In my practice, people often ask ‘why do I need to pay for a title examination every time I refinance?’. In answering this question, I need to briefly explain what I title examination is. When a bank/mortgage company is going to lend you money, they want to make sure that title to your property is good or what we call marketable. In trying to make this determination about the quality of title, a title examiner examines title to your property beginning with the deed that you received when you purchased the property. That is the start point and the examiner goes back and reviews all deeds in the chain of title to make sure that they are correct. Once the examination of the deeds is completed, the examiner then runs the title forward, looking at all liens or encumbrances that impact the quality of title. Once that has been completed and the examiner makes sure that they have been property discharged, an opinion of title can be issued. Concerning the question of why a title needs to be done each time, I can answer it two way: First, the original examiner may have missed something on the chain of title and the second set of eyes is warranted; Or, there could be something that was placed on the chain of title between the time that you last refinanced and the present. If the later is the case, this lien or encumbrance needs to be dealt with either by release or subordination.