What is Title Insurance?

In short, Title Insurance guarantees the title of your Real Estate.

Unlike other types of insurance which cover future events, title insurance protects you and your lender from any issues in the past that may affect the title to your property. 

When you buy title insurance, a title search of courthouse records is performed going back 60-100 years. This search is done to find and remedy various types of ownership issues including judgements, liens, unpaid taxes, unpaid mortgages and countless other potential concerns. After the search is completed, the underwriter will determine the insurability of the title and issue a title commitment and eventually a title insurance policy.

Not all issues are easy to identify though. In instances of filing errors, forgeries, or undisclosed heirs, the insurance policy is issued to protect you and your lender from issues that may show up later!  

If you’ve taken out a mortgage for your property, your lender will require a loan policy of Title Insurance. This protects their interest until your loan is paid off or refinanced. Our simple to use title insurance calculator can help you see the additional costs of this insurance.

The owner’s policy insures your ownership rights. You only pay for this policy one time at closing and it protects you for the duration of your ownership or until you decide to refinance.  

Capstone Land Transfer is a Title Company in PA that is approved by four different title insurance underwriters: First American Title, Fidelity National Title, WFG National Title and Security Title. Click here to learn more about each of our underwriters.