Tag: title defects
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Title Companies: Obsolete in the Digital/AI Age, or Defenders of Critical Infrastructure?
“AI alone cannot meet the industry’s standards for accuracy, consistency and reliability.” — The First American Financial Corporation The First American Financial Corporation, which offers title insurance for deed transactions through First American Title™, has published a new white paper report, How Title Insurance Protects the Critical Infrastructure Supporting the U.S. Real Estate Economy and the…
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Ohio: 2026 Marks the First Hike in Title Insurance Premiums Since 2002
This year Ohio is using an updated title insurance rate table. In January, the state raised the price of an owners’ title policy for the first time in 24 years. This hike has taken effect throughout Ohio.
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Someone Placed a Lien on the Deed. Did They Follow the Rules?
Various entities can make claims for unpaid debts by recording liens on a title. Mortgage liens are voluntary — you opt in. Other kinds of liens are imposed on the title by a court, a homeowner’s association, a tax department, etc. A lien clouds a title, impacting the deed’s marketability. It sticks to the title…
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Getting Title Insurance at Closing: A Waste of Money? (Q&A for Home Buyers)
Your deed is a valuable document. It puts the title to a home in your hands. And, like most possessions, the title to your real estate can be insured. Does Every Home Have Title Insurance? No. But if you finance a home with a mortgage, the home becomes collateral for a lender. So, you must…
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Real Property Basics: What Is a Clear Title?
A clear title. The term is commonly used to mean the deed holder can prove ownership, unquestionably. To verify that, a title company can conduct a title search. Other parties’ claims on the title are called title defects, or clouds on title. What do these claims look like? They might be mortgage liens, court judgments,…
