STEWART INFORMATION SERVICES CORP (STC)

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

MANAGEMENT’S OVERVIEW

Second quarter 2026 overview. We reported net income attributable to Stewart of $37.2 million ($1.21 per diluted share) for the second quarter 2026, compared to net income attributable to Stewart of $31.9 million ($1.13 per diluted share) for the second quarter 2025. Pretax income before noncontrolling interests for the second quarter 2026 was $55.1 million compared to pretax income before noncontrolling interests of $46.8 million for the prior year quarter. Second quarter 2026 results included $3.4 million of pretax net realized and unrealized gains, which were primarily related to net gains from fair value changes of equity securities investments recorded in the title segment. Second quarter 2025 results included $0.7 million of pretax net realized and unrealized gains, which primarily resulted from $2.4 million of net unrealized gains on fair value changes of equity securities investments, partially offset by a $1.2 million acquisition liability adjustment loss in the title segment.

Summary results of the title segment are as follows ($ in millions, except pretax margin):

Title segment operating revenues increased $91.1 million (15%) in the second quarter 2026 compared to the second quarter 2025, primarily resulting from strong performance by our direct and agency title operations. Direct title revenues improved $15.3 million (5%), primarily due to increased domestic commercial transaction volume, while gross agency title revenues increased $75.8 million (25%). Net of agency retention, agency title revenues increased $13.0 million (26%) in the second quarter 2026 compared to the prior year quarter, consistent with the gross agency revenue growth.

The title segment's combined employee costs and other operating expenses increased $29.6 million (11%) in the second quarter 2026 compared to the prior year quarter, primarily driven by higher salaries and employee benefits, incentive compensation, and outside search and service fees. As a percentage of operating revenues, these costs improved to 45% in the second quarter 2026 from 47% in the second quarter 2025, primarily due to higher title operating revenues. Title loss expense, as a percentage of title operating revenues, improved to 3.2% in the second quarter 2026 from 3.6% in the prior year quarter, primarily due to continued overall favorable claims experience.

Investment income decreased $1.4 million (9%) in the second quarter 2026, primarily driven by lower earned interest from eligible escrow balances resulting from lower interest rates and escrow balances compared to the second quarter 2025. Included in the title segment's pretax income in the second quarters 2026 and 2025 were acquisition intangible asset amortization expenses of $2.7 million and $2.8 million, respectively.

Summary results of the real estate solutions segment are as follows ($ in millions, except pretax margin):

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Real estate solutions segment revenues increased $84.7 million (75%) in the second quarter 2026 compared to the second quarter 2025, primarily driven by our recently acquired MCS business and higher revenues from credit information and valuation services. Combined segment employee costs and other operating expenses increased $70.4 million (71%) in the second quarter 2026, primarily due to higher costs of services associated with revenue growth and increased employee count. The segment's pretax income in the second quarters 2026 and 2025 included acquisition intangible asset amortization expenses of $7.2 million and $5.5 million, respectively.

In regard to the corporate segment, pretax results were driven by net expenses attributable to corporate operations, which increased to $12.0 million in the second quarter 2026, compared to $9.2 million in the second quarter 2025, primarily due to higher interest expense on increased debt balances.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

The preparation of the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of certain assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related disclosures surrounding contingencies and commitments. Actual results can differ from our accounting estimates. While we do not anticipate significant changes in our estimates, there is a risk that such changes could have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations for future periods. During the six months ended June 30, 2026, we made no material changes to our critical accounting estimates as previously disclosed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis in the 2025 Form 10-K.

Operations. Our primary business is title insurance and settlement-related services. We close transactions and issue title policies on homes, commercial and other real properties located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and international markets through policy-issuing offices, agencies and centralized title services centers. Our real estate solutions operations include credit and real estate information services, property preservation and field services, valuation services, and online notarization and closing solutions. The corporate segment includes our parent holding company and centralized support services departments.

Factors affecting revenues. The principal factors that contribute to changes in our operating revenues include:

•interest rates;

•availability of mortgage loans;

•number and average value of mortgage loan originations;

•ability of potential purchasers to qualify for loans;

•inventory of existing homes available for sale;

•ratio of purchase transactions compared with refinance transactions;

•ratio of closed orders to open orders;

•home prices;

•consumer confidence, including employment trends;

•demand by buyers;

•premium rates and related state regulations;

•foreign currency exchange rates;

•market share;

•ability to attract and retain highly productive sales associates;

•independent agency remittance rates;

•opening and integration of new offices and acquisitions;

•office closures;

•number and value of commercial transactions, which typically yield higher premiums;

•government or regulatory initiatives;

•acquisitions or divestitures of businesses;

•volume of distressed property transactions; and

•seasonality and/or weather.

