Yes, George explained the situation properly.  If a client asks for a 24 month chain of title then I search at least that amount of time, no matter how many conveyances there may be.  If there are no deeds in the last 24 months then I search until I do find a good conveyance, no matter how long that may be (which, as I'm sure you know, can sometimes be 30-40 years).   But if the client states "one owner" then it is treated as just that, one owner.  If there are inter-family conveyances then a search is completed back to a non-family, "good" conveyance, and of course there is no extra charge for that - it's part and parcel of searching.   My objection is the casual request for two more deeds (and in Florida there is no requirement to post the prior deed reference on the next conveyance - you have to search the chain to find the prior deed) back in the chain, i.e., two more owners.  I balked at this because I didn't want to set a precedent of caving at the first bit of pressure regarding fees - it's been my experience that once you do that they'll usually push for everything they can get from you.   I will suck up if need be, believe me - I love being an independent and want to stay that way!  But this was too much, too quickly and too nasty so it was probably for the best, as you said, Clanci.  Thanks for the responses.