ComplaintsforPriority Title & Escrow

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Closing on a house, financing fell through. On 8/7/23, title company received a termination letter. Title company said. Refund check mailed out. 8/25/23. Still no check in mail.

  Business response

  08/29/2023

  Our office received the termination of contract for Mr. ****** file on August 7, 2023.  The termination instructed us to return the Earnest Money Deposit to the purchaser, Mr. ****.  On August 7, 2023, our funding team printed the refund check for Mr. **** and mailed it using the ****** ****** ****** *******.  On August 24, 2023, Priority Title received a phone call and email from Mr. ****** real estate agent stating the check hasn't been by Mr. ****.  Our funding team researched this issue immediately after it was brought to our attention and found that the check had not been returned to our offices nor had the check been cashed.  Our funding team placed a stop payment on the check and has reissued the refund check for Mr. ****.  The new check will be sent out using ***** Delivery so there is tracking information available.  This process was completed within 3 business days of receiving notice that Mr. **** did not have the original check.  

  Customer response

  08/29/2023

  
  ****** ******** ******:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

• Initial Complaint

  08/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  DO NOT USE THIS TITLE COMPANY!!!!!!!! I documented the chain of title all the way back to 1931. I sent proof of all of those deeds. I also sent proof that the deed was never recorded for the corner property to the left. I did all of the above even though I was told specifically by the county, the city, the county clerk, the property appraiser, and tax collector that none of it was necessary as they had zero issues and that all of it was already recorded with the county as public information was available for anyone to find and review for free at ******************************************************************** All of this work I put in should have been done by the title company. I am so disappointed and feel the title company failed all of us involved in this deal as the examination clearly did not do their job. This is obvious as I was able to find all of those documents available on the county website for free, yet the title company failed to find any of those during their title search. Whoever is responsible for doing the title search and examination really should be fired from their jobs for being lazy and careless as I did their job for them and they have cost me not only a deal, but also time and money. The title company never sent any of the documents, evidence or proof I have mentioned above to ********** *******. I feel the title company is at fault for the inadequate survey and neither the buyer or myself should be paying for a job not done correctly. I constantly emailed minute by minute updates of everything I did and every piece of evidence that I acquired. This same level of effort and attention to detail was not reciprocated by the title company. Now after all of this the title company has emailed me saying they will not be sending me the earnest money deposit and instead will be using it to pay the surveyors. Yet, when the earnest money was first deposited they sent me an email confirming that should the buyer back out, it would be sent to me.

  Business response

  09/01/2023

  At Priority we take a customer complaints very serious and in our effort to resolve the entirety of the complaint outlined below, we attempted to reach out to ******** numerous times via phone and email.  We never received a response to our request for a call back or response to our emails to discuss the complaint in detail.  Even though we didn’t receive a response, we wanted to address the concern of the earnest money that was outlined in the complaint as well.  In our process we require a release of earnest money form signed by both parties.  (the buyer and the seller)  We sent out the form to both parties and received the signed form back from both parties.  Once we received the signed form back, we released the earnest money to ******** and notified both parties of the release of earnest money.  We did receive a response back from ******** thanking us for getting that completed.   Since we are unable to get a response to discuss the complaint in detail, it appears ********, based on her response to the earnest money, that is she happy with the outcome.  Therefore, we consider the complaint resolved on our end since ******** appears to be happy based on her email response to the email confirming the release of earnest money.  

  Customer response

  09/08/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I close on a property in April 2022 at closing Priority Title collected from me the buyer 2nd and 3rd quarter *** fees they only paid 3rd Quarter ***. they owe 2rd quarter that they took from me at closing **** they have shown me a lot of checks but have still not shown me where they paid and the check was cashed for 2nd quarter

  Business response

  11/22/2022

  The seller of this property, ******* ******** ******** ***********, paid the Association Dues owed at the time of settlement prior to the closing date, per their process. They provided our Company with a copy of the check that was sent for payment of the 2nd Quarter Dues. We have followed up with **** to confirm if their check was cashed by the association. They confirmed that it was not and they have reissued a new check to the Association.

• Initial Complaint

  06/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I closed on a refinance of my home loan in 09/2021. Over the following 60 days I received three (3) checks from Property Title & Escrow. All three were labeled "Excess Cash to Close." Apparently one of those, for ******* was actually them sending my escrow for property taxes back to me, with the intention that I pay those taxes myself. No letter indicating or explaining that these funds were not actually "Excess Cash to Close" but to pay my property taxes. There was no communication or documentation at all. Simply a mislabeled check in an enveloped. Flash forward to April 2022 and I discover my property taxes are unpaid. My mortgage company covered the difference, and covered the mislabeled amount Priority sent me with no explanation 6 months prior. But the result was a *** / **** monthly increase to my mortgage + escrow payment to pay them back. Who on Earth can afford an unexpected **** increase to their monthly house payment? When every month they've paid what was due, expecting it would cover their property taxes? And what Property & Title Company doesn't know the difference between "Excess Cash to Close" and "Refund of Escrow for Payment to Property Taxes?" And doesn't include any documentation or explanation of the multiple checks they send out, separately?

  Business response

  07/15/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/07/01) */ We handled a refinance closing for Mr. ****** in September 2021. At closing, the 2021 Annual Tax Bill was collected in the amount of ********* On September 9th, we sent the check to the ********* County Offices for payment of Mr. ******' taxes. We received the check back 2 weeks later with a note from the County stating taxes are paid in full and any additional payment for future taxes wouldn't be accepted until November. Our funding team then issued a refund to Mr. ****** on September 21 with a note on the check stub stating: Excess Cash to Close: Property Taxes - XXXXXG00490000 (F.04) *********** which Mr. ****** cashed on October 4th.

• Initial Complaint

  03/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I refinanced last May 2021. Priority title and Escrow was the title company used. They neglected to follow up with a Credit union that was paid off, but did not remove a lien on my home. I only find this out now because of trying to obtain an ****** I am now trying to back track due to this companies incompetence and lack of customer attention.

  Business response

  04/29/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/03/29) */ The lender is responsible for preparing and recording the Satisfaction of Lien when a mortgage is paid in full. When the check paying off the mortgage was overnighted, we included a Certificate of Satisfaction for the lender to sign as well as the signed form authorizing the closure of the line of credit. Our internal process to confirm that the releases are recorded starts 60 days after the mortgage is paid in full. We search the land records to confirm whether the release has been recorded by the lender. If the lender has failed to satisfy the mortgage with the public records, our team reaches out to the lender until the satisfaction is recorded. Our experience has been that the global pandemic has caused some delays in getting satisfactions prepared timely by lenders therefore the confirmation of the recording with the Counties have been delayed. Our team has been in contact with ****** in regard to the status of the Satisfaction of the Mortgage paid off in 2021. They are telling us that the release is in process. We **** continue to follow up with the lender until the release is confirmed recorded. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/03/31) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) This is absolutely NONT true. Priority Title has now been in touch with me asking for more signatures to attempt and finalize the closure of the ***** account. I signed forms back in April 2021 for this to happen. The full process was not completed by Priority Title. They did not follow up on any portion of this. The only reason this has come to light now is I am attempting to get a new loan and am being held up by old ***** that Priority FAILED to complete. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/04/06) */ Along with the escalation of our request for the status of the signed Certificate of Satisfaction, The lender has asked us to obtain new signed documents from the borrower to facilitate their investigation into this matter.

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