We have bought/sold homes before and used different title companies. The title company always sent the closing statement to us ahead of time.But First American only sends the statement to your realtor (not to you). Our realtor didnt forward the preliminary statement to us for three days. And never forwarded the final statement they sent 3 days before closing.This title company seems to be working for the real estate agents. Not for the home buyers/sellers who are paying for their services.

In June 2013, First American Title Insurance Company (FATIC) helped me close on a home I was purchasing. FATIC was tasked with checking the title history of the home I was planning to buy and compile all of the paper work required for closing day. During this process, the background check showed no irregularities on the home. Our closing went without a hitch and we became proud owners of a wonderful home.Approximately one month after we closed, I received a bill from my county for back taxes that were unpaid by the previous homeowner. This was a surprise to me, because I was told everything had been paid at closing. Subsequently, I spoke with the county assessor and learned that a tax bill of $3600 was placed against the property prior to me closing taking ownership. This bill was considered public by assessor and should have been visible to anyone looking into the title history of this property. Because I was now the owner of the property, the county assessor told me I was liable for the bill. Having purchased title insurance from FATIC, I felt that I had a legitimate claim that I shouldn’t be held personally liable. According to my Title Insurance policy, I would be covered by Paragraph 8a in their covered risks section.8) Someone else has a lien on your title, including a:a. lien of real estate taxes or assessment’s imposed on your title by a governmental authority that are due or payable, but unpaid;Their claim division was very unhelpful through out this whole matter. My contacts name was Elsa Theile Fuchs, a Senior Claim Counsel. I received almost no updates over the two-month process and only received a response after I had to contact her supervisor about the lack of communication. Amazingly, I received a denial letter the same day as that conversation. FATIC’s ruling is that this is an issue between me and the previous home owner, even though the bill was issued before I took ownership of the home and was not informed during closing.I would avoid this title company at all costs. It’s obvious now that their title background checks are completely insufficient. The local branch was only helpful in forwarding my claim; they have provided no additional help or explanation on this matter. For a company who puts title insurance in their name, my experience has extremely disappointing.

Great service!