Fidelity National Title Co. v. First American Title Insurance Co.

2013 COA 80, 310 P.3d 272, 2013 WL 2286947, 2013 Colo. App. LEXIS 777
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 23, 2013
DocketCourt of Appeals No. 12CA0722
StatusPublished
Cited by199 cases

This text of 2013 COA 80 (Fidelity National Title Co. v. First American Title Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fidelity National Title Co. v. First American Title Insurance Co., 2013 COA 80, 310 P.3d 272, 2013 WL 2286947, 2013 Colo. App. LEXIS 777 (Colo. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge TERRY

{1 This action involves title insurance and the contractual duties of a real estate closer. Defendant, Fidelity National Title Company, formerly known as Security Title Guaranty Company (Agent), appeals the trial court's judgment in favor of third-party defendant, First American Title Insurance Company (Underwriter). We affirm.

1 2 As issues of first impression, we

® construe the meaning of "handling funds in connection with any escrow" in the parties' contract;
® construe the meaning of the phrase "payoff statement" in section 88-85-124.5, C.R.S. 2012; and
® construe the meaning of the phrase "actual prejudice" in the parties' contract.

I. Background

18 During the period pertinent to this action, Agent, a title insurance agent, issued [275]*275title insurance policies that were underwritten by Underwriter pursuant to an underwriting agreement (the contract). Under the contract, Agent was to perform title services and closing services,. The contract also contained several provisions apportioning liability between Underwriter and Agent in the event of a claim by an insured.

{4 This lawsuit arose from a series of events toward the end of 2007, when Agent wrote two title insurance commitments underwritten by Underwriter, each of which committed to insure a different bank as the first position lienholder for the same parcels of real estate. The title insurance policies based on these commitments were ultimately issued in 2008.

15 The first title commitment was issued with respect to Brown Financial, LLC (Brown), which loaned money to the developer of the parcels (Developer). Brown assigned its deed of trust to Academy Bank (Academy), and Brown serviced the loan by collecting money from Developer and forwarding it to Academy. The policy based on this commitment ultimately insured Academy as the first position lienholder.

1 6 Two months after Agent had issued the commitment for the Brown title policy, Agent issued a title commitment to insure the interest of Colorado East Bank & Trust (CEB&T) as first position lienholder on the same parcels, in connection with a new loan from CEB&T to Developer. In preparation for issuance of this new title commitment, Agent performed a title search, which indicated that Agent had recently performed a previous title search on the same property in connection with the earlier Brown transaction. The CEB&T title commitment stated a requirement that the previous deed of trust be released, and noted that the deed of trust had been assigned to Academy.

17 Agent conducted the closings of both loans within a two-month period. Agent failed to pay Academy from the closing proceeds of the CEB&T loan, and failed to obtain a release of Academy's deed of trust on the parcels.

T8 When the title policies were issued in 2008, both Academy and CEB&T were insured as first position lienholders for the same parcels. Agent did not notify Underwriter of this fact.

T9 After Academy began foreclosure proceedings on the parcels in 2009, CEB&T sought to enjoin the foreclosure. Because the Academy lien had not been paid or released, Academy asserted a claim against Underwriter under the Brown title policy, and CEB&T asserted a claim against Underwriter under CEB&T's title policy. Underwriter paid CEB&T $986,000 to resolve the latter's claims in the foreclosure, and $55,000 to reimburse CEB&T for its attorney fees.

T 10 The claims at issue in this appeal are by Underwriter against Agent under the terms of the contract. After a bench trial, the trial court issued a thorough and well-reasoned opinion finding in favor of Underwriter. This appeal follows.

II. Discussion

T11 Agent contends that the trial court erred by misinterpreting sections 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 of the contract. According to Agent, under those provisions, it has no liability to Underwriter, or, if it is liable, its liability is contractually limited to $500. We discern no reversible error.

A. Standard of Review

112 We interpret contractual terms de novo. Mountain States Mut. Cas. Co. v. Roinestad, 2018 CO 14, { 13, 296 P.3d 1020. "Written contracts that are complete and free from ambiguity will be found to express the intention of the parties and will be enforced according to their plain language." Ad Two, Inc. v. City & County of Denver, 9 P.3d 873, 376 (Colo.2000). We also determine de novo whether a contract's terms are ambiguous. Hamill v. Cheley Colorado Camps, Inc., 262 P.3d 945, 950 (Colo.App. 2011). However, "[the parties' disagreement over the meaning does not in and of itself create an ambiguity in the contract." Id. (citing Kuta v. Joint Dist. No. 50(J), 799 P.2d 379, 882 (Colo.1990)).

13 To the extent that Agent challenges the trial court's factual findings, we review those findings for clear error. See Saturn [276]*276Sys., Inc. v. Militare, 252 P.3d 516, 521 (Colo.App.2011). Because the credibility of the witnesses and the sufficiency, probative effect, and weight of all the evidence, as well as the inferences and conclusions to be drawn therefrom, are all within the province of the trial court, we will not disturb the court's findings of fact unless they are so clearly erroneous as to find no support in the record. Id.

B. Analysis

1. "Handling Funds" in Connection with "Escrow"

114 Agent first maintains that the trial court misconstrued section 7.3 of the contract and erroneously found Agent liable for committing "[an] error, fault, or negligence in handling funds in connection with [an] escrow." We disagree.

15 We begin our analysis by examining more closely the title commitment requirements prepared by Agent's title department. Agent's loan closer, Shirley Seib, testified that the title commitment requirements are the "bible" that specifies all of the "particular items that need to be ... met before" the closer can disburse funds at closing.

116 Here, Requirement G. of the title commitment required that the deed of trust on the property be released. It showed that the original beneficiary of the deed of trust was Brown, but that the deed of trust had been assigned to Academy. Thus, it indicated that Academy would need to release the deed of trust.

T17 As Agent was preparing for the closing, it received a letter from Brown. The letter stated that Brown was not owed any funds from the closing, and that Brown would provide a release of deed of trust and the original promissory note, marked "paid in full," "within fourteen days of the closing." The letter made no mention of Academy, and gave no indication that Academy would release the deed of trust at or before the closing. This omission raised the distinct possibility that, if the letter were relied on, Agent might proceed to closing and disburse funds at closing before the Academy deed of trust was released, thus failing to fulfill Requirement G. (As we now know in hindsight, this possibility became reality.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2013 COA 80, 310 P.3d 272, 2013 WL 2286947, 2013 Colo. App. LEXIS 777, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fidelity-national-title-co-v-first-american-title-insurance-co-coloctapp-2013.