County Recorder's Spelling Error May Cost Family Its Home As Homebuyer Fails To Buy Title Insurance

In Zanesville, Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch reports:

• A spelling error by a government worker might cost Andy Mateja his house. [...] When Mateja bought his house, he paid for a title search that found no liens on his property. It turns out that wasn't true.

• JPMorgan Chase had placed a $150,000 lien on the house in 1998, when it was owned by Dr. Subbarayudu Koppera. But the lien was mistakenly entered into the public record under the name Koppepa, so it did not show up when the title company searched for liens by the owner's last name.

***

• In buying the house, Mateja did not take out title insurance that would have protected him from claims against a previous owner. Now JPMorgan Chase is going after the Matejas' house. The Matejas have countersued the bank and Koppera. The case is scheduled to go to court June 19.

For more, see Clerk's error jeopardizes family's home (Undetected lien against seller haunts buyer).

For story update, see:

• The Columbus Dispatch (8-9-08): Bank can't foreclose over typo, judge rules.
• Zanesville Times Recorder (8-7-08): Judge rules in favor of Stonehenge couple (Tax lien error led to foreclosure action).

Go here for other posts involving legal issues related to title insurance. title insurance legal issues