The Pittsburgh Post Gazette has it totally wrong on this one.

Here's the headline:

Home buyers can now purchase title insurance directly

Here's a link to the article.

First of all, any regular reader of Title Insurance Talk knows that consumers have ALWAYS been able to buy their title insurance directly.

I am a pro-consumer title insurance advocate and so when I heard of the ENTITLE marketing plan, I was interested. I have been encouraging my fellow title professionals to market directly to the consumer for years.

When I looked at the details of the ENTITLE offer, I found that they have a set of flat fees which consumers must pay in additional to the title insurance premium. Unless the consumer is involved in a high priced transaction, say, over $200,000, they pay MORE in flat fees than the so called 35% savings implied in the advertising.

In PA - most transactions are under $200,000 and so consumers who fall for the 35% savings ploy are being ripped off.

I have contacted both the Dept. of HUD and also the PA Dept. of Insurance and complained that ENTITLE is misleading consumers.

The best tactic for any consumer is to shop around and get your quotes in writing. Compare the entire transaction - title premium and flat fees.

Our Choose and Save program is the least expensive way to buy title insurance and settlement services in the Commonwealth of PA.

The folks at ENTITLE must be laughing all the way to the bank - at the expense of our citizenry and that MAKES ME REALLY MAD.