Bulletin: TX2020003

Dear Associates:

If your county clerk’s office closes or is closed because of COVID-19, you may still have customers who wish to close their transaction. Stewart is committed to being as flexible as possible to continue to handle transactions while assuring the safety of the process and the health of our associates and agents.

The requirements that apply to issuing policies also apply to issuing date down endorsements.

If you are unable to secure searches of the title and if you do not have satisfactory title information, Stewart will not insure the title or a down date endorsement past the date of your last plant certification.

In addition to the requirements outlined in the National Bulletin, Stewart will insure the title if these conditions are met for Texas transactions:

• In lieu of obtaining a gap indemnity, you must secure an affidavit that the owner(s) hasn’t filed or caused any document to be filed for record since your last title plant certification date and will not do so. The affidavit should be made as an inducement for Stewart Title Guaranty Company to issue its title insurance policies which it would not do except in reliance on the truthfulness of the information stated and that the affidavit is made under penalties of perjury.
• The title examination does not show that the seller/borrower is subject to any outstanding involuntary or statutory liens (such as judgment liens, tax liens, or mechanic’s liens) or any lis pendens or pending lawsuits.

If you have any questions relating to this or other bulletins, please contact a Stewart Title Guaranty Company underwriter.

For on-line viewing of this and other bulletins, please log onto www.vuwriter.com.