Title Companies in St. George, Utah
Title and escrow companies in St. George and Washington County — what title insurance actually covers, and what a closing agent does in Utah.
What a title company does
In a Utah real estate transaction the title company generally does two jobs at once, and it is worth separating them.
The first is the title search and title insurance. The company researches the recorded history of the property — deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, tax records — to establish that the seller can convey what they are selling, and then issues a policy insuring against defects that the search did not reveal.
The second is escrow and closing. The company acts as the neutral party holding funds and documents, ensures the conditions of the contract are satisfied, disburses money and gets the deed recorded.
Two policies, two beneficiaries
This is the part buyers most often misunderstand. A lender's policy protects the lender's interest and is almost always required when there is a mortgage. It does not protect you. An owner's policy protects the buyer's equity, and it is a separate policy with a separate premium.
An owner's policy is typically issued for a one-time premium at closing and lasts as long as you hold an interest in the property. Whether it is paid by buyer or seller is negotiable and varies by transaction.
What title insurance does and does not cover
Title insurance is backward-looking. It covers defects that already existed when the policy was issued but were not discovered — a forged signature in the chain, an undisclosed heir, a recording error, an unreleased lien, an unknown easement. It does not cover things that happen afterwards, and it is not a home warranty or a substitute for a survey or an inspection.
What to ask
- Which policies am I being quoted, lender's, owner's, or both?
- What is on the commitment's exceptions schedule? Read it. Easements and restrictions are listed there.
- What are the closing and settlement fees as distinct from the title premium?
- Who chooses the title company, and is that negotiable in my contract?
Title Companies in St. George
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Backman Title - St. George
Title insurance and escrow services in St. George on Bluff Street, handling residential and commercial real estate closings.
382 S Bluff St, St. George, UT
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GT Title Services
Title insurance and escrow company on River Road in St. George handling real estate closings across Southern Utah.
1224 S River Rd, St. George, UT
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Old Republic Title - St. George
Title insurance and escrow company with a St. George office on St. George Boulevard, serving real estate closings across Southern Utah.
120 E St. George Blvd, St. George, UT
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Real Advantage Title
Title and escrow company with a St. George office on St. George Boulevard, providing title insurance and closing services.
46 W St. George Blvd, St. George, UT
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Southern Utah Title
Locally focused title insurance and escrow company in downtown St. George serving Washington County real estate transactions.
20 N Main St, St. George, UT
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an owner's title policy if the lender already requires one?
The lender's policy protects the lender, not you. It covers the institution's interest in the property up to the loan balance, and it pays the lender rather than the homeowner if a title defect surfaces. An owner's policy is a separate policy protecting your own equity, typically issued for a one-time premium at closing and lasting as long as you hold an interest in the property. Whether the buyer or the seller pays for it is negotiable.
What does title insurance not cover?
It is backward-looking, so it covers defects that already existed when the policy was issued but were not found in the search — forged documents, undisclosed heirs, recording errors, unreleased liens, unknown easements. It does not cover problems arising after the policy date, it is not a home warranty, and it does not substitute for a survey or a home inspection. It also will not cover matters specifically listed on the exceptions schedule of the title commitment, which is exactly why that schedule is worth reading before closing.
What is the exceptions schedule on a title commitment?
It is the list of things the policy will not insure against, and it is the most important page in the document for a buyer. Easements crossing the property, recorded restrictions and covenants, mineral rights reservations and similar encumbrances are disclosed there. Reading it before closing is how you learn that a utility easement runs through the part of the yard where you planned to build. If anything on it is unclear, ask the title officer to explain it before you sign.