HOME BUYERS FAIR : All About Escrow : Rapid-Growth Field of Escrow Dominated by Female Workers

Most escrow providers are women, according to Gwen VanVleck, a past president of the California Escrow Assn. Estimates of the percentage of women employed in escrow agencies range from 85% to 95%, according to VanVleck and other escrow experts.

“Escrow developed and grew rapidly a generation or so ago, when most professional fields were closed to women, especially women without college degrees,” she said.

“Women have excelled in escrow because it’s a combination of detail- and public-contact work. Women seem to be detail- and follow-through oriented. Most of the men in escrow are concentrated in management and/or ownership positions.”

Judy DuChesne Jones, who operates an Orange County-based business specializing in auditing escrow firms, says escrow is handicapped by very low entry-level salaries: “Entry-level escrow people view the job as an apprenticeship, getting by on salaries as low as $1,100 a month, because they expect to earn much more in a few years,” she said.

VanVleck said escrow can be a lucrative field, with six-figure annual incomes not uncommon among experienced senior escrow officers.

Besides learning escrow on the job out of high school, people interested in a career can take courses in community colleges or special schools, Jones said.

For those interested in careers in escrow, the CEA has a free booklet titled “Careers in Escrow” available from the CEA at 6777 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90028, (213) 461-7383.

--David M. Kinchen