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Premiums are determined in part by the values of the transactions we handle. To the extent inflation or market conditions cause increases in the prices of homes and other real estate, premium revenues are also increased. Conversely, falling home prices cause premium revenues to decline. Home price changes may override the seasonal nature of the title insurance business. Historically, our first quarter is the least active in terms of title insurance revenues as home buying is generally depressed during winter months. Our second and third quarters are typically the most active as the summer is the traditional home buying season, and while commercial transaction closings are skewed to the end of the year, individually large commercial transactions can occur any time of the year. On average, title premium rates for refinance orders are lower compared to a similarly priced purchase transaction.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Comparisons of our results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 with the corresponding periods in the prior year are set forth below. Factors contributing to fluctuations in the results of operations are presented in the order of their monetary significance, and we have quantified, when necessary, significant changes. Segment results are included in the discussions and, when relevant, are discussed separately.

Our statements on home sales, interest rates and loan activity are based on published U.S. industry data from sources including Fannie Mae, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the U.S. Census Bureau as of June 30, 2026. We also use information from our direct operations.

Operating environment. According to NAR, existing home sales (seasonally-adjusted basis) were approximately 4.09 million units in June 2026, representing a 3% increase from the prior year and a 2% decline from May 2026. NAR indicated that monthly sales activity continued to fluctuate as affordability remained sensitive to changes in mortgage interest rates. Additionally, home prices continue to rise, primarily as a result of limited housing inventory. The median existing home price in June 2026 increased to $440,600, an all-time high and the 36th consecutive month of year-over-year price increase. In addition, U.S. residential construction activity remained mixed during June 2026, as total housing starts increased 4% and 19% compared to June 2025 and May 2026, respectively, while newly issued building permits decreased 2% and 3% over the same periods.

Based on averaged estimates by Fannie Mae and MBA as of June 2026, total U.S. single-family mortgage originations increased 14% to $581 billion in the second quarter 2026 compared to the second quarter 2025, primarily driven by 45% higher refinancing activity. While the 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate remained relatively elevated, it declined to an average of 6.4% during the second quarter 2026 compared to 6.8% in the second quarter 2025, and is expected to remain relatively stable through the remainder of the year. Looking ahead, Fannie Mae and MBA expect total originations in the third and fourth quarter of 2026 to be comparable to the same periods in 2025. Existing homes sales are expected to improve modestly by approximately 3% for the full year 2026, while total new homes sales are projected to remain consistent with 2025.

Title revenues. Direct title revenues information is presented below:

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Domestic commercial revenues improved $15.2 million, or 20%, and $39.8 million, or 28%, in the second quarter and first six months of 2026, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2025, primarily driven by higher commercial transaction volume across energy, multi-family, industrial and other asset classes, as well as larger data center trans

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A)

MANAGEMENT'S OVERVIEW

Net income attributable to Stewart for 2025 was $115.5 million, or $4.05 per diluted share, compared to $73.3 million, or $2.61 per diluted share, in 2024. Pretax income before noncontrolling interests in 2025 was $165.6     million (5.7% pretax margin) compared to $114.3 million (4.6% pretax margin) in 2024. During 2025, total operating revenues increased 18% to $2.86 billion compared to $2.42 billion in 2024, while total expenses increased 16% to $2.76 billion, compared to $2.38 billion in 2024, primarily driven by higher revenues in the title and real estate solutions services operations. Refer to "Results of Operations" for detailed year-to-year income statement discussions, and "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for an analysis of Stewart's financial condition.

For the fourth quarter 2025, we reported net income attributable to Stewart of $36.3 million ($1.25 per diluted share), compared to net income attributable to Stewart of $22.7 million ($0.80 per diluted share) for the fourth quarter 2024. Fourth quarter 2025 pretax income before noncontrolling interests was $51.7 million (6.5% pretax margin) compared to pretax income before noncontrolling interests of $35.4 million (5.3% pretax margin) for the prior year quarter.

Fourth quarter 2025 results included $3.8 million of pretax net realized and unrealized losses, primarily recorded in the title segment, while the fourth quarter 2024 results included $1.7 million of pretax net realized and unrealized gains, comprised of $2.8 million net gains in the title segment and $1.1 million net losses in the corporate segment.

During the fourth quarter 2025, we completed the largest acquisition in Stewart history by acquiring Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS), an industry leader in providing property preservation and field services to mortgage servicers. This acquisition broadens Stewart's servicer customer base and expands our full suite of lender services. MCS is included in our real estate solutions segment. Refer to Note 8 to our audited consolidated financial statements for details.

Title segment. Summary results of the title segment are as follows (in $ millions, except pretax margin and % change):

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Segment operating revenues in the fourth quarter 2025 increased $105.7 million, or 19%, driven by strong performances by our direct and agency title operations with operating revenue growth of 18% and 20%, respectively, compared to the fourth quarter 2024. Segment total operating expenses increased $85.9 million, or 16%, compared to the fourth quarter 2024 driven by the $43.9 million, or 19%, higher agency retention expenses and $40.3 million, or 15%, increased combined employee costs and other operating expenses, consistent with the title revenue growth. As a percentage of operating revenues, total title segment employee costs and other operating expenses improved to 47.0% in the fourth quarter 2025 compared to 48.7% in the prior year quarter, primarily due to increased title operating revenues.

