A Short History Of The Land Title Pen…

While Land Title Guarantee Company is well-known for delivering an exceptional transaction experience, the Company is also renowned for its trademark blue pens. But, there is much more to the pen in terms of form and function than many realize.

The Landy pen (as it is affectionately known by Land Title employees) is not only comfortable to hold with its rubber grip and smooth ink delivery, it is hand-selected for its high-level of safety when dealing with confidential and personal information.

The pen is made by uni-ball and uses a gel ink known as “Super Ink.” Uni-ball gel pens featuring Super Ink are endorsed by identity thief turned identity theft expert Frank Abegnale (the subject of the movie Catch Me if You Can starring Leonardo DiCaprio) to deter fraud, and, in particular, check washing fraud. 

Check washing refers to the chemical removal of ink from a check so that criminals can change the amount and make it payable to themselves. In 2018, check fraud accounted for 47% of industry losses, $1.3 billion, according to the American Bankers Association’s 2019 Deposit Account Fraud Survey. The jump was so drastic that it actually dethroned debit card fraud (44% at $1.2 billion) to claim the number one spot for fraud against bank deposit accounts.

With Land Title pens, the ink is trapped within the fibers of the paper, making it essentially impossible for check washing to occur. Additionally, the blue ink itself is purposeful to showcase that the document is an originally-signed document and not a copy.

Landy also provides a unique way to share charitable causes important to the Company. Each Fall, Land Title engages in a charitable campaign to benefit a selected charity for a statewide cause key to Land Title, its employees, its customers and its communities. A critical element of the charitable campaign is the creation of a special edition white Landy pen that carries the logo of the charity along with the traditional Land Title logo.

A special edition version was also created for the 45th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of Land Title.

Landy pens are so popular that, anecdotally, we hear visitors to our offices take the pen they used with them. The pens have been spotted as far away as Japan and Great Britain. Fans of the pen share that they collect the special edition white pens and other milestone versions.

Interested in sharing your Landy pen story? Share it with us: Communications@ltgc.com.