Lawyers can offer clients superior protection and savings through title insurance for residential home purchases and mortgage-only transactions
TORONTO, Feb. 4, 2003 – TitlePLUS has announced the next step in a national rollout of its title insurance products: Effective immediately, lawyers in Manitoba can secure TitlePLUS title insurance coverage for consumers who buy or refinance/mortgage property.
TitlePLUS is widely used by lawyers to insure purchase and refinance/mortgage-only properties in Atlantic Canada and Ontario, and has recently been launched in Alberta.
Lawyers in Manitoba will be able to easily access TitlePLUS coverage for their transactions in one of two ways:
- By contacting the TitlePLUS hotline at 1-800-410-1013 to request a TitlePLUS policy;
OR
- By completing and faxing an application form which they can access from the TitlePLUS Web site (www.titleplus.ca) or from TitlePLUS directly.
TitlePLUS completes all of the necessary paperwork and provides the lawyer with a draft TitlePLUS policy and other materials to review with the client.
TitlePLUS offers comprehensive title PLUS legal services protection
TitlePLUS offers consumers and lenders alike some of the most comprehensive title-related protection available on the market today. Its policy automatically insures both buyers and lenders for title-related problems that could affect the ownership or marketability of the property in the future, as well as for the legal services provided by the lawyer closing the transaction.
Moreover, TitlePLUS insures against many of the risks that normally would be beyond the scope of the lawyer’s opinion – issues such as fraud, forgery, survey errors, the absence of an up-to-date survey and errors made by governments.
If a problem with title surfaces after the deal has closed, or if it is discovered that the lawyer made an error or omission, TitlePLUS either:
- pays to rectify the problem (for example, moving a garage off a neighbour’s property line) or,
- compensates the appropriate parties for up to the full value of the title insurance policy.
The insurer also will pay the legal costs of defending the title.
TitlePLUS eliminates delays and facilitates complicated closings
TitlePLUS will often provide survey coverage without an up-to-date survey, thus saving the purchaser money and time. It will also provide insurance against known minor issues (such as a minor setback deficiency) – which often hold up closings because lenders are wary of advancing funds until these issues have been resolved. With TitlePLUS, the closing can proceed on time, and TitlePLUS assumes the risk associated with rectifying the issue in the future.
Coverage for different types of transactions
TitlePLUS is available for new and used homes, condominiums, cottages, rural properties and residential rental properties of up to four units, and covers both purchase and mortgage-only/refinance transactions.
Since it was launched in Ontario in 1997, TitlePLUS has become an integral part of the conveyancing services offered by real estate lawyers in that province. The Manitoba introduction is part of a national rollout that will make TitlePLUS products more accessible to lawyers in numerous jurisdictions.
TitlePLUS was developed by Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company (LAWPRO(R)), a wholly Canadian-owned insurance company providing title insurance in the Canadian market. LAWPRO currently underwrites the professional liability insurance program for all members of the Ontario and Newfoundland bars, in addition to providing TitlePLUS in numerous jurisdictions across the country.
(R) Registered trademark of Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company (LAWPRO).
