Escrow.com Gets Hefty Investment

Escrow.com Inc. is expected to announce today a $30-million investment from high-profile Internet partners such as Softbank Corp. to help it provide a haven for businesses that distrust electronic commerce but still want to buy big-ticket items online. The Santa Ana e-commerce start-up is controlled by title insurance giant Fidelity National Financial Inc. The $30-million endorsement would put Escrow.com in a stronger position to compete against its two key rivals, Northern California’s I-Escrow Inc. and Tradesafe.com Inc. in Rhode Island. Besides Tokyo-based Softbank, other outside investors are Chase Manhattan Corp. in New York, Hong Kong technology company Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd. and VerticalNet Inc., a Horsham, Pa., operator of business-to-business Web sites.