Title Insurance

Abstract

Title insurance is a means of protecting against the risks inherent in the uncertainty of land titles by delineating some defects of title and by insuring against potential losses from others. Conceived in this country in the latter part of the nineteenth century, title insurance is now written by 147 companies, of which 77 have more than one outlet in their home state, 31 operate in more than one state, and 11 in 5 or more states. As an indication of the present size of the business, premiums on title insurance written in 1954 totaled about 100 million dollars—representing, at an average premium rate of 3½ dollars a thousand, 28½ billion dollars of title insurance coverage. Although the extent of its use varies; being highest on the Pacific Coast and least in New England, title insurance has become the predominant method of title protection in many metropolitan areas and has been written on some land in every state.