Hi Kelly,

My opinion (for what it’s worth) is that this applies mostly to abstractors and examiners who contract to oil and gas brokers who classify them as “landmen.”  That’s a catchall term that was traditionally reserved for a person who went door-to-door talking to property owners and taking leases, in addition to running title at the courthouse. 

I’ve been abstracting for a little over 17 years, and have run oil and gas title for about the past four.  I’ve only had one client which required me to carry not only general business liability, but also required me to insure my work vehicle under a general business policy (even though it’s personally owned by me, not my company).  My guess is that this particular broker requires their contractors to carry PL in case they damage a landowner’s property in the course of performing their landman duties.

I could be totally off the mark on this, but that’s my take on it.  Hope it helps.

Regards,
Scott Perry