Although many of our customers are familiar with Midland’s residential escrow processors: Stephanie and Andrea at the Maumee office and Randy, Heather, and I at the Executive Parkway office, most do not know the full scope of our role behind the scenes to get transactions to closing. We work closely with all parties to the transaction, including the buyer and seller, their realtors, attorneys, lenders, brokers, title underwriters, and other departments at Midland to finalize the settlement statements and closing documents to complete the real estate transaction.

Over the past three years, wire fraud has quickly risen to one of the biggest threats not only to the title industry, but also to individual homeownership. According to the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen), more than $893M was lost as result of wire fraud from 2020 to 2021. Unfortunately, title and closing agents are most commonly impersonated parties to the transaction, which means that home buyers are the most common victims. While these statistics are distressing, Midland Title is taking action and investing the most state-of-the art technology available to protect our customers from potential losses.

In this three-part blog series, we will:

1. Define wire fraud and how to spot it

2. Discuss what to do if you discover that you are a victim of wire fraud

3. Outline what Midland Title is doing to protect our customers

Although you probably will not interact directly with me as part of your real estate transaction, I am the first line of defense in ensuring clear title for many transactions facilitated by Midland Title. As a title examiner, I review and summarize the legal history real estate. I review chain of ownership, past transactions, liens, encumbrances, and any other legal issues that might affect a property's title. My primary objective is to create a comprehensive report (title abstract, title search), which provides a clear and concise overview of the property’s history. While I do not work directly with Midland’s customers, I do play a critical role in ensuring your property title is free and clear of any liens or defects prior to closing.

I’m excited to answer some frequently asked questions to help demystify my role at Midland Title.

Lenders often require additional endorsements on title insurance policies to protect their financial interests and mitigate potential risks associated with real estate transactions. These endorsements provide added coverage beyond the standard title insurance policy and address specific concerns that lenders may have.

Here are some key reasons why lenders require additional endorsements: