Resources & Tools

Q: Why Do I Need Title Insurance?

A: An Owner’s Policy of Insurance protects you as a purchaser of real estate against title defects that may exist on the property you are buying. A Lender’s, or Loan, Policy insures the lender as to the priority of its lien, meaning there are no other mortgages, liens, or judgments recorded prior to its mortgage.

A: Judgments, liens, unsatisfied mortgages, unpaid taxes, and restrictions limiting the use of the land are just a few of the most common title defects that can be discovered by a thorough search of the public records. Title insurance also protects against some of the hidden defects that a thorough search of the public records cannot reveal, such as fraud and forgery, deeds by minors or persons of unsound mind, or undisclosed or missing heirs.

A: In Michigan, rates are set and regulated by the Michigan Office of Financial & Insurance Regulation and are based upon the sales price or mortgage amount. However, Peninsula Title Agency uses three of Michigan’s largest underwriters allowing us to give you the best rate possible. Please contact us at peninsula@pentitle.net for a detailed quote.

A: Your owner’s title insurance policy lasts for as long as you or your heirs own your property. Your life will change over time, but your peace of mind never will.

You! Whether you are selling, buying, or refinancing, YOU have the right to choose your title provider. Tell your real estate agent, attorney, or loan representative that YOU want to choose Peninsula Title Agency. We are local, community based, and have a solid financial history.

A: We strive to provide you with your Commitment for title insurance in 24-48 hours. Upon receiving that, contact us to set up your closing date and time. We will always try to meet your closing date needs.

A: No. Many transactions can be completed without visiting our office. Depending on the circumstances, closing documents may be sent to you by secure email or overnight courier, or you may sign with a local notary, bank, or an affiliated title or settlement office.

In some cases, Remote Online Notarization (RON) may also be available for sellers, allowing documents to be signed and notarized electronically through a secure online platform, subject to state law and transaction requirements.

If you are unable to attend closing in person, please let us know. We will review the available options and coordinate a signing method that meets the requirements of the transaction.

A: Sale and Ownership documents are completed and the seller(s) sign the conveyance deed in front of a notary public to transfer title. Closing costs are paid, funds are provided, and the closing agent disburses these funds and records the new deed. Lastly, ownership is officially transferred, the keys are given to the new owner, and coverage begins. 

A: Funds are disbursed according to the settlement statement and closing instructions. After loan payoffs, closing costs, taxes, and other settlement charges are paid, sale proceeds are typically distributed to the seller and record owner of the property. In a refinance, the proceeds are applied to existing loan payoffs and closing costs pursuant to the lender’s instructions, with any remaining funds disbursed to the borrower.

Please feel free to contact us at peninsula@pentitle.net

Title insurance premiums are set by each title insurance underwriter and filed in accordance with state insurance regulations. Title agencies do not independently set these rates.

For the convenience of lenders, real estate professionals, and customers, we provide links below to the rate calculators maintained by the underwriters we work with. These tools can be used to estimate title insurance premiums and related fees for Michigan transactions.

Please note that calculator results are estimates only. Final charges may vary depending on the details of the transaction, including the endorsements requested, recording fees, and other settlement-related costs.

If you have questions about calculating premiums or endorsements for a specific transaction, please contact our office and we will be happy to assist.

Underwriter Rate Calculators

Estimate Michigan title insurance premiums using First American’s rate calculator.Estimate premiums using Old Republic’s Michigan rate calculator.Use Chicago Title’s calculator to estimate title insurance premiums.

Jointly Owned Property

Consider Consulting an Attorney

How a surviving owner holds title can have certain ramifications when dealing with Medicare/Medicaid or probate situations therefore it is always recommended that you speak with an attorney when deciding the tenancy of a jointly owned property.

Michigan has four ways that you can jointly own property:

Tenants by the Entirety

Tenants by the entirety is a form of joint ownership in Michigan available only to married couples. Each spouse has an undivided interest in the property and upon the death of either spouse, the surviving spouse would become the sole owner of the property. If property is conveyed to spouses who were married at the time, a tenancy by the entirety is created, with or without the tenancy by entirety language being mentioned.

In a joint tenancy, two or more individuals hold an equal share of 100% of the property. A conveyance to two or more individuals must specifically mention the joint tenancy. Upon the death of a joint tenant, the interest passes to the surviving joint tenant or tenants. A joint tenancy can be severed by one or more of the joint tenants if they sell their interest in the property. The grantee in this conveyance will then become a tenant in common with the remaining joint tenant or tenants. For example: If Amy, Brian, and Cindy own a property as Joint Tenants and Amy conveys her interest to Dave, then Dave owns a 1/3 interest in the property, with Brian and Cindy, as remaining joint tenants, as to the remainder.

