• Protection from financial loss due to covered claims that may be asserted against the title to your home up to the face amount of the title policy.
• Payment of legal costs if the title insurer has to defend your title against a covered claim.
• Payment of successful claims against the title to your home covered by the policy up to the face amount of the policy.

• Documents executed under false, revoked or expired powers of attorney
• False impersonation of the true land owner
• Undisclosed heirs
• Improperly recorded legal documents
• Prescriptive rights in another — not appearing of record and not disclosed by survey
• Failure to include necessary parties to certain judicial proceedings
• Defective acknowledgments due to improper or expired notarization
• Corporate franchise taxes as liens on corporate real estate assets
• Gaps in the chain of title
• Mistakes and omissions resulting in improper abstracting
• Forged deeds, mortgages, wills, releases of mortgages and other instruments
• Deeds by minors
• Deeds which appear absolute but which are held to be equitable mortgages
• Conveyances by an heir, devisee or survivor of a joint estate who attempts to attain title by ill-gotten means
• Inadequate legal descriptions
• Conveyances by undisclosed divorced spouses
• Duress in execution of wills, deeds and instruments conveying or establishing title
• Issues involving delivery of conveyancing instruments
• Deeds and wills by persons lacking legal capacity
• State inheritance and gift tax liens
• Errors in tax records
• Demolition and substandard building liens
• Administration of estates and probate of wills of missing persons who are presumed deceased
• Issues of rightful possession of land
• Issues concerning the rightful conveyances by corporate entities
• Deeds and mortgages by foreigners who may lack legal capacity to hold title
• Legal capacity of foreign personal representatives and trustees
• Issues involving improper marital status
• Improper modification of documents
• Rights of divorced parties
• Conveyances in violation of public policy
• Misinterpretation of wills and ancillary instruments
• Deeds by persons falsely representing their marital status
• Claims by creditors of decedent against property improperly conveyed by heirs and devisees
• Issues concerning unlawful takings by eminent domain or condemnation
• Special tax assessments
• Real estate homestead exceptions
• Forfeitures of real property due to criminal acts
• Issues concerning adoption of children
• Conveyances and proceedings affecting rights of military personnel protected by the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act
• Issues concerning interests noted in financial statements filed under Uniform Commercial Code
• Interests arising by deeds of fictitious parties
• Adverse possession
• Lack of jurisdiction or competency of persons in judicial proceedings
• Community property issues
• Utility easements
• False affidavits of death or heirship
• Interstate estates
• Probate matters
• Federal estate and gift tax liens

• Creates an agency relationship, with the giver of the power of attorney remaining the legal owner of any property involved
• Must be approved by Stewart Title Guaranty Company

Back to Top

Can I write a personal check at closing?

All funds at closing must be in the form of a cashier's check, certified check or wire transfer. Washington is a "good funds" state, therefore as an escrow agent, Stewart Title can only accept "good funds" when closing a transaction. "Good funds" means the check is drawn on the bank's account, not on an individual's account.

Back to Top

Why should I select Stewart Title as my title insurer?

At Stewart we take pride in the financial strength we’ve achieved during our more than 117 years in business. Our conservative style of management has helped us build Stewart Title Guaranty Company’s policyholders’ surplus into one of the largest in the industry* and achieve financial strength that means you can trust us to handle your biggest deals. That financial strength is confirmed by the ratings our company has received from three of the most prestigious ratings agencies in the industry.

Stewart Title associates will help you feel comfortable and at ease during this momentous and exciting time of your life!

Back to Top