See Also What is Title Insurance?

Title insurance protects your real estate investment. In order to issue a title insurance policy, we perform an extensive search of the public record to determine what rights there are in the property and who owns them.

The title search begins when we receive your title insurance order.

1. We search our database to determine whether we have searched or issued a title insurance policy on the property before. A prior policy will shorten the search work required.
2. We then order tax, assessment, and utility searches on the property. The tax search will reveal any past due or unpaid taxes from previous years. In addition, the search will reveal any special assessments against the land and whether or they are current or past due.
3. A county search is then ordered. Trusted Title contracts with searchers in all NJ counties. If we are provided with a prior title policy (“back title”), we provide a copy to our searcher and have the search continued from the date of the policy to the present. If we don't have back title, we order a full search (60 year). The county searcher searches the history of the property (“chain of title”). They search for easements, restrictions, agreements, mortgages, lis pendens, surrogate's records and county liens and judgments against all parties in the chain of title.
4. When the county search is complete, we order Upper Court Judgment searches against all parties in the chain of the title for the past 20 years. These searches include the New Jersey Superior Court, US District Court, US Bankruptcy Court, Child Support judgments, and DMV judgments. The search will determine if there are any unsatisfied judgments against the seller, buyer, and/or prior owners during the time they owned title. If there are, they will need to be satisfied (paid/released) prior to closing.
5. When all of these searches are complete, the title company issues a Commitment to Insure, which states the requirements and exceptions that must be cleared prior to closing.
6. 24 hours prior to closing, a title rundown is ordered to determine if any additional documents have been recorded in the county record office since the time of the initial title search that affect title to the property. The upper court search will also be updated.
7. When title is closed and we receive payment, we order continuation searches through the day after the recording of the deed and/or mortgage to be insured. A review is completed of the recorded documents, closing documents provided by the closing attorney, and compliance with the title commitment issued prior to issuance of the final title policy.
8. After issuance of the final title policy, copies of the loan policy are sent to the closing agent and lender. Copies of the owner’s policy (for purchases only) will be sent to the closing agent and buyer.