Share Your Claims Stories

March 14, 2024

Marcos Aguilar of Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. shared an example of a claim story that if not for title insurance, would have been costly for the parties involved. You can help our advocacy efforts by sharing information about issues or claims involved in refinances and why lenders title insurance is important. Please send your examples to communications@alta.org.

Here are examples of how an Owner's Policy helped the homeowner, but we're also looking for examples of how the lender's policy protected the lender:

  • Example 1: Say you purchased a new home from a builder. Unfortunately, the builder didn’t pay the roofer. The roofer wants paid so he files a lien against the property. Without a title search alerting you of this lien, a homebuyer would become responsible for paying the roofer. Meaning you would be paying the roofer instead of purchasing new living room furniture. An Owner’s Policy would have relieved the homeowner from paying that bill.
  • Example 2: After a months-long search, you finally find your family’s dream home—a safe neighborhood and great schools, and a big backyard for the swimming pool you plan to build. You move in and hire a contractor, but a few days into construction the contractor finds an underground utility line running right through the middle of your backyard. You check your Owner’s title insurance policy and find out that the title search did not discover this easement. Because the homeowner had obtained an Owner’s Policy, their title insurance company paid to have the underground utility relocated so they could build their swimming pool.
  • Example 3: After retiring, you decide to downsize and buy a smaller town home on a golf course. A month after you move in, a man knocks on your door and claims he is the real owner of your home and that the people who appeared at the closing had been house sitting for him and they forged his name to the deed. Because the couple had an Owner’s Policy, the title insurance company negotiated with the real owner and reached a settlement so the couple could remain in their home.
  • Example 4: Husband brings in a woman and introduces her as his wife to sign the Quitclaim Deed on a property that he is selling. The deed is duly signed and notarized, confirming that she is the person on the driver’s license. The transaction closed. A couple of years later a woman calls regarding this particular transaction. She was the wife and never signed a quitclaim deed. In the midst of her divorce from her husband, an inquiry into his assets brought forth this piece of property which she, as the wife, had a community property interest in.


Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or communications@alta.org.