Title Insurance and Your Transaction
The joint committee of the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors released its regular five-year update of survey standards, effective as of February 23, 2026. ...more
On November 26, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that an alternative business lender was not liable for aiding and abetting a borrower’s fraud where the lender undertook targeted diligence, relied...more
Key Takeaways - As set forth in alerts and advisories from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), illicit actors intent on laundering funds through residential real property often use legal entities and trusts...more
First-time multifamily buyers in Chicago often focus on price, neighborhood and cap rate but miss legal and compliance issues that silently add cost, delay closing or create post-closing liability. Below are the most common...more
In today’s higher‑rate, low‑tolerance market, legal issues and ambiguities in due diligence quickly show up in a buyer’s or lender’s model as lower loan proceeds, required cash set‑asides, and delays....more
As remote work reshapes the commercial real estate market and demand for office space declines, owners and developers are increasingly pursuing office-to-residential conversions as a way to unlock value in underperforming...more
On January 14, Maryland’s attorney general announced that the state’s Consumer Protection Division (CPD) entered into a settlement resolving allegations that several joint venture title agency companies formed between a title...more
Contrary to just about every jurisdiction in the country, all real estate settlements for real property located within the State of Delaware must be performed by a Delaware-licensed attorney....more
The American Land Title Association (“ALTA”) and National Society of Professional Surveyors (“NSPS”) recently further updated the 2021 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements, which represents the benchmark of professional...more
Investors on the precipice of acquiring commercial real estate tend to focus on the “big ticket” items — the purchase price, the underwriting assumptions, the rent roll, the zoning strategy, but ignore the importance of a...more
Fraudulent transactions involving vacant properties are on the rise and are a significant source of claims for title insurance companies. While seller impersonation fraud may involve any type of real property, it is more...more
Last week, there were a few per curiam affirmances in Florida that reinforce important principles for those litigating in the real property space, as well as some decisions in the landlord-tenant context. Additionally, a...more
In this multipart series, we are examining important points to consider when negotiating commercial real estate purchase and sale contracts from the perspectives of buyers and sellers. Our prior posts addressed negotiating...more
Our Real Property, Title Insurance, & Financial Services Update offers a weekly overview of notable court decisions impacting property rights, title issues, the banking industry, and related litigation. Each edition...more
As if buying real estate is not stressful enough, prospective buyers might not have heard of a new danger: title pirates. These are criminals who file phony documents claiming to own property that actually belongs to someone...more
Our Real Property, Title Insurance, and Financial Services Update offers a weekly overview of notable court decisions impacting property rights, title issues, the banking industry, and related litigation. Each edition...more
On October 9, FinCEN announced it had renewed geographic targeting orders (GTOs) requiring title insurance companies in designated locales to report information on cash residential real estate transactions....more
On October 9, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued a renewal of its Geographic Targeting Order (“GTOs”), which require U.S. title insurance companies, including their subsidiaries and agents, to...more
A title insurer owes a “duty to defend” its insured from a lawsuit filed by a third party whenever the lawsuit creates a potential for indemnity under the policy. A defense is owed even where the evidence suggests, but does...more
Texas doesn’t want real estate in the hands of America's most serious adversaries. That’s the premise behind S.B. 17, a law aimed squarely at foreign governments and individuals linked to countries the U.S. considers threats....more
Residential real estate development is a high-stakes business. Managing financing, construction timelines, local approvals, and ultimate sales can lead even experienced developers to overlook critical details that may have...more
This article is the third in a multi-part series based on the Lowndes white paper, “Selling & Acquiring Distressed Real Estate in Florida.” Each installment will examine key legal and strategic considerations for acquiring...more
As renewable energy development sweeps across rural and agricultural landscapes, developers are encountering a growing legal and logistical challenge: severed estates. These occur when surface rights and mineral rights are...more
August 26, 2025|Client Alerts By John L. Hosack, Jason E. Goldstein California Insurance Commissioner Files Petition in the Superior Court to have him appointed as the Conservator of Real Advantage Title Insurance Company...more
In the recently published case Bartel v. Chicago Title Insurance Company, a California appellate court reaffirmed longstanding California law on insurers’ broad duty to defend even in the face of complicated underlying facts,...more