What is the difference between a title commitment and a title insurance policy?

The commitment comes first and the policy comes last. The title commitment is the insurer's written promise to issue a policy — a blueprint showing what was found in the title search, what will be insured, what is excluded, and what must be fixed first. The title insurance policy is issued after closing and is the actual insurance that protects your ownership. The commitment does not protect you yet; the policy does.

How long does it take to get a title commitment?

Typically one to two weeks from the time the title company opens the file, with many transactions seeing the commitment around day 10 to 14. Complicated ownership histories, rural counties, and backlogged recorders can stretch that to three or four weeks. Some purchase contracts set a hard deadline — under Texas's standard resale contract, for example, the seller must furnish it within 20 days.

What is Schedule B on a title commitment?

Schedule B is the fine print, split in two. Schedule B-I lists the requirements that must be met before the policy is issued — paying off the seller's mortgage, releasing liens, clearing judgments. Schedule B-II lists the exceptions: what the policy will not cover, such as utility easements, HOA restrictions, and matters a current survey would reveal. Read B-I as a to-do list and B-II as the list of permanent carve-outs from your coverage.

Is a title commitment the same as a title search?

No. The title search is the investigation — examiners reading decades of public records to find liens, judgments, and ownership defects. The title commitment is the insurer's written answer to that investigation: here is what we found, here is what we will insure, and here is what must happen first. The search tells you what was found; the commitment tells you what is insurable.

Home buying

What Is a Title Commitment? Schedules & Reading Guide

Q: What happens if the title commitment shows problems?

Routine exceptions like easements usually stay, but monetary problems — liens, judgments, delinquent taxes — must be dealt with. Your contract typically gives you a window to object to title, during which you can require the seller to cure defects, negotiate a credit, buy an endorsement that narrows an exception, or walk away and recover your earnest money if the contract allows. Roughly one in three residential searches turns up a problem that has to be cured before closing.

A title commitment is the title company's written promise to issue your title insurance policy — listing exactly what it will cover, what it will not, and what must be fixed before you close.

MKD Editorial Team October 24, 2026 6 min read Figures checked 24 Oct 2026

Flat fintech illustration in deep teal and gold: layered document pages fanning out like schedule sheets, one page with a teal checkmark seal, a magnifying glass over a land-parcel diagram, and a small gold house beside a boundary line, on a pale cream background, no text — The title commitment is your roadmap to closing — it shows what will be insured, what must be fixed, and what stays excluded.

One document decides whether your closing date holds, yet most buyers never read it. The title commitment is the title company's written promise to issue your title insurance policy. Read it properly and you will spot problems while there is still time to fix them — or walk away.

A promise, not a policy

Think of the title commitment as the blueprint for your future title insurance policy. It grows out of the title search: examiners dig through 40 to 60 years of county records, and the commitment reports what they found and what the insurer is willing to cover (TitleRate). Texas's promulgated commitment form puts it plainly: “The Commitment is not an opinion or report of your title. It is a contract to issue you a policy subject to the Commitment's terms and requirements” (ActiveRain). It does not protect you yet — it tells you what protection you can get, and what stands in the way.

When it arrives

You do not order it yourself. Once your contract names a title company, the company opens the file and starts the search automatically. Expect the commitment roughly 10 to 14 days in (ATG Title), with one to two weeks typical from order to delivery; complicated histories and rural counties can stretch that to three or four weeks (Opendoor). Some contracts set a hard deadline: under Texas's standard resale contract the seller must furnish the commitment within 20 days, and if it never arrives the buyer can terminate and recover earnest money (ActiveRain).

