Title & Escrow Claims Guide Access

The Title and Escrow Claims Guide, is the preferred research tool for land title claims administrators and retained counsel. This treatise is intended as a guide for the resolutions of disputes about title insurance policies, real estate escrow and closings, and related issues involving title insurers, title agents, approved attorneys and escrowees.

You can find more information on The Title and Escrow Claims Guide below.

After logging in to the site, you will be returned to this page. If you are a current owner, you will have access to The Claims Guide and search functions below. If you do not have access, you will be able to proceed to purchase. If you have any questions about access or purchase, please contact publications@alta.org.

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Title & Escrow Claims Guide Information

Do you know the latest updates on title insurance legislation? Do you need advice on how to handle claims on land title insurance policies, closing protection letters, equitable subrogation and closing defects?

Published since 1996, authored by well-recognized expert J. Bushnell Nielsen, the Claims Guide is the preferred research tool for land title claims administrators and retained counsel. This treatise is intended as a guide for the resolutions of disputes about title insurance policies, real estate escrow and closings, and related issues involving title insurers, title agents, approved attorneys and escrowees.

The Claims Guide includes form letters regularly used by title claims professionals. It is also a great educational resource for title companies to use when training new employees in title insurance claims, underwriting and title examination. You can purchase this book in the print or the digital version (the digital version includes a CD containing the form letters).

For more information, please see the table of contents.

Pricing Information

Purchase of a single-user digital copy grants access to the The Claims Guide content to the named single user only. In order to support the ongoing provision of the publication, we ask that any users who access the online or downloaded PDF editions are licensed users only.

ALTA Member Pricing for a Single Year:
  • Single-User Digital: $275
  • Printed Book: $279
Non-member Pricing for a Single Year:
  • Single-User Digital: $395
  • Printed Book: $399

For Multi-User Licenses, please contact publications@alta.org. Multi-user licenses for organizations are available at very reasonable prices.

2023 Edition

The latest edition, the 2023 Title and Escrow Claims Guide contains 1,792 pages, with many pages of new material.  The 2023 edition contains analysis of well over 100 court decisions not found in the 2022 edition, and new analysis of a number of subjects.  The new material includes the following:

  • Deeper analysis of state police powers and the corresponding policy exclusion
  • New insights on when to request a proof of loss and several new forms for use in making those requests and in explaining to an insured the method that should be used in a diminution in value appraisal
  • Why a title insurer should never declare that the insurer "missed" a recorded instrument
  • Excellent decisions on why an insurer does not "delay" a claim by switching from one option to another in resolving the claim
  • The fine points of watchful waiting and new cases on that issue
  • Interesting new decisions on loan policy successors and the requirement for a separate assignment of tort claims against insurer
  • Ground-breaking decision holding that an insured suffers no loss after insurer orchestrates rescission of insured purchase
  • A troublesome Georgia decision suggesting that the state bad faith statute sets a time limit for clearing title
  • When policy proceeds can be assigned although the policy cannot
  • A major update on new Nevada HOA decisions about endorsement coverage for post-policy assessments
  • Updates to many of the useful coverage determination letters and other forms provided with the book

If you have any questions, please contact Carolina Perez at publications@alta.org.