UNDERWRITING MANUAL - eWestcor

1 Copyright, 2017, Westcor Land Title Insurance Company UNDERWRITINGMANUAL:If any conflict exists between this MANUAL and the terms of your title insurance Issuing Agency Agreement with Westcor, the Issuing Agency Agreement will additional copies of this MANUAL , please see the Westcor Land Title Insurance Company website ( ) where you can download this information. Additional copies may be requested from your Regional Office or by contacting the Corporate Office in Maitland, Florida. Copyright 2 TTHHEE WWEESSTTCCOORR MMAANNUUAALL Acknowledgments This volume was edited and co-written by Robert T. Edwards, Vice President & National Counsel of Westcor Title Insurance Company. Company Counsel and staff assisted as contributing authors and researchers. Disclaimer Westcor is proud to make available this UNDERWRITING MANUAL for your use. We sincerely believe that it will be a great help to you in your business.

2 We trust that you will find it informative and easy to use. Title insurance UNDERWRITING is an especially complex endeavor with thousands of factors affecting title transfers. No single volume could cover every contingency, and we don t pretend that this MANUAL will, either. Consider this book to be a set of guidelines to help you through your workday, providing direction on many questions that may arise. If you have any doubt about a particular situation or how it applies to your jurisdiction, please call your regional UNDERWRITING counsel. Westcor counsel can provide you with an appropriate answer to your UNDERWRITING situation. It s a toll-free call and you ll get your answer right of Contents 3 WWEESSTTCCOORR Table of Contents Access .. 6 Acknowledgments .. 7 Acreage .. 9 Adverse Possession .. 10 Affirmative Coverages .. 11 After-Acquired Title .. 13 Airspace .. 14 Assignments.

3 16 Bankruptcy .. 17 Beaches; Beach Rights .. 24 Bona Fide Purchasers .. 25 Boundaries, Disputed .. 26 Building Setback Lines .. 27 Canals .. 28 Capacity .. 29 Cash Reporting .. 30 Cemeteries .. 33 Churches .. 34 Condemnation (Eminent Domain) .. 38 Condominiums .. 39 Construction Loans .. 41 Contract (Agreement) for Deed .. 44 Corporations .. 46 Corporations, Foreign .. 47 Co-tenancies .. 48 Creditor s 51 Deeds .. 52 Deeds in Lieu of Foreclosure .. 56 Descriptions, Legal .. 58 Divorce .. 60 Drug 61 Easements .. 65 Encroachments .. 68 Endorsements .. 69 Environmental Liens .. 70 Execution of Instruments .. 71 Table of Contents 4 TTHHEE WWEESSTTCCOORR MMAANNUUAALL Extended Coverage .. 72 Federal Tax Liens .. 73 Filled-In Lands .. 76 FIRPTA .. 77 Foreclosure .. 78 Gift Deeds .. 82 Guardianship .. 84 Heirs At Law .. 86 Homestead .. 87 Hospitals, Health Centers & Nursing Homes .. 88 Improvements .. 89 Incompetence.

4 92 Indian Lands .. 93 Inheritance .. 94 Judgments .. 95 Leasehold Estates .. 97 Liens .. 99 Life Estates .. 100 Lis Pendens .. 102 Manufactured Housing .. 103 Mechanics and Materialmen s Liens .. 104 Minerals .. 107 Minors .. 109 Missing Persons .. 111 Mortgages .. 112 Options to Purchase .. 114 Parties In Possession .. 116 Partnerships .. 117 Party Walls .. 118 Planned Unit Development .. 119 Powers of Attorney .. 120 Probate Proceedings .. 122 Purchase Money Mortgages .. 124 Railroads .. 126 Receivers .. 128 Restrictions .. 129 Reversionary Clauses .. 132 Rights of Way .. 133 Table of Contents 5 WWEESSTTCCOORR Riparian/Littoral Rights .. 134 Severed Improvements .. 136 Subordination Agreements .. 138 Survey Matters .. 139 Synthetic Leases .. 144 Tax Titles .. 146 Taxes and Assessments .. 148 Timeshare Estates .. 149 Trusts .. 151 UCC Financing Statements .. 152 Vendor s Liens .. 154 Water Rights.

