Hello,

I would like to answer some of the questions discussed here about the ALTA Policy Forms Licensing Initiative. All ALTA members receive a license as one of their association membership benefits. If a current ALTA member has received an invoice, it may be because we have a different company name/address/etc in our database that is not attached to the member’s membership. Many in our industry use several d.b.a. names and we have tried to eliminate duplicates, but appreciate if members call and to let us know when they have received an invoice in error. While we try to catch and correct all errors on our agent list, unfortunately there are still some mistakes. As a way to resolve errors, we have included a check box option on our July invoices for members to indicate they received the invoice in error.

ALTA’s Policy Forms benefit the entire title industry, not just ALTA members. These forms, first developed in 1929, have never been free. The cost of creating, developing and updating the forms has been carried by ALTA membership for the entire industry. Having standardized forms enables consumers to compare price, service, and other non-technical matters without the need for complex coverage analysis. This initiative was first discussed by independent title agents who believed this initiative would help more fairly distribute the costs of defending the industry to all users and beneficiaries of the forms.

Again, we are doing our best to minimize billing errors. We maintain a small staff to keep membership expense at a minimum. We work to answer every phone call that comes into our office, but if we have sent you an invoice by mistake, don’t hesitate to contact our office at 202-296-3671. You can go here http://www.alta.org/membership/Intro.cfm for more information about the policy forms initiative.

Thank you,

Jeremy Yohe

Director of Communications

American Land Title Association