What is covered by a Fidelity national home owner's title insurance policy?

Fidelity National is known as one of the biggest insurers in the country when it comes to title insurance and homeowners insurance.

It provides protection for its insured homeowners by covering the title against:

• Heirs that used to be missing or undisclosed but now have come out to claim against the title
• Wills, deeds and releases that have been forged
• Identity theft or false impersonation of the property's real owner
• Recording mistakes for legal documents
• Misinterpretation of the will connected to the property
• Sales or deeds done by persons of unsound mind or are minors
• Sales or instruments that are executed using power of attorney that are rendered expired or invalid
• Unpaid taxes (income, estate, inheritance or gift taxes)
• Acts of fraud
• Deeds by a married man, but whose change of civil status (from single to married) was not reflected in the legal documents

Aside from this, a Fidelity national home owner's title insurance policy protects the insured against:

• Problems with right of access to the property (so that the insured has both pedestrian and vehicular access to it)
• Expanded protection to cover title defects after the policy has become effective
• Problems related to violations in the building permit or with the zoning law. There may be a need to renovate or totally remove a structure that was built without a building permit, with an expired building permit or was in violation of the zoning law. The insurance will indemnify the insured for the need to remove a structure, as well as any fines for violations.
• Loss of use of the property because of the zoning of the land
• Loss of use of the property because the owner was unable to sell the property due to a violation in a subdivision law
• Problems with encroachment - when a structure is removed because it encroaches on the land of a neighbor
• Damage caused by a neighbor exercising the right to extract water or minerals from the surface of the land

Aside from these, the policy will also protect against inconsistencies in the map and supplemental tax liens.

• I am refinancing my mortgage. Do I need to purchase a new title insurance policy?
• Do I need extended title insurance coverage for bare land?
• Is there a way for me to save on my title insurance fees?
• At what instances should I get extended coverage on title insurance?
• What value does a real estate lawyer add on top of title insurance?