Title Insurance
Also called: title policy, owner's title insurance, title search
Title insurance protects against defects in a property's ownership history — an undisclosed heir, a forged signature, an unpaid contractor's lien. Unlike other insurance it covers past events rather than future ones, and it's paid once at closing. The lender's policy protects only the lender, which is why buyers are separately offered an owner's policy that many decline without understanding the difference.