Title Insurance Cost Statistics: 2026 Report
Last updated . All data pieces · Methodology
A purchase contract that finally clears underwriting often lands buyers at the Closing Disclosure staring at title charges they never shopped for. Lenders almost always require a lender’s title policy; an owner’s policy is optional in many markets but covers the buyer’s equity after the loan is paid down. What you pay depends on purchase price or loan amount, whether the state sets rates or lets companies compete, whether both policies issue together, and whether search and settlement fees sit inside the premium or show up separately. One national average hides the spread across states and can mix pure premiums with broader title-and-settlement totals.
We compiled these figures from eleven sources covering roughly the most recent 12 to 36 months of published data as of October 2026: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) 2024 mortgage-fees request for information; a December 2024 U.S. Department of the Treasury Federal Insurance Office note on title insurance; Fannie Mae’s December 2021 closing-cost barriers study and December 2022 closing-costs white paper; the Urban Institute’s January 2025 state closing-cost analysis; Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) basic premium rates effective March 1, 2026 and Commissioner Order 2025-9697; Florida Administrative Code Rule 69O-186.003; New Mexico’s promulgated basic premium schedule effective July 1, 2025; and American Land Title Association (ALTA) market-share press releases for full-year 2024 and 2025. The CFPB states that title insurance premiums typically range from 0.5% to 1.0% of the purchase price. On loans of $400,000 to $500,000, the Urban Institute puts combined lender’s-title and title-insurance–related fees between $358 (Missouri) and $3,496 (Pennsylvania). Industry premium volume reached $18.5 billion in 2025, per ALTA. Association and study figures below are as reported by those publishers and were not independently audited against each underwriter’s statutory filings.
Average Title Insurance Cost: Owner’s and Lender’s Policies, 2021 to 2025
This table answers the main question: what owner’s and lender’s title insurance cost as national averages and ranges, with the period and scope stated for each row.
| Metric | Figure | Period and scope | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical title insurance premium range | 0.5%–1.0% of purchase price | Premiums as described by the CFPB in its June 2024 mortgage-fees request for information | CFPB |
| Average title and settlement charges (inclusive of lender’s policy) | $1,900 | U.S. average cited by Treasury from Fannie Mae research | U.S. Treasury (citing Fannie Mae) |
| Mean title and settlement charges, all buyers | $1,723 (median $1,681) | Fannie Mae Barriers to Entry study (December 2021); title and settlement as a bundle, not premium alone | Fannie Mae |
| Mean title and settlement charges, first-time homebuyers | $1,961 (median $1,901) | Same Fannie Mae Barriers study | Fannie Mae |
| Average title and settlement charges | $2,408 | 1.1 million loans Fannie Mae acquired September 2017–September 2019 | Fannie Mae Closing Costs White Paper (December 2022) |
| Combined lender’s title and title insurance–related fees by state | $358–$3,496 | Median fees on mortgages of $400,000–$500,000; lowest Missouri, highest Pennsylvania | Urban Institute (January 2025) |
Sources: CFPB, Request for Information Regarding Fees Imposed in Residential Mortgage Transactions, 89 Fed. Reg. 48400 (June 6, 2024); U.S. Department of the Treasury, Exploring Title Insurance…, December 23, 2024; Fannie Mae, Barriers to Entry: Closing Costs for First-Time and Low-Income Homebuyers, December 2021; Fannie Mae, Closing Costs White Paper, December 2022; Urban Institute, Why Do Closing Costs Differ between States?, January 7, 2025 (updated January 24, 2025). “Title and settlement” bundles premiums with search, exam, and closing fees. Treasury notes that industry commenters argue some published averages overstate net premiums because they omit certain seller credits and include third-party fees.
A lender’s policy protects the mortgage lender up to the unpaid principal. An owner’s policy protects the buyer’s interest up to the purchase price (or a stated amount) for as long as they hold title. Lenders generally require the lender’s policy as a condition of funding. Who pays which policy varies by local custom. When both policies issue in the same closing, many schedules allow a simultaneous-issue discount on the second policy. Refinance transactions often use reissue or substitution rates that are lower than original rates when a recent owner’s policy exists. Title charges also show up inside broader borrower-paid loan costs. For statewide mortgage closing-cost medians that include title among other fees, see average mortgage closing costs by state. Those Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) totals are not title premiums and are not treated as such here.
