Chicago Title Insurance may overcharge consumers for title insurance during a refinancing.

This is a class action lawsuit against Chicago Title Insurance Company on behalf of all Pensylvania consumers who were overcharged by Chicago Title.

Title insurance in Pennsylvania is pervasively regulated by the Title Insurance Act. The only allowed rates for title insurance are approved by and filed with the Commonwealth's Insurance Commissioner. The approved rates are published in the Manual of the Title Insurance Rating Bureau of Pennsylvania (TIRBOP Manual).

If a property owner applies for title insurance within ten years of obtaining a policy issued on the same property, the reissue rate includes a ten percent discount. TIRBOP Manual 5.3, 5.50. If the application is within three years of a previous policy, the refinance rate is eighty percent of the reissue rate.

Pearl Cohen obtained title insurance on February 24, 1999 for her home in Philadelphia. Within three years, on February 4, 2002, Cohen refinanced her home and claims Chicago Title charged the initial, basic rate for title insurance instead of the lower refinance rate. Cohen refinanced $57,600 and paid $606.75 for title insurance; the schedule rate was $436.86.