5 155 Waterfront Property and Wetlands .. 156 Zoning .. 161 Index .. 162 Access 6 TTHHEE WWEESSTTCCOORR MMAANNUUAALL Access Overview Title policies include an insuring provision which covers the insured for loss resulting from a lack of a right of access to and from the land . Access directly affects the use and marketability of real property. Access to the insured land is always over some land other than the insured land. It may be provided by a dedicated street, a legally created easement or another specifically granted right. If a publicly dedicated street or highway abuts the insured land and the ability to cross between the two parcels is not restricted, then the insured land would have access. Access means the ability of the owner to get to the land. The access provision in the commitment and policy relates to the existence of a legal right of access not physical access.

6 A title insurance policy does not insure the physical usability, existence or characteristics of a means of access. Also, a policy does not insure a particular means of access. It merely insures that a valid, legal right of access exists as of the date of the policy. However, the type of physical access to the property must meet the standard of being reasonable. Access to a home with a garage would be the legal ability to walk or drive to the insured land. Access to the top floor unit of a condominium would probably mean only walking access and would not include the right to drive an automobile to the door of the condominium unit. Accordingly, each property must be reviewed to determine what would constitute reasonable access. If the insured land abuts only private land, then access is restricted. Driveways and, in some cases, private roads do not necessarily constitute legal access.

7 Such access rights must be evidenced by a written, recorded easement and access should not be insured unless the access is (shown) described in a written and recorded easement. A private easement should be considered a separate tract of property which abuts the subject property in an amount (width) sufficient to provide physical (vehicular, if appropriate) access from the insured land to a public roadway. Occasionally, a small gap or gore may separate a lot or parcel from a public roadway. In these instances it may be necessary for the municipality, county, or state to abandon title to that portion of property separating the insured parcel and the road. Whenever access of the insured land to a public roadway is restricted, limited or does not exist, an exception to lack of access must be noted. The terms and conditions of any easement providing access must be shown as an exception on Schedule B.

8 UNDERWRITING Instructions Title policies may be issued insuring access only when legal access is provided by a prior recorded easement or the property abuts a dedicated public roadway. Implied and/or prescriptive easement rights are not considered legal rights of access and should not be insured on an owner s or loan policy. Please note that the policy does not insure convenient access or any particular right of access, but the access insured must still meet the standard of being reasonable. If coverage is sought for any particular right of access, see guidelines under Easements and Endorsements. Important Note: The ALTA Homeowners Policy (1998) form includes a different insuring clause concerning access. That particular form insures the existence of a useable means of access. It does not insure just the existence of a legal right of access but also insures the existence and usability of the access right.

9 This is a different and higher standard for insurance of access and requires additional UNDERWRITING analysis. The additional UNDERWRITING standards and guidelines for this policy form are discussed under Homeowners Policy Form in these Guidelines. Acknowledgments 7 WWEESSTTCCOORR Acknowledgments Overview Laws and definitions regarding acknowledgments vary from state to state. However, there are several issues that are common to almost every jurisdiction. Generally, an acknowledgment refers to a form of certification made by a notary public, judicial officer, or other authorized individual which is attached to deeds, security instruments, leases and other real estate instruments, certifying that the maker or makers of such instruments appeared before the notary, judicial officer or other authorized individual and acknowledged that they signed the instrument freely and voluntarily (without compulsion, fear, or under duress), and for the purposes indicated in the instrument.

10 UNDERWRITING Instructions Because laws and practices regarding acknowledgments vary from state to state, it is important that you familiarize yourself with, and comply with, statutory requirements. Generally, Westcor agents must follow guidelines for acknowledgments: 1. Notarize, witness, or attest signatures only when the signatory personally appears before you, appears to be legally competent and states that the signature being acknowledged is authentic and voluntary. 2. Obtain proof positive that the person whose signature you are acknowledging is, in fact, who they say they are. They should be either personally known to the notary or properly identified. Westcor requires that its agents obtain valid, current government issued picture identification which includes the signatory s signature and physical description ( , a current driver s license). 3.