BANKING/FINANCE : Fidelity National Expects High Profile on the Big Board

Fidelity National Financial Inc. has long been trying out different ways to get more investors interested in trading its stock.

Now, as stock prices are hitting all-time highs almost every day, the company is hoping to attract more investors by switching to the Big Board. By mid-March, shares of the Irvine title insurance underwriter will be trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the company said Tuesday.

Since the company went public in February, 1987, its stock has been trading on the American Stock Exchange. It closed Tuesday at $21.50 a share, down from Monday’s record close of $22.125 a share.

Fidelity is moving to the main Wall Street exchange for the prestige and visibility that the company expects to gain by being able to meet the tougher listing criteria. The move would also give it access to a wider array of investors.

“We’re looking to enhance our shareholder value,” said Frank P. Willey, the company’s general counsel.

The new listing could also enable shareholders to sell their shares more quickly and cheaply, the company said.

The tightly run, cost-conscious company has 3.8 million shares outstanding. Insiders such as William P. Foley II, the company’s president and chief executive, own 40% of the stock, according to the latest proxy, which is more than a year old.

Fidelity’s stock boom is primarily caused by the big upswing in home refinancings. Lenders typically require new title reports for such loans, and Wall Street understands that title companies will generally benefit, one analyst said.