This year's recipient of the J.E. Wells Award was announced at the CMHI Annual Holiday Cruise.  Express Escrow Executive Vice President, William "Bill" V. Nelson was chosen by a committee of former Wells Award recipients to receive the highest honor awarded to a CMHI member.

Bill spent part of his childhood growing up in Santa Barbara and San Diego.  Bill’s father operated a boat repair yard, which is where Bill learned the importance of a job well. 

Lured by the sea, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in 1963. After release from active duty he returned to the boat repair business until 1970 when he joined a property management firm.  Bill worked in real estate sales and property management until 1974 when he joined the Covina Police Department.

While working in law enforcement, Bill earned an Associates degree from East Los Angeles City College in the Administration of Justice.  An on the job injury ended his law enforcement career in 1983 and Bill re-entered the business world and went to work for First Interstate Bank. 

While working at First Interstate Bank, Bill became a member of CMHI’s Board of Directors and served as Treasurer.  He chaired the Financial Division and occasionally organized special meetings for that division to discuss issues of particular interest to lenders. He is currently the CMHI Orange County Chapter Chairperson.

While at First Interstate Bank, Bill developed the first of its kind ‘lender’s cover letter to escrow’ used in conjunction with land and home manufactured home financing.  This was an important tool to help protect a lender, which he has freely shared with several lenders since joining Express Escrow.   Since leaving First Interstate Bank, Bill has routinely provided manufactured home lenders with free information and consulting.

Bill’s duties at Express Escrow include managing the daily business affairs of the company and overseeing the operations of our non-dealer escrow operations.  Non-dealer escrow operations include the land aspect of a dealer land/home transaction.  Those duties also include mobilehome park conversions and subdivision activity.

Within the escrow industry Bill is a long time member of the Board of Directors of the Escrow Agents’ Fidelity Corporation.  EAFC’s purpose is to protect the escrow industry from a defalcation of escrow trust funds.  Bill was recently re-elected to serve a third term as EAFC’s Chairman of the Board. Bill also represents the escrow industry by serving on the Department of Corporations’ Escrow Advisory Committee.
Bill will be presented with his award at the Wells Dinner and Reception at the Annual Board and Convention in March 2007.