Energy Services

Oil & gas. Solar. Mineral rights. Wind farms. Battery storage. Cell phone towers. Utilities. Renewable energy. If you’re building a large commercial project, be sure the land you are developing has all of property data research and clearances necessary to protect your rights and your investment.

Why Energy Sector & Commercial Projects Need Title Insurance

• Secures the chain of title provenance of the land ownership
• Property assemblages can be messy. Overlooking the rights of even one owner claim in a checkerboarded parcel can cost you time and money
• Your lender will require a title commitment. Even if your project is privately financed, a title commitment and title insurance are the best vehicles to safeguard your rights to the property
• Water rights, mineral rights, and other intricacies can hold up development or impede your right to proceed. A complete search for these and other encumbrances ensures you are protected

What is a Title Commitment as it Applies to the Energy Sector?

A title search is performed to create a narrative of the ownership history of any property. This search includes the list of chain of title, plus any encumbrances, claims against the site and investigates any rights attached to a property, such as water rights or mineral rights. The search is utilized to assure a buyer that the property they are buying is available for purchase from the seller, and outlines any rights, liens or claims against the property.

Once the search is completed, a title commitment is issued by the title insurance company. It details the title insurance coverage of the project site subject to any exceptions based on the ALTA survey and a thorough review of the relevant title documents. The subsequent title insurance policy functions to protect a commercial or energy sector project from revenue loss in the event that there are any exceptions to the title of the site that may have been missed in the chain of title search. Title commitments and insurance policies attempt to eliminate any risk involved in the land portion of the transaction by certifying the land title and insuring the buyer if claims against the property arise.