Scott v. First American Title Insurance

276 F.R.D. 471, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 98710
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Kentucky
DecidedAugust 31, 2011
DocketCivil Action No. 07-52-DLB-CJS
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 276 F.R.D. 471 (Scott v. First American Title Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Scott v. First American Title Insurance, 276 F.R.D. 471, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 98710 (E.D. Ky. 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION & ORDER

DAVID L. BUNNING, District Judge.

Named plaintiffs Gregory and Alicia Scott have filed a proposed class action Complaint, seeking civil damages from Defendant First American Title Insurance Company (First American), on behalf of those persons who paid a title insurance premium to Defendant that exceeded the premium permitted by the rate schedules it had on file with the Kentucky Department Office of Insurance (DOI). Plaintiffs claim that they and the putative class members were overcharged for title insurance and seek to recover the excess premium charges collected “due to [First American’s] failure to adhere to its own rate schedule.” (Compl. ¶ 2). Specifically, Plaintiffs seek certification of the following class under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(3):

All persons or entities who own or owned real estate in Kentucky, who in the last ten years financed a mortgage on said Kentucky property, the title to which was insured in connection with a prior mortgage, and who paid a title insurance premium to First American that exceeded First American’s Rate Schedule filed with the Kentucky Department of Insurance, within the five years preceding the filing of the Complaint to the present.

[473]*473Of the twelve causes of action alleged in their Complaint, Plaintiffs seek class certification of only five: (1) unjust enrichment, (2) recovery under Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act, (3) general liability under Kentucky’s statute dealing with adherence to filing rates, (4) general liability under Kentucky’s statute penalizing illegal dealing in premiums, and (5) general liability under Kentucky’s statute forbidding deceptive practice in the business of insurance.

This matter is before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Motion to Certify Class (Doc. # 84). The motion having been fully briefed (Docs. #89, 93), and after review of the parties’ supplemental filings (Docs. # 94, 95, 97-100), the matter is ripe for review. For the reasons stated herein, and because liability cannot be determined on a classwide basis, but only through an individual analysis of each residential refinance transaction falling within the class period, Plaintiffs’ motion is denied.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

This case originates from a refinance transaction that occurred on November 19, 2004. The Scotts are Kentucky homeowners that refinanced the mortgage on their home through a mortgage broker who obtained a loan for them through Southstar Funding, LLC (Southstar). (Doc. # 1, Ex. B). Defendant First American is a national title insurance underwriter that issues title insurance policies in Kentucky through a network of independent title insurance agents. The law firm of Nielson & Sherry P.S.C., who is not named as a defendant, was the independent Kentucky title agent that issued Southstar’s lender’s policy for the Scotts’ November 2004 refinance.

Title Insurance Generally

In a residential purchase or refinance transaction, the buyer as well as the lender providing the mortgage need a guarantee that the buyer will have clear ownership of the property. “Title insurance is designed to provide that guarantee by agreeing to compensate the lender (through a lender’s policy) or buyer (through an owner’s policy) up to the amount of the loan or the purchase price, respectively.” General Accounting Office’s Report on Title Insurance, April 2006 (2006 GAO Report). An owner’s policy insures the owner/purchaser against defects in the seller’s title. By contrast, a lender’s policy insures the mortgage lender’s security interest against title defects as well as priority of the mortgage lien; thus, the insured is the lender and the policy is provided directly to it. Notwithstanding the benefit to the lender, the financing package the borrower receives usually requires him or her to pay for the title examination and the premium for the new loan policy. However, some lenders offer “no cost” refinances in which the lender bears the cost of the title insurance premium to encourage borrowers to refinance.

Title insurance is sold primarily through use of title agents. Before issuing a policy, an agent inspects the title’s history by searching public records such as deeds, mortgages, wills, and divorce decrees. Because public records are usually available only locally, the use of local title agents is desirable. The title insurance premium is paid only once — at the time of sale or refinance — and agents retain or are paid a portion of the premium amount as compensation for their title search work and as commission. (2006 GAO Report). Agents then remit the remaining premium amount to the title company. Because the title insurance policy is not recorded, a borrower’s chain of title does not reveal whether a prior mortgage transaction was insured by an owner’s or lender’s policy, if at all. In fact, title insurance policies usually do not issue until one to two months after closing; a copy is then sent to the lender and to the insurer. The borrower ordinarily does not receive a copy of the policy purchased.

The vast majority of states regulate the title insurance industry though their own state insurance departments. Kentucky is no exception. Title insurers are statutorily required to file their rates with the Kentucky Department of Insurance (DOI) pursuant to Kentucky Revised Statute § 304.22-020. Every title insurer must file its schedule of premium rates before selling title insurance within the state; those rates must further be approved by the DOI. Id. To do this, First [474]*474American tenders its rate manual to the DOI for approval. Once approved, the insurer has a duty to comply with the filed and approved rates. Id. All subsequent amendments must also be filed with and approved by the DOI. Id. Under the applicable First American Kentucky Rate Manual, a transaction is not entitled to any discounted insurance rate unless title to the property was previously insured. (Doc. # 1, Ex. A) (Doc. # 89, Ex. D).

Kentucky Mortgage Transaction Practices

Title insurance is not the only method used to protect lenders or buyers against defects in title. Lenders’ protect their lien interest using a variety of other products. For instance, Defendants proffered evidence that Kentucky lenders Guardian Savings Bank and Union Savings Bank, Franklin Bank & Trust Company, The Bank — Oldham County, Inc., Bedford Loan & Deposit, and South Central Bank, all regularly order attorneys’ title opinions to protect their respective interests. An attorney title opinion does not insure, but rather, informs a client of record defects in title so the client has the opportunity to remedy them or reject the transaction. Title Insurance Law § 1:18. To render this opinion, the attorney conducts an analysis of the record instruments that may affect the claim of title through to the present owner. Defendants further proffered evidence that numerous lenders throughout Kentucky, including Northern, Eastern, Western, and Central Kentucky, do not require title insurance and either allow for alternatives to title insurance or do not require title insurance at all. (Doc. # 89, Exs. 5-7,10,12,13,15,16).

First American’s Kentucky Rates

First American provides a variety of title premium rates depending on the level of risk it bears to insure the titled property.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
276 F.R.D. 471, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 98710, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scott-v-first-american-title-insurance-kyed-2011.