An Ownership and Encumbrance Report (OER) is also commonly called a Property Information Report and was previously called a Preliminary Title Report (PTR).  Title companies have moved away from calling Ownership and Encumbrance Reports PTR’s because the implication of a PTR is that you are giving an opinion as to the status of the title, when in fact all an OER indicates the last recorded owner of a property, the correct legal description, and any current liens and encumbrances attached to the property.  An OER is commonly used by real estate professionals to verify the current owner and identify any potential title issues prior to the sale of a property. 

A Title Commitment is the precursor to a Title Insurance Policy.  In a Title Commitment, Title Guaranty indicates a commitment to issue a title insurance policy protecting the buyer’s interest in a property and indicates what the title insurance policy will not cover (also known as exceptions to title).  Click here to see a sample Title Commitment.

A Chain of Title Report is a report detailing the ownership history and legal activity (transfers, liens, litigation, adverse action, etc.)   of a property going back to the first record (which it typically a government deed or, in Guam’s case a deed from the Spanish Crown).  A Chain of Title Report is used when there are questions as to the ownership of a property and to establish if a property’s title is currently marketable. 

An Abstract of Title is a powerful tool that, much like a Chain of Title Report, encompasses a review of all the legal activities associated with a particular property.  At the conclusion of the review, however, a summary or “abstract” is issued that indicates an opinion of vesting/ownership and provides supporting documentation to support the opinion.  Abstracts of title are typically used by attorneys to determine property vesting and ownership.  Click here to see a sample Abstract of Title Report.

Need a property map or a particular document?  Title Guaranty will gladly retrieve any public record stored at the Guam Department of Land Management (DLM), subject to the DLM schedule of fees.

An asset search is a search of the public record to indicate real property assets owned by an individual.  Asset searches are typically used by estates to determine assets owned by the decedent or by attorneys or parties in dispute seeking assets to attach to liens and/or litigation.

Established in 1963 and known for our research acumen, Title Guaranty is a trove of real estate records and transactional history.  Pricing for research services is established on a case-by-case basis, dependent on scope and available resources.