So much for that merger

Fidelity decided to terminate its acquisition of LandAmerica, as was its right at the end of the due diligence period.

This came to me in an email from LandAm today:
Why did Fidelity decide to terminate the merger agreement? We were informed that the principal reason for their refusal to go forward was the pessimism over the current and foreseeable real estate economy and not because of any negative finds concerning our company.

What is the financial viability of the LandAmerica underwriters? The LandAmerica underwriters, Lawyers Title and Commonwealth, have over $300 million in combined statutory surplus. And we have some of the industry’s most stringent requirements for reserves in place to protect our policyholders. The LandAmerica underwriters’ claims reserves are backed by over $1.1 billion in cash and investments.
Take that as you wish. I know they have cut back to or even beyond the bone in staffing to get through the crunch. It'll be interesting to see whether the board has any head rolling to do as well.

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