieving documents. The shift to digital processes was a game-changer, reducing errors and improving efficiency.

But while many saw this as a massive leap forward, Brooke saw it as just the first step.

If the industry could move beyond paper, why couldn’t it move toward seamless collaboration?

Breaking Down Silos: Collaboration as the Next Frontier

One of the biggest inefficiencies in title today is the lack of seamless communication between real estate agents, lenders, and consumers. Information is still being sent in fragments, leading to double data entry, mistakes, and wasted time.

Many in the industry accept these inefficiencies as unavoidable. Brooke doesn’t.

“The first domino that needs to fall is getting the correct information upfront,” she explains. “If real estate agents, lenders, and consumers collaborated better and provided title companies with accurate data early on, AI and automation could do more of the heavy lifting.”

She envisions a future where secure portals automatically collect and validate transaction details, eliminating endless back-and-forth emails and reducing costly errors. But achieving this level of efficiency requires a mindset shift—one that many in the industry have been slow to adopt.

Automating the Process: AI, OCR, and the Future of Title

Some fear that automation will replace human expertise. Brooke sees it differently—automation doesn’t eliminate jobs; it makes them more strategic.

“CD automation, OCR, and AI aren’t removing people from the equation,” she says. “They’re taking care of the repetitive tasks so that title professionals can focus on what really matters—customer service, problem-solving, and growing their business.”

Her team has already implemented AI and OCR for tasks like:

• CD Automation – AI reads and compares Closing Disclosures (CDs) from lenders, flagging discrepancies and updating records automatically.
• Post-Closing Document Handling – Automation categorizes and distributes closing packages in minutes instead of hours, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.

These innovations save time and reduce human error, but they can only reach their full potential if all parties in the transaction work together from the start.

Making Title a Career, Not Just a Job

Title has long been an industry that people "fall into" rather than intentionally pursue. Brooke believes that needs to change for the industry to grow and thrive.

“People don’t seek out this industry—they stumble into it,” she says. “We need to change that.”

She is passionate about making title a career with real growth opportunities. One of her biggest frustrations? How difficult it can be to teach new professionals.

Her solution: standardizing processes and creating clear training pathways.

“When someone says, ‘It depends,’ I always follow up with, ‘Depends on what?’ Then, we document it and create a system so we can train people more effectively.”

By removing ambiguity and making training more structured, she hopes to attract and retain more talent in the industry.

Looking Ahead: The Next 5, 10, and 20 Years

Some believe title and escrow will always be a slow-moving industry resistant to change. Brooke is determined to prove otherwise.

Over the next two decades, she hopes to see an industry that is:

• More Collaborative – Real estate agents, lenders, and title companies working in a unified system with accurate data from the start.
• More Automated – AI and automation handling repetitive tasks, allowing professionals to focus on high-value work.
• A Recognized Career Path – New talent entering the industry with clear training and career development opportunities.

Brooke credits much of her success to mentors who have shaped her vision, including Robert Considine, Rick Parsons, John Apostol, Michael Strat, Dave Kracht, Christina Kass, Amanda Shamoun, and Terry Brown.

For many, title and escrow is an industry that just "is what it is."

But Brooke sees what it could be. She’s asking the right questions and pushing for real change.

Because innovation in title and escrow isn’t just about technology—it’s about people. It’s about making life easier for professionals, improving customer experiences, and ensuring the industry continues to evolve.

For Brooke, the question isn’t just “what’s next?”

It’s “how can we make it better?”

The Growth & Scale Report is published by CloseSimple, and explores strategies for growth and tools for scaling your title or escrow company. The report emphasizes the art of balancing growth and scale, with a focus on personal and organizational success stories. It aims to share insights from industry leaders who have navigated these challenges, providing a platform for broader conversations in the business landscape.