Title insurance is an expensive and complex product in the United States real estate market. Here are the key points:
Title insurance has an extremely low loss ratio, around 5%, compared to other insurance products like fire (65%), workers' comp (48%), and auto liability (76%).[1] This means title insurers collect far more in premiums than they pay out in claims, making it a very profitable business.
The high cost of title insurance is driven by the way it is sold, not the actual risk. Title insurance agents are often affiliated with the seller's lawyer and receive a large commission, around 80-85% of the premium, which drives up the cost.[1] There is little incentive for buyers to shop around for lower prices.
Unlike many other countries, the U.S. does not have a centralized government database of property ownership. Instead, ownership is determined by tracing a chain of private transactions, which title insurance companies claim to verify.[1] This creates opportunities for title defects and the need for title insurance, even though most title claims are for minor "off-record" issues.
Overall, the title insurance industry in the U.S. has been described as an "expensive racket" that extracts substantial fees from real estate transactions without providing commensurate value.[1] Reforming this system to reduce costs for consumers would require overcoming the political influence of the real estate industry.
Bookmarked this post and the article you linked