This bill addresses requirements for real estate transactions.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Utah law currently requires title insurance producers handling real estate escrow transactions to issue a standard title insurance policy (an owner's or lender's policy) as part of the deal. This bill would allow an "attorney opinion letter" — a written assessment of a property's title from a licensed attorney — to satisfy that requirement instead, but only for loans eligible for sale to a government-sponsored enterprise like Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac; the bill specifies that such a letter is not insurance and does not protect a lender against losses from title defects the way an insurance policy would. The bill also reorganizes and clarifies existing rules for how escrow money must be handled, including how it's deposited, segregated, protected from a producer's debts, and disbursed, without substantively changing those underlying protections. Homebuyers obtaining certain types of mortgage loans may gain a lower-cost alternative to traditional title insurance, since an attorney opinion letter can be less expensive than a full title insurance policy, though it may offer different protections than an insurance policy provides.
Introduction
Feb 5
House Rules
Mar 5
House Committee
Feb 19
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
IntroductionFeb 5
House RulesMar 5
House CommitteeFeb 19
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
This bill addresses requirements for real estate transactions.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Utah law currently requires title insurance producers handling real estate escrow transactions to issue a standard title insurance policy (an owner's or lender's policy) as part of the deal. This bill would allow an "attorney opinion letter" — a written assessment of a property's title from a licensed attorney — to satisfy that requirement instead, but only for loans eligible for sale to a government-sponsored enterprise like Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac; the bill specifies that such a letter is not insurance and does not protect a lender against losses from title defects the way an insurance policy would. The bill also reorganizes and clarifies existing rules for how escrow money must be handled, including how it's deposited, segregated, protected from a producer's debts, and disbursed, without substantively changing those underlying protections. Homebuyers obtaining certain types of mortgage loans may gain a lower-cost alternative to traditional title insurance, since an attorney opinion letter can be less expensive than a full title insurance policy, though it may offer different protections than an insurance policy provides.
House/ filed
House file for bills not passed
House/ strike enacting clause
Clerk of the House
House/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules
House Rules Committee
House Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules
House Judiciary Committee
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0503S01
Released
Last updated Aug 29, 2026, 5:26 PM