Are you open at this time? 
We are open for business and working hard to assist you with your transaction. March 22, 2020, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin issued a memorandum affirming that the type of financial services title companies conduct is considered an essential critical infrastructure business. During this pandemic, we do ask for your understanding and patience as we are all learning to navigate this new way of transacting business during a pandemic. Though we are open, our doors may be closed or locked during this time of social distancing. It is also likely you may experience unforeseen delays and encounter situations no one may have an immediate answer. You can be assured we are working hard to find solutions while keeping everyone’s health and well being at the forefront of all our decisions. Currently our office hours are 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. We are closed all major holidays.

Can I drop in to your lobby? 
Unfortunately our lobbies are closed to the public at this time. Our lobby is only open by appointment only. As much we want to see everyone, we are advised to limit the number of interactions within our offices to those who must be here to sign documents only. We all look forward to when we can reconnect and see have you swing by for coffee or conversation again. 

Can I schedule a time to get a notary for documents unrelated to an escrow transaction?
Ordinarily we would welcome an opportunity to assist you with a courtesy notary, however, in an effort to limit the number of people coming into our offices, because of social distancing, we are not able to assist with those requests at this time.

Can I still drop off documents or other items needed?  
Both our Bend and Redmond branches have secure drop locations for your convenience. The Bend branch drop is a box located just outside the north main building doors. The Redmond branch has a mail slot in the right main entrance door located just below eye level. We appreciate your use of these drop sites as to help comply with social distancing. 

Who can attend a signing?
Per the CDC and Governor Brown’s executive order, we are taking every precaution and practicing social distancing measures. To that end, we request that only those having to sign documents attend signings. If your agent or lender wish to participate in the signing, we are happy to explore technological solutions such as “Face-Time”, conference calls, or other mediums to accommodate such interactions. 

Should I continue with my transaction?
We will continue to work hard in accommodating your transaction during this time. If you are uncertain about moving forward, we suggest contacting your realtor, lender or other real estate professional to determine your best course of action. Unless instructed otherwise by you, we will continue to proceed in processing your transaction as usual. 

What is the status of the County Clerk’s Office? 
Currently the county clerk’s offices are open and accepting recordings. We are currently able to record the pertinent deeds or other documents associated with your transaction(s). For more information you can visit Deschutes County’s website at www.deschutes.org.

If the lender has funded and the county clerk’s office closes or is unable to record do I have to pay interest on the loan? 

We cannot speculate on how your lender will charge interest in such an instance, please contact your lender or loan officer for more information regarding when your interest is due. However, in this circumstance, our underwriter, Old Republic Title, will insure the transaction if it closes, but due to the COVID19 Pandemic the county is closed and unable to record. We will still be able to disburse funds and “Gap Insurance” will be included in your policy to insure the time between the time of closing and when we are finally able to record the associated documents with the county upon reopening.

If I am receiving funds after closing how do I get my money?

Given social distancing measures, we recommend letting us mail a check to you. If mailing a check is not possible, we may be able to offer depositing the funds directly into your bank account. Right now we cannot offer to have you come pick it up as we are required to limit the amount of public interaction within our office until social distancing measure change.

What options do I have if I am not wanting to come into your office to sign?

We can send most documents via electronic format for e-signatures. If a notary is required for certain documents, you can at least limit your time in our offices by e-signing all the other documents. Another option is, we can refer you to a mobile notary, where a third party notary will come to your location. There may be additional fees for this accommodation so please contact your escrow officer for more information. If you are exhibiting any signs of illness, it is likely this will delay the close your transaction. It is best to contact your real estate agent and/or loan officer to determine the best course of action.

How do I contact my escrow officer?
With the high volume of calls currently, we suggest you email your escrow officer. Please be patient during this time and know we are fully committed to getting back to you as soon as possible. You can click here to access a list of our staff emails.