Title Search, Update and Closing Services

Added: Jan 06, 2016 11:25 am

A. OBJECTIVE

The objective of this contract is to obtain title search, preliminary title commitment, final title policy, and closing services for acquisitions of conservation easements in the State of Florida on behalf of the United States of America, acting by and through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), pursuant to Title II of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79).

B. BACKGROUND

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs (ACEP) authorizes the acquisition of easement rights from willing landowners. NRCS is the lead USDA agency that is charged with administering those programs.

1. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The objective of this contract is to obtain title search and closing services for acquisition of property easements throughout the state of Florida in support of the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs, including obtaining title insurance from a title company approved/certified in the State of Florida by the United States Attorney General. The Contractor will perform the same closing services as in a commercial transaction, including the following:

• Obtaining and updating chain(s) of title, including copies of all instruments that created rights, interests, or encumbrances on the property
• Providing preliminary title commitments and issuing final title insurance policies
• Providing easement boundary and ingress and egress descriptions
• Working with landowners to clear exceptions on title to the property
• Obtaining signatures on Warranty Easement Deeds
• Any necessary curative instruments to assure merchantable insurable title in the name of the United States of America to the wetland easement
• Disbursement of funds at closing
• Closing Protection Letter in favor of the United States of America
• Other services, as necessary, to finalize easement transactions.

The closing services will be performed in the county courthouse of the county in which the ACEP easement is located, unless the Contractor, NRCS and the landowner mutually agree to a different location.