Around here, it is marked up.  But not for the sole purpose of inflating the price to make money.  One of my clients for example, pays $45-65 for a current owner search, but charges $150 on the HUD.  This includes the review by the underwriter, who also is a title examiner, and also includes the binder/policy fee for the underwriter to prepare the binder and do the final policy.  That is for a refi.
In doing closings for signing services, I see many variations on HUD's in how companies mark up the title searches, but I also know that if the fees are marked up, it may have gone thru 2-3 different hands to get to that price too.  Such as the searcher, to the vendor management company who examines the title, to the actual client who ordered the search, and maybe even then, to someone to review and type the binder.

I know there are those companies who just flat out raise the fees for money in their pockets.  Their day will come when that will be stopped and respa/crespa will crack down harder on those types of companies.  My understanding is that fees charged on the HUD have to have had someone actually do the job being charged for.


Just my 2 cents there.
Thanks