First American Blog - The First Word

Buying a home may be the American dream, but undiscovered title issues – like liens and forgeries – can make that dream a nightmare. That’s why title insurance has been helping protect American homebuyers, sellers and lenders for more than 130 years. Learn more about title insurance – and how it can help protect you and your home.  

NOTE: The GFE is no longer used in mortgage transactions. http://www.firstam.com/ownership/transaction-disclosures/ for information about the new disclosures.

With temperatures warming up around the country and school officially out of session, the summer home-buying season is in full swing. If you’re shopping for a home this summer,...

Interest rates on a U.S. home loan dropped across the board in the week ending May 8, but the 30-year fixed rate outpaced them all. As reported by Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 4.21 percent from 4.29 percent the week prior.

If you're planning to settle down and raise a family soon - or if you're already in the midst of familial bliss - you're likely picky about where you want to live. Some of the many ideal factors might include safety, especially for children, and a low cost of living. Plus, mortgage rates are currently near historical lows, which can be an...

Happy third birthday to our favorite technology, which is “growing up” before our eyes! This year has been a big year for myFirstAm^®, First American’s innovative Web portal and mobile app for real estate transactions.

The Know Before You Owe campaign, developed by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), is intended to assist consumers shopping for a mortgage by allowing them to take advantage of revamped and more easily comprehensible mortgage disclosure forms.