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The Title Search
Supposedly a true story ...
A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told the loan would be
granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as
collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three
months to track down. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following
reply:
Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the
request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which
you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only
cleared title to the proposed collateral proper back to 1803. Before final approval can be
accorded it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin.
Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows:
Your letter regarding the title in Case No 189156 has been received. I note that you
wish to have title extended back further than the 194 years covered by the present
application. I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those
working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased by the US from
France in 1803, the year of origin identified in our application. For the edification of
uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to US ownership was obtained from
France which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain.
The land came into possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in 1492 By a sea
captain named Christopher Columbus who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new
route to India by the then-reigning monarch Isabella. The good queen, being a pious woman
and careful about titles almost as much as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the
blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to fund Columbus' expedition.
Now the Pope, as I'm sure you know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
And God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to
presume that He also made that part of The world called Louisiana. He therefore would be
the owner of origin. I hope to hell you find His original claim to be satisfactory.
Now, may we have our damn loan?
They got it. |