About Us

About Us

Legal 1031 Exchange Services, LLC (“Legal 1031”) is a leading provider of national qualified intermediary services. We are a division of Kensington Vanguard National Land Services (“KV”), one of the leading title insurance and settlement agencies in the United States. As of 2022, KV and Legal 1031 are subsidiaries of Truist Insurance Holdings, Inc., the sixth largest insurance broker in the United States and seventh largest in the world; all three companies are subsidiaries of the sixth largest commercial bank in the United States based on assets and deposits, Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE: TFC).

Our primary focus at Legal 1031 is unwavering customer service, providing our exchangers and their advisors with exceptional qualified intermediary services. IRC § 1031 exchanges can sometimes be confusing, but even more so when exchangers are working on their first 1031 exchange. Our goal at Legal 1031 is to take the uncertainty out of the transaction and make our exchangers feel comfortable. Other qualified intermediaries require you to complete various forms over the internet and limit your communication during the transaction. Legal 1031 takes the opposite approach – we encourage our exchangers to speak with us and call with questions at their convenience, so they feel confident and comfortable as they work through their 1031 exchange. As Legal 1031 is now part of a much larger banking organization with much greater resources, the merger has translated into an even higher level of individualized service, stability, and reassurance for our exchangers.

Legal 1031 also greatly values knowledge and experience. Led by President, Todd R. Pajonas, Esq., and Executive Vice President, Matthew K. Scheriff, CPA, CES, both individuals are two of the top experts in the 1031 industry and have been working in the industry for over 25 years. The Legal 1031 team has authored numerous articles and other material on 1031 exchanges and other tax topics, appeared on various radio programs and have been quoted in periodicals such as the New York Times. Legal 1031 is a continuing education provider for attorneys, CPAs, and realtors, and is accredited in several states. The experienced principals and team of attorneys, CPAs, and professionals at Legal 1031 are here for you whether you are a first-time exchanger, or an experienced investor engaged in a complex transaction.

Last but certainly not least, Legal 1031 firmly values the security of its exchangers’ funds. A subsidiary of the sixth-largest commercial bank in the United States, our exchangers’ proceeds are always insured and protected with the highest levels of security. One of the main tasks of a qualified intermediary is to hold in escrow the net proceeds from the sale of the 1031 property. Unlike many other qualified intermediaries, when starting a new transaction Legal 1031 opens a separate segregated escrow account for each exchanger and forwards proof of their insurance / fidelity bond. Funds are never comingled. Legal 1031 also has the ability to use “dual signature escrow accounts” where the bank must receive withdrawal instructions directly from the exchanger as well as the qualified intermediary, in order for funds to be withdrawn. This process complies with all IRC § 1031 statutes and regulations and provides the highest level of security for every single one of our exchangers.

Legal 1031 prides itself on treating each exchanger and each individual exchange with only the highest degrees of importance and customer service. Our experience and knowledge enables us to handle every type of exchange, whether it is a delayed exchange, simultaneous, reverse, or improvement exchange. Legal 1031 is committed to giving personalized service to every one of our exchangers. We recommend that you browse our website to learn more about the exchange process and about our experienced team of professionals.