We would like to share with you tips to help your agency run more efficiently. Building efficiency in your office saves time and saving time is saving money! We hope you find this tip and future ones helpful.

Don't Wait - Issue Instant Policies Today

Stop waiting to prepare your final policies until the recorded documents are returned! You can issue an instant policy the day of closing and send the policy back with the closing package. For years you've set up procedures in your office: the file closes, disburses, you send the docs for recording and the file is then stored in the "waiting for recordings" drawer. Finally, months later, the recordings are returned, the file is pulled, recordings inserted and then it's moved to the "waiting for policies" drawer. There it sits until you have time or the lender calls and complains, whichever comes first.

Now, you can easily close, issue policies, disburse, send documents for recording, and when the recordings come back, copy the first page with the recording information for your file and immediately send the originals to the lender. No; you don't have to issue an endorsement to the policy!

Prepare your policy just as you normally would, but rather than indicating that the "Date of Policy" is the date the document was recorded, insert the date the closing took place or the loan was disbursed followed by this language: "or the date of recording of the insured mortgage, whichever is later." Many software programs have logic built in that when you prepare a policy without the recording date that language is automatically inserted. Give it a try!

The 2006 ALTA policy forms include gap coverage in Covered Risk 14 of the loan policy and Covered Risk 10 of the owner's policy.

If you would still feel comfortable waiting for the recording information, then try electronic recording. Eleven (11) counties in PA are accepting documents for electronic recording. You can get your documents returned in less than one hour – which means you can issue an owner's policy before your buyers even leave the closing table. Contact Bill Drobins in our office for more details on electronic recording.