I  think that the problem lies within the areas of  both licensing and enforcement. The problem seems to lie within the hands of the party ordering the search, and trying to have it completed as cheaply as possible. State licensing of abstractors...like the commissioning of notaries...needs to be advanced in all states. Failure to observe proper licensing both by abstractors and VM's seeking the cheapest possible price needs to be enforced. The licensing does provide a degree of protection for the abstractor in much the same respect as commissioning does for the closer or licensing does for the attorney.

Ultimately it is the homeowner who wins or loses on his/her investment. I would think that as a matter of consumer protection the various state governments would want to have the abstractors properly licensed and require adherence to criteria such as Connecticut's Standards of Title.

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