Title Insurance Cost by State: Promulgated Rates vs. Other Markets, 2025 to 2026
Rate regulation is the main reason two buyers on the same loan size can see very different title lines. Florida, Texas, and New Mexico set (promulgate) title insurance rates so every licensed underwriter charges the same basic premium schedule. The Urban Institute’s January 2025 analysis places those three promulgated states among the more expensive for combined lender’s-title and title-insurance–related fees on $400,000–$500,000 loans (2nd, 3rd, and 10th most expensive). Missouri ($358) and Iowa ($425) sit at the low end of that same measure. Iowa’s Title Guaranty program uses a different structure from commercial title insurance.
Sources: TDI, Texas Title Insurance Basic Premium Rates, rates effective March 1, 2026; TDI Commissioner Order No. 2025-9697, December 19, 2025 (6.2% basic-premium reduction); Florida Administrative Code Rule 69O-186.003, Title Insurance Rates; New Mexico promulgated basic premium schedule effective July 1, 2025 (rate card reflecting OSI Appendix A brackets); U.S. Treasury title insurance note, December 23, 2024; Urban Institute, January 2025. Texas and Florida dollar rows labeled “Calculated” use the published rate formulas and stated assumptions; they are schedule premiums, not shopped quotes. Florida’s rule also sets a simultaneous-issue mortgage policy minimum of $25 when issued with an owner’s policy up to the owner’s amount. New Mexico loan policies are generally 90% of the full basic owner’s rate under state rules.
The chart below uses only the $400,000 owner’s or basic premium rows from the table above so each bar is a comparable schedule price.
- Texas$2,262
- Florida$2,075
- New Mexico$1,967
Sources: TDI rates effective March 1, 2026; Florida Rule 69O-186.003; New Mexico schedule effective July 1, 2025. Texas and Florida values calculated from published formulas. Values as shown in the table below the chart.
Sources: same as the promulgated-state examples table. Texas and Florida figures are labeled calculations from published schedules; New Mexico figure is from the July 1, 2025 promulgated schedule.
In other states, rates are filed, prior-approved, or lightly regulated, so premiums can vary by underwriter and county even at the same sale price. Digitized land records, attorney-closing requirements, and whether reissue discounts are allowed also move the line items next to the premium. Statewide closing-cost packages that fold title into transfer taxes and recording fees are covered in average closing costs by state.
Largest Title Insurance Companies by Market Share, 2025
ALTA’s 2025 Market Share Analysis ranks individual underwriters by share of industry title insurance premiums. Several brands sit under common holding companies. The table below uses ALTA’s individual-underwriter ranking so every name gets the same measure and precision. Shares are as reported by ALTA and were not independently verified against each company’s statutory filings.
- First American Title Insurance Co.23.1
- Fidelity National Title Insurance Co.14.5
- Old Republic Title Insurance Co.14.0
- Chicago Title Insurance Co.13.1
- Stewart Title Insurance Co.10.9
- Westcor Land Title Insurance Co.4.2
- Title Resources Guaranty Co.4.0
- Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co.3.3
- WFG National Title Insurance Co.2.6
- First American Title Guaranty Co.1.5
Source: ALTA 2025 Market Share press release, May 22, 2026. Shares as reported by ALTA. Values as shown in the table below the chart.
Source: ALTA, ALTA Reports 2025 Market Share and Title Insurance Premium Volume, May 22, 2026. Figures as reported in ALTA’s public press release summarizing its Market Share Analysis; not a statutory market census.
ALTA also lists the highest-volume states by 2025 premium volume: Texas ($2.7 billion, +14.1%), Florida ($2.01 billion, +5.2%), California ($1.6 billion, +10.1%), New York ($1.2 billion, +27.3%), and Pennsylvania ($709 million, +11.0%). Those state totals measure premium written, not the price a single buyer pays. Title and homeowners coverage are different products; for HO-3 premium levels by state, see homeowners insurance costs by state.
