Surface Title Examination

We recommend that all purchasers of real property in Oklahoma obtain Title Insurance as part of their transaction. If you want Ryan and Alee to examine title on your purchase, we recommend asking your preferred title or closing company if they can send the abstract to Gossen and Schaller for exam. We are not set up to handle real estate closings or the issuance of title insurance in our office.

In Oklahoma, a typical real estate transaction is facilitated by a title and/or closing company that is chosen by the parties. As part of this transaction, an Attorney will examine a certified abstract of title and render an Attorney’s Title Opinion which identifies the surface owners of the property and any lienholders or other parties that might be encumbering or clouding title. The buyer and lender to a transaction may each opt to purchase a policy of title insurance based on that Attorney Opinion. In other cases, parties will forego title insurance and rely only on that Attorney’s Opinion. Whether you are a lender, buyer, investor, or title insurance agent, you want to rely on a title attorney with experience that you can trust.  

Beginning with rendering loan opinions for rural lenders and continuing through his time at First American and Munson & McMillin, Ryan has spent his entire legal career focusing on surface title. In addition to standard residential and commercial attorney opinions, Ryan has read title for a number of special projects, including condemnation and purchase opinions for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Turnpike expansion project, property owned by St. Gregory’s University following its dissolution as a university, and an expansion to the Enid airport. Ryan is experienced and comfortable with the use of digital abstracts and reading title to allotted Native American lands. In addition to this experience, Ryan also has served as an active member of the Oklahoma Title Examination Standards Committee for years.

Having rendered title opinions in more than 72 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties, Ryan is familiar with how underwriting standards can change from one part of the state to another, and always works with his title insurance agent clients to tailor his exams to the local concerns of his clients.