Blake Hardwick
Blake understands clients’ businesses, their needs, and has an innate ability to find creative solutions and act on them. He leads the industry’s best group of title and underwriting professionals that close transactions involving all asset types and in all 50 states.
Blake Hardwick serves as Vice President and Regional Underwriting Counsel for the North Central region of the National Commercial Services Division. In his current role, Blake provides underwriting support to 8 NCS offices. Prior to assuming his current role, Blake was Senior Underwriting Counsel and Colorado Counsel for the NCS-Colorado office in Denver, Colorado. In his previous role he led a group of 15 underwriters and counsel that regularly underwrote policies in all 50 states. His experience includes, among other things, underwriting specialized coverages, mechanic’s lien risk at all phases of construction projects, nonimputation, access, and authority issues.
Prior to joining First American, Blake practiced law at Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. in Phoenix, Arizona and then in Denver, Colorado. During his time at Snell & Wilmer, Blake represented lenders in secured and unsecured loan transactions, with a primary emphasis in commercial real estate banking.
During the 2008 financial crisis, he also assisted lenders with commercial foreclosures and loan enforcement, including bankruptcy litigation and contract and guaranty enforcement in state court.
