Why Title Insurance?....

Even the best title examination or search cannot protect your equity from matters not appearing in public records.

A Stewart Guaranty Title policy, subject to certain limitations set forth in the policy, can protect you from most errors, mistakes, and/or fraud.

Here are a few reasons why you need the protection of title insurance when you purchase real property or enter into a long term lease....

• Documents executed under false or expired powers of attorney;
• False impersonation of true land owner;
• Undisclosed heirs;
• Improperly recorded legal documents;
• Prescriptive rights in another not appearing of record and not disclosed by survey;
• Failure to include necessary parties to certain judicial proceedings;
• Defective acknowledgements due to improper or expired notarization;
• Corporate franchise taxes as liens on corporate real estate assets;
• Gaps in the chain of title;
• Mistakes and omissions resulting in improper abstracting;
• Forged deeds, mortgages, wills, releases of mortgages and other instruments;
• Deeds which appear absolute, but which are held to be equitable mortgages;
• Conveyances by an heir, devisee or survivor of a joint estate who attempts to attain title by ill gotten means;
• Inadequate legal descriptions;
• Conveyances by undisclosed divorced spouses;
• Duress in execution of wills, deeds and instruments conveying or establishing title;
• Issues involving delivery of conveyancing instruments;
• Deeds and wills by persons lacking legal capacity;
• State inheritance and gift tax liens;
• Errors in tax records;
• Demolition and substance building liens;
• Administration of estates and probate of wills of missing persons who are presumed deceased;
• Issues of rightful possession of the land;
• Issues concerning the rightful conveyances by corporate entities;
• Deeds and mortgages by foreigners who may lack legal capacity to hold title;
• Legal capacity of foreign personal representatives and trustees;
• Issues involving improper marital status;
• Improper modification of documents;
• Rights of divorced parties;
• Conveyances in violation of public policy;
• Misinterpretation of wills and ancillary instruments;
• Deeds by persons falsely representing their marital status;
• Claims by creditors of decedent against property improperly conveyed by heirs and devisees;
• Issues concerning unlawful takings by eminent domain or condemnation;
• Special tax assessments;
• Real estate homestead exceptions;
• Forfeitures of real property due to criminal acts;
• Issues concerning adoption of children;
• Conveyances and proceedings affecting rights of military personnel protected by the Soldier's and Sailor's Civil Relief Act;
• Issues concerning interests noted in financial statements filed under Uniform Commercial Code;
• Interests arising by deeds of fictitious parties;
• Adverse possession;
• Lack of jurisdiction or competency of persons in judicial proceedings;
• Community property issues;
• Utility easements;
• False affidavits of death or heirship;
• Interstate estates;
• Probate matters; and
• Federal estate and gift liens.