This is interesting to me.... because ever since I have been an independent contractor all the attorneys that I search for pay me $50.00 for the search but the HUD shows $150.00 for the title examination.  I started out as an independent in 1993 charging $45.00 for a current owner search.  Now 12 years later I AM still making the same fee except for the three years that I lived in SC and could charge much, much more because there were so many other independents that the attorneys there were used to paying more and they put the exact amount that you charged them on their HUD's.  Guess the SC attorneys have a better business sense.
In SC the vendors had to pay more because not many abstractors would work for the vendors.  They didn't have to when the attorneys were paying them $125.00 for a current owner search. 

I got this same email about the fees that we are talking about.  I did not respond to it.  In fact, I am not responding to any inquiries right now because I don't want to work for a new fly by night company.  I have considered removing my name from the SOT directory for that reason except that I have paid for it.  Or maybe I should post my fees and say SERIOUS inquiries ONLY. 

Funny thing is, I got an email about 11 months ago from a company asking me to do a current owner search offering to pay the same low fee of $25.00 for a current owner, and that company is one that is a prominent user of this message board and often a spotlighted company on source of title.  So when we all complain that the fees are too low.... not everyone on this message board considers a $25.00 current owner fee to be too low.  I consider it to be an insult.  Enough said.