Title loss expense in the fourth quarter 2025 increased $2.3 million, or 11%, compared to the fourth quarter 2024, primarily driven by higher title revenues. As a percentage of title operating revenues, title loss expense improved to 3.4% in the fourth quarter 2025 compared to 3.7% in the prior year quarter, primarily as a result of our continued overall favorable claims experience.

Direct title revenue information is presented below (in $ millions, except % change):

Domestic commercial revenues in the fourth quarter 2025 improved by $32.0 million, or 38%, primarily driven by increased sizes of commercial closed transactions, principally related to data center and energy asset classes, while domestic non-commercial revenues increased $17.7 million, or 11%, primarily driven by higher combined purchase and refinancing closed transactions and increased average fee per file compared to the prior year quarter. Fourth quarter 2025 average domestic commercial fee per file was $27,300, or 39% higher compared to $19,600 in the fourth quarter 2024, while average domestic residential fee per file improved 13% to $3,300, compared to $2,900 in the fourth quarter 2024. Total international revenues in the fourth quarter 2025 increased by $1.5 million, or 4%, primarily due to higher residential transaction volumes compared to the prior year quarter.

Real estate solutions segment. Summary results of the real estate solutions segment are as follows (in $ millions, except pretax margin and % change):

The segment’s fourth quarter 2025 operating revenues improved $24.9 million, or 29%, primarily driven by our credit information services business. Combined employee costs and other operating expenses in the fourth quarter 2025 increased $21.6 million, or 27%, primarily due to increased costs of services related to revenue growth. The segment's pretax income included acquisition intangible asset amortization expenses of $5.6 million and $5.5 million in the fourth quarters 2025 and 2024, respectively.

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Corporate segment. The segment's net expenses for the fourth quarter 2025 slightly increased to $10.1 million, compared to $9.7 million in the fourth quarter 2024, primarily due to higher interest expense on increased debt balances. The segment recorded a $1.1 million realized loss related to an investment impairment during the fourth quarter 2024.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Actual results can differ from our accounting estimates. While we do not anticipate significant changes in our estimates, there is a risk that such changes could have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations for future periods. The discussion of critical accounting estimates below should be read in conjunction with the related accounting policies disclosed within Note 1 to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part IV of this annual report.

Title loss reserves

Provisions for title losses, as a percentage of title operating revenues, were 3.4%, 3.9% and 4.1% for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Actual loss payment experience, including the impact of large losses, is the primary reason for increases or decreases in our title loss provision. A 100 basis point change in the loss provisioning percentage, a reasonable scenario based on our historical loss experience, would have increased or decreased our provision for title losses, and affected pretax income by approximately $24.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025.

We consider our actual claims payments (net of recoveries) and incurred loss experience, including the frequency and severity of claims, compared to our actuarial estimates of claims payments and incurred losses in determining whether our overall loss experience has improved or worsened relative to prior periods. We also consider the impact of economic or market factors on particular policy years to determine whether the results of those policy years are indicative of future expectations. In addition, large claims (those exceeding $1.0 million on a single claim), including large title losses due to independent agency defalcations, are analyzed and reserved for separately due to the potential higher dollar amount of loss, lower volume of claims reported and sporadic reporting of such claims. We evaluate the frequency and severity of large losses in determining whether our experience has improved or worsened. Our method for recording the reserves for title losses on both an interim and annual basis begins with the calculation of our current loss provision rate which is applied to our current premium revenues, resulting in a title loss expense for the period, except for large claims and escrow losses. This loss provision rate is set to provide for losses on current year policies and is primarily determined using moving average ratios of recent actual policy loss payment experience (net of recoveries) to premium revenues.

Due to the inherent uncertainty in predicting future title policy losses, significant judgment is required by our management and our third-party actuaries in estimating reserves. As a consequence, our ultimate liability may be materially greater or lower than current reserves and/or our third-party actuary’s calculated estimates.

Provisions for known claims arise primarily from prior policy years as claims are not typically reported until years after policies are issued. Provisions - Incurred But Not Reported (IBNR) are estimates of claims expected to be incurred over the next 20 years; therefore, it is not unusual or unexpected to experience changes to those estimated provisions in both current and prior policy years as additional loss experience on policy years is obtained. This loss experience may result in changes to our estimate of total ultimate losses expected (i.e., the IBNR policy loss reserve). Current year provisions - IBNR are recorded on policies issued in the current year as a percentage of premiums earned (loss provisioning rate). As claims become known, provisions are reclassified from IBNR to known claims. Adjustments relating to large claims may impact provisions either for known claims or for IBNR.

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In 2025, total provisions for known claims increased $12.6 million, or 15%, compared to 2024 as a result of the timing of claims reported and changes to large and non-large claims related to both current and prior policy years. Total provisions - IBNR in 2025 decreased $13.9 million, or 21%, compared to the prior year primarily due to our overall favorable claims experience. In 2024, total known provision claims decreased $5.2 million, or 6%, compared to 2023, primarily as a result of changes to existing large and non-large claims related to prior policy years, while total provisions - IBNR increased $1.7 million, or 2.7%, primarily due to increased title premiums in 2024. As a percentage of title operating revenues, current year provisions - IBNR were 2.0%, 2.7% and 2.6% in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

In addition

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