The schedules: A, B-I, B-II, C, and D

Most commitments follow the standard ALTA form, and the schedules are the whole story. Schedule A — the facts: the property's legal description, the current owner of record, your name as the proposed insured, the policy coverage amount, and the effective date. Check it first: a wrong legal description here causes real trouble later (Hera Title). Schedule B-I — requirements: the to-do list that must be completed before any policy is issued — pay off the seller's mortgage, release recorded liens, clear judgments, obtain contractor or HOA releases, record the new deed (TitleRate). Schedule B-II — exceptions: what the policy will not cover — utility easements, HOA covenants and restrictions, rights of tenants in possession, unrecorded liens, and matters a current survey would reveal. These stay excluded unless resolved or narrowed by endorsement before closing (TitleRate). Schedules C and D cover additional requirements and premium disclosure.

Here is a concrete picture. Suppose you are buying a $420,000 home. Schedule A lists you as proposed insured with $420,000 of owner's coverage — normally matching the purchase price. Schedule B-I requires payoff and release of the seller's $286,000 mortgage at closing. Schedule B-II lists a 10-foot utility easement along the rear lot line and the subdivision's HOA covenants — routine exceptions.

How to read your commitment

Start with Schedule A: verify the names, legal description, and coverage amount against your contract. Then read Schedule B-I as your checklist: every item is a gate to closing, so ask who is responsible for each — usually the seller — and by when. Then read Schedule B-II slowly, because every exception is a permanent carve-out from your coverage. A utility easement across the backyard is normal; a judgment lien against the seller must be paid or released before you close. Have your agent or the title officer explain anything unfamiliar before your objection deadline passes (Hera Title). Our title insurance cost guide breaks down the premiums.

Flat fintech illustration in deep teal and gold: a checklist-style document with blank gold check boxes beside teal lines, a magnifying glass enlarging a small plot-of-land sketch, and a ribbon seal in the bottom corner, on a pale cream background, no text — Read Schedule B-I as a to-do list and Schedule B-II as the fine print of what stays uncovered.

Commitment vs. title search vs. title policy

Three documents, three jobs. The title search is the investigation — examiners reading decades of public records. The title commitment is the insurer's answer: here is what we found, what we will insure, and what must happen first. The title policy is the finished product, issued after closing, that actually insures your ownership. Put simply, the search tells you what was found, the commitment tells you what is insurable, and the policy is the insurance itself (TitleRate).

What to do about exceptions

Not every exception is a dealbreaker: easements, setback lines, and subdivision restrictions are routine and usually stay. The dangerous ones are monetary: unpaid liens, court judgments, delinquent taxes. Your contract typically gives you a window to object — in Colorado, the Record Title Objection Deadline; most states have a similar contingency period (Kenna Real Estate). Within that window you can require the seller to cure defects, negotiate a credit, buy a narrowing endorsement, or walk away and recover earnest money if the contract allows. This is not rare: ALTA data shows roughly one in three residential searches turns up a curable problem — most are paperwork, like an old mortgage never released (Kenna Real Estate). A property listed as contingent may be sitting in exactly this cure period.

Watch the effective date

A commitment is a snapshot covering the public records only through its effective date. Between the commitment and closing, the title company runs an updated “bring-down” search to catch anything recorded in the gap, since new liens can attach before the deed records (Opendoor). If your closing is delayed by weeks, ask whether the commitment needs updating.

Sources

Hera Title: What Is a Title Commitment?Schedule structure and reading order (curl: 200, 24 Oct 2026).
TitleRate: Title Search vs. Title CommitmentSearch vs. commitment; B-I and B-II contents (curl: 200, 24 Oct 2026).
Opendoor: Preliminary Title Report GuideTurnaround, search depth, bring-down update (curl: 200, 24 Oct 2026).
ATG Title: Your Closing JourneyCommitment typically issued day 10–14 (curl: 200, 24 Oct 2026).
ActiveRain: Title Commitment in TexasForm T-7 quote; TREC 20-day deadline; buyer termination right (curl: 200, 24 Oct 2026).
Kenna Real Estate: Colorado Title SearchALTA 1-in-3 stat; objection deadline (curl: 200, 24 Oct 2026).