First American Stock Rises 18%

Shares of First American Financial Corp. surged nearly 18% Monday after a Merrill Lynch analyst raised his rating on the Santa Ana title insurer to “intermediate accumulate” from “neutral.” The stock closed Monday at $17.56 a share, up $2.63, but remained well below its 52-week high of $43.

Two other Orange County title insurers also enjoyed a strong day on Wall Street, each rising about 10%. Fidelity National Financial closed at $17.13, up $1.50 a share, and American National Financial closed at $4.94, up about 44 cents. Both companies are based in Irvine.