Title insurance in Guatemala: First American and Stewart

There is no domestic title-insurance market of the US or Canadian kind; local practice rests on the registry certificate and the notary's public faith, according to a local broker (a commercial claim). First American Title (international division) states that it runs due diligence and issues dollar policies in more than 40 approved countries, with title-search supervision in 35 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, but Guatemala's specific inclusion in that list was not confirmed. Stewart Title offers international policies for cross-border transactions by US companies (the “Global Across the Board” policy, an indemnity contract under US law); its only Latin American subsidiary that issues locally is Mexico (STGMEX), and coverage of Guatemala remains to be confirmed case by case. The regional practice described is that US insurers issue policies over foreign property after due diligence by approved local lawyers.

The research is written in English; quoted figures, source names and the titles of legal instruments stay in the language their source published them in.