Title Insurance Premium Volume and Claims Trend, 2023 to 2025
Industry premium volume rose with mortgage activity over the last two reported full years. Claims paid moved in a narrower band.
- 202315.1
- 202416.2
- 202518.5
Sources: ALTA market-share press releases for 2024 and 2025. 2023 total derived from ALTA’s stated 7% increase to 2024. Values as shown in the table below the chart.
Sources: ALTA, Title Insurance Premium Volume Increased 7% in 2024, May 15, 2025; ALTA, 2025 Market Share and Title Insurance Premium Volume, May 22, 2026. Premium and claims dollars as reported by ALTA. The 2023 premium total is derived from ALTA’s stated 7% increase to $16.2 billion in 2024 ($16.2 ÷ 1.07 ≈ $15.14, shown as $15.1 billion); labeled as derived from ALTA’s published percentage.
Treasury’s December 2024 note cites National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) materials putting net written title premium around $22 billion in 2022 and loss ratios generally in a 3% to 7% range, with combined ratios (losses plus expenses) near 95% to 102%. Those industry-structure figures sit beside ALTA’s more recent premium totals; they are not the same series and are not averaged together here. On the rate side, TDI’s December 19, 2025 order cut Texas basic premium rates 6.2% effective March 1, 2026—an example of a regulator-driven schedule change in a promulgated state rather than a national average move.
What the Numbers Mean for Buyers and Researchers
Title insurance cost is set more by state rate rules and loan size than by shopping among underwriters in promulgated markets. National “averages” often describe title-and-settlement bundles rather than the premium line alone. Later ALTA quarterly market-share releases and new state rate orders will update volume and schedule prices.
Sources
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, “Request for Information Regarding Fees Imposed in Residential Mortgage Transactions,” 89 Fed. Reg. 48400 (June 6, 2024), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/06/06/2024-12443/request-for-information-regarding-fees-imposed-in-residential-mortgage-transactions
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, “Exploring Title Insurance, Consumer Protection, and Opportunities for Potential Reforms,” December 23, 2024, https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/exploring-title-insurance-consumer-protection-and-opportunities-for-potential-reforms
- Fannie Mae, “Barriers to Entry: Closing Costs for First-Time and Low-Income Homebuyers,” December 2021, https://www.fanniemae.com/media/42286/display
- Fannie Mae, “Closing Costs White Paper,” December 2022, https://www.fanniemae.com/media/45841/display
- Urban Institute (Jung Hyun Choi and Laurie Goodman), “Why Do Closing Costs Differ between States?,” January 7, 2025 (updated January 24, 2025), https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/why-do-closing-costs-differ-between-states
- Texas Department of Insurance, “Texas Title Insurance Basic Premium Rates” (effective March 1, 2026), https://www.tdi.texas.gov/title/titlerates2026.html
- Texas Department of Insurance, Commissioner Order No. 2025-9697, December 19, 2025, https://www.tdi.texas.gov/orders/documents/20259697.pdf
- Florida Administrative Code Rule 69O-186.003, Title Insurance Rates, https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=69O-186.003
- New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance, promulgated title insurance premium schedule effective July 1, 2025 (Appendix / rate table), https://www.osi.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Revised-Title-Ins-Rate-Table-Updated-9.30.2025.pdf
- American Land Title Association, “ALTA Reports Title Insurance Premium Volume Increased 7% in 2024,” May 15, 2025, https://www.alta.org/news-and-publications/press-release/ALTA-Reports-Title-Insurance-Premium-Volume-Increased-7-in-2024
- American Land Title Association, “ALTA Reports 2025 Market Share and Title Insurance Premium Volume,” May 22, 2026, https://www.alta.org/news-and-publications/press-release/ALTA-Reports-2025-Market-Share-and-Title-Insurance-Premium-Volume
Figures are shown as published by the sources named under each table. How we source and correct: editorial and corrections policy. Spotted an error? Contact us.
Release dates for these sources: Data release calendar.