Article by John Mashack Introduction A title agent screens every party in a commercial real estate transaction and finds no OFAC hits. Days before closing, newly discovered ownership information reveals that the seller is indirectly owned by sanctioned parties. Most title professionals understand the importance of screening parties against the Office of Foreign Assets Control's … Continue reading Understanding OFAC’s 50 Percent Rule: Why Title Professionals Must Look Beyond the SDN List
Article by James Gosdin Welcome to the second installment of the 3-part series exploring the 150th Anniversary of Title Insurance. Access and Other Insurance Some states, such as Alabama, do not explicitly address the rights of access to the land, but this coverage of access is well within the general scope of any definition of … Continue reading What Is Title Insurance on Its 150TH Anniversary? Part Two
Article by James Gosdin Welcome to the first installment of the 3-part series exploring the 150th Anniversary of Title Insurance. An essential characteristic of title insurance, and one that was critical to its growth, is strict liability. The Insured is not required to establish that the title insurer was negligent in its own examination in … Continue reading What Is Title Insurance on Its 150TH Anniversary?
Article & permission to reprint by James L. Windsor, Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. In July of 2025, the Court of Appeals of Virginia issued a significant 24-page opinion in David Tidwell, et al. v. Kenneth. M Goldsmith, et al., Record No. 0629-24-1 and Record No. 0666-24-1, in consolidated cases concerning the ownership and use of certain easements. In … Continue reading Title Insurance Client Alert – Important Court of Appeals of Virginia Opinion Concerning the Ownership and Use of Certain Easements