Similar to a Joint Tenancy, but with the additional language of with rights of survivorship or with full rights of survivorship, Joint Tenants with Full Rights of Survivorship creates a different situation should a joint tenant sell or convey their interest. For example: If Amy, Brian, and Cindy own a property as Joint Tenants with Full Rights of Survivorship and Amy conveys her interest to Dave, then Dave would only receive full interest in the property should Brian and Cindy predecease Amy. If Amy predeceases either Brian or Cindy, then Dave would receive no interest in the property.

When two or more individuals hold title as Tenants in Common, they each hold an undivided interest in the property which they can sell or transfer independent of the other tenants. Upon the death of a tenant, their interest passes to their heirs or beneficiaries of their estate, and not to the other tenant or tenants. If two or more individuals hold title and there is no tenancy reference, such as joint tenants or joint tenants with rights of survivorship, then it is presumed to be a tenancy in common. For example: If Amy, Brian, and Cindy own a property as Tenants in Common and Amy conveys her interest to Dave, then Dave owns a 1/3 interest in the property with Brian and Cindy also each owning 1/3. If either Dave, Brian, or Cindy should pass away, then their respective 1/3 interest would pass to their heirs or beneficiaries.

Peninsula Title Agency Helps You Protect Your Money

From Wire Fraud Schemes When Buying a Home

Every day, hackers try to steal your money by emailing fake wire fraud instructions. Criminals will use email addresses similar to a legitimate business name and send a logo and other info to make it look like the email came from your real estate agency or title company. You can protect yourself and your money by following these steps:

Be Vigilant

  • Call don’t email: Confirm your wiring instructions by phone using a known number before transferring funds. Don’t use phone numbers or links from an email.
  • Be wary: Avoid free, web-based email accounts unless you can verify they are secure; otherwise, these types of accounts are easily hacked.
  • Carefully evaluate Instructions:Watch out for any requests for secrecy or pressure to take action quickly.

    Protect Your Money

    • Forward, don’t reply: When responding to an email, hit forward instead of reply and then start typing in the person’s email address. Criminals use email addresses that are very similar to the real one for a company. By typing in email addresses you will make it easier to discover if a fraudster is after you.

    • Confirm everything: Ask your bank to confirm the name on the account before sending a wire, as well as changes in payment instructions and requests for transfer of funds.

    • Verify Immediately: Within four to eight hours, call the title company or real estate agent to confirm they received your money.

    What to do if You’ve Been Targeted

    • Immediately call your bank and ask them to issue a recall notice for your wires.

    • Report the crime to www.IC3.gov

    • Call your regional FBI office and police

    • Detecting that you sent money to the wrong account within 24 hours is the best chance of recovering your money.

    Peninsula Title Agency Keeps You Safe from Fraud

    By partnering with CerfifID Match to verify your identity 

    Why you need to verify your identity Scams are a risk in all corners of our lives, and real estate is no different. If you’re a homeowner, buyer, or seller, you deserve to know that your real estate professionals are keeping you safe during a transaction. With a selfie and scan of your ID card, you can quickly complete the identity verification step that is increasingly becoming standard practice in any safe real estate transaction. Why we partner with CertiflD CertiflD is the nation's leading wire fraud prevention solution. CertiflD helps verify your identity securely, prior to exchanging sensitive banking information, so you have peace of mind when transferring your money.

Consider Consulting an Attorney Before Making Titling Decisions

An attorney can provide the specific legal advice necessary to ensure your ownership decisions align with your estate planning and financial goals.

We provide the following forms as a courtesy for use in your upcoming transactions:


State of Michigan forms for real estate transactions:

Peninsula Title Agency, Inc., is committed to protecting the confidentiality and security of your nonpublic personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard the information you provide to us in the course of our business.

Information We Collect

We collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources:

  1. Information we receive from you, such as your name, address, telephone number, or Social Security number.
  2. Information about your transactions, shared with us by your lender, attorney, real estate broker, affiliates, or others involved in your transaction.
  3. Information from public records.

Information Sharing

We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about our customers or former customers to anyone, except as permitted by law.

No mobile opt-in data will be shared with third parties or affiliates.

Protection of Your Information

We restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to those employees who need that information to provide the products or services requested by you or your lender.

We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with applicable federal and state regulations to protect your information.