Locally Owned, Locally Minded
Our Story
Yosemite Title Company first opened its doors in April of 1966 under the ownership of Eleanor Brown, George Geiger, Sam Kerns and Pete Kerns. Our office was located on Stockton Road between Green Street and the Foster Center. At that time, we were the sixth Title Company serving Tuolumne County. We started as a small operation with George Geiger as the President supported by Pat Ingalls, who would manage the office and bring in business as the Sales Representative. Helen Smith was the Escrow Officer, and decorated World War II hero Babe Folletti was the Title Officer.
Read More
It did not take long for us to grow out of the Stockton Road office, so in 1973 we changed locations to the lower Foster Center, and Pete Kerns took over as President. We remained at the same location until 1982 when the old car dealership building on Washington Street became available, and that has been our home ever since. By the mid 80’s the business was continuing to grow, and in 1986 Pete’s son Jeff Kerns, joined Yosemite Title full time. Jeff started at the recording desk, and later worked his way up to managing the Sales Department. While Jeff was busy at his sales job, his little sister, Lisa Kerns, was just getting her driver’s license and began working in the family business alongside her dad and brother. Lisa would do filing, deliveries and cover wherever she was needed during high school, and later became the receptionist, and then ran the Collection Escrow Department.
In February of 1996, Jeff took over as President, and in 1997 Yosemite Title became solely owned by Pete Kerns, along with his children, Jeff Kerns and Lisa (Kerns) Marquez. By this time, Lisa had recently married David Marquez, and not long after she would assume the role of Controller. In the fall of 1998 Lisa’s husband David joined the team in the Title Department working as the Recording Clerk. Jeff and Lisa remained active in their positions as President and Controller, while David worked his way through the business learning the Title, Escrow and the Marketing side of the industry. 2010 came with the retirement of our Chief Title Officer Mike Azzaro, and at that time Pete and Jeff asked David to fill the position.
Jeff felt that it was important to be involved in the Title Industry at the State level, and spent many years serving on the CLTA (California Land Title Association). He started on the Title Insurance Committee in 1995, joined the Board of Governors in 2002 and served as President of the CLTA in 2017/18. After his time as President of the CLTA, he moved to work on the Forms and Practices and Escrow Closing Committees. After 25 years as President of Yosemite Title, and his work with the CLTA, Jeff made the announcement that he would be retiring, and David Marquez would be taking over as of July 1, 2022. Since then, David has been working side by side with his wife Lisa, and the two of them together, will keep the family business going.
After being one of six Title and Escrow Companies operating in the spring of 1966, we are now the only locally owned and operated Title Company in Tuolumne County, and have continually kept our doors open ever since. We are the only local Title Company with a current title plant and copies of all recorded documents and maps dating back to the 1800’s. Over the years, we have supported our community in countless ways varying from sponsoring Little League Baseball and Youth Soccer, to buying a pig at the Mother Lode Fair. We love this community, and more importantly, the people that make it so special. Thank You for allowing us to handle all of your Title and Escrow needs, and always remember… you have a choice, and that choice should always be Yosemite Title.