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Illustrations Figures 5.1. What Happens to a Title Insurance Payment in Texas, 1999 99 6.1. Net Policies Written, by Company, 2002 140 9.1. U.S. Homeownership Rates, 2003 215 Tables 1.1. Real Estate Process to Minimize Risk of a Faulty Title 18 1.2. Leading Hardship Reasons among Delinquent Borrowers 31 2.1. Violations or Discrepancies in Title Insurance Contracts in Texas, December 1977–November 2000 46 2.2. Title Insurance Indicators in Selected U.S. Jurisdictions 50 3.1. Title Insurance Programs in North America 53 3.2. Title Insurance Loss Ratios in Selected States, 2004 71 4.1. Title Insurance Consumer Deficiencies 80 4.2. Top Fifteen Industry Contributors to Senate Campaigns, 1999–2000 82 4.3. Major Title Insurance Statistical Patterns 89 4.4. Michigan Rates for Basic ALTA Owner Policies 91 5.1. Owner Title Insurance versus Homeowner Insurance Comparison 110 5.2. Title Policy Premiums for a $500,000 Home, by State, 2002 112 5.3. Some Miscellaneous Services of Title Companies 116 5.4. Impact of Web Site Use in County Clerk’s Offices in Texas 121 6.1. Specialists Involved in Title Insurance 128 6.2. Mandatory and Optional Closing Costs 138 6.3. Escrow Fees in Oregon 139 7.1. Losses and Operating Expenses for U.S. Insurance Types 155 7.2. Title Insurance and Related Settlement Costs in Texas 157 vii 7.3. Title Insurance Premium Changes, 1999–2002 158 7.4. Ratio of Losses to Premium Income 159–60 7.5. Title Insurance Loss Experiences, 1998–2002 161 7.6. Typology of Title Defects 163 7.7. Financial Stability Ratings of Major Title Insurance Providers, 2006 166 7.8. Title Insurance Losses in Texas, 2003 173–74 8.1. Title Industry Reform Options 182 8.2. Closing-Cost Fee Variables 190 8.3. Standard Reporting Requirements That Could Prevent Escrow Abuse 200 9.1. Unusual Characteristics of the Title Insurance Industry 210 viii List of Illustrations ...

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