Trust and POA Review

Image Description
Texas-based PPDocs offers Trust and Power of Attorney document review services, either as an adjunct to our transaction document preparation services, or as a standalone service where the parties to a real estate transaction desire an independent assessment of trust and power of attorney documentation.

“Routine” real estate transactions are now more the exception than the rule. Buyers, sellers, lenders, and title companies can all be in different states. Signatures and documents are exchanged electronically. Revised RESPA and Truth in Lending disclosure regulations increase the burden on all parties to prepare documents well before a closing date, as errors and corrections to those documents can delay or prevent a closing altogether.

When real estate transactions involve Living Trusts or one or more Powers of Attorney, the prospects for errors are further increased. To avoid problems with the documentation in these transactions, enlist the help of PPDocs, Inc.


Breakdown



The Challenge


Every state and jurisdiction has its own laws and regulations that apply to Trust and Power of Attorney documents. All parties to a real estate transaction, including the buyer, seller and lender, have incentives to review those documents, but maintaining the document library and expertise to cover all applicable state laws and regulations is impractical.

The Solution


PPDocs has a staff of experienced attorneys and real estate transaction personnel who are up to date on all Trust and Power of Attorney laws in jurisdictions across the country. Our attorneys save the transaction parties both time and financial resources with their ability to analyze Trust and Power of Attorney documents quickly, and to verify that those documents are in full compliance with closing requirements.




Review Services

PPDocs Review Services for Trust Documents


A property owner might establish an Inter Vivos or “Living” Trust to hold title to a real estate parcel in order to conserve or protect that property for beneficiaries named in the Trust documents. Any transfer of property either to or from a Trust will be valid only if the trustee has proper authority to approve the transfer and to execute the documents required to close the deal. PPDocs will review the Trust documents to verify this authority in any jurisdiction.

Some of the more common problems that our Trust document review services can help to prevent are:

  • • Verification that the Trust has properly named a trustee, and that trustee is authorized to take title to the property. The Trust itself is a relationship among various parties and it generally does not take or hold title to a property itself. A court can designate a trustee if a Trust document fails to do so, but the court’s choice might be at odds with the Trust grantor’s or the beneficiaries’ choice.

  • • Property held in a Trust can be transferred out of it only by the trustee unless the Trust documents state that the beneficiaries have the sole power to direct the trustee’s actions. Again, the issue is whether a trustee or the beneficiaries have proper authority, per the Trust documents, to take the necessary actions to close a transaction.

  • • Trusts that include open classes of beneficiaries (e.g. unborn or unnamed children) pose questions regarding the trustee’s authority to transfer or take property on behalf of those beneficiaries. Different state laws can treat this question differently, and confer different powers or authority on the trustee.


PPDocs Review Services for Powers of Attorney


One or more parties to a real estate transaction might execute a durable power of attorney (POA) to appoint an agent to execute documents on his or her behalf. The POA enables a closing to proceed when the person who executed it is unavailable, for example, due to travel or poor health. The extent of and limits on the agent’s authority are generally defined in the POA document.

As a result of new real estate closing regulations, lenders and finance entities will accept POAs only if they are in strict compliance with the form and content requirements imposed by those regulations. A lender’s legal department will typically request copies of a POA in advance of the closing to verify that it complies with applicable regulations.

POA document review services from PPDocs will give the parties to a transaction greater assurances that the lender will accept the POA without amendments or revisions that could delay the closing.

SVG

Request your demo below!

Request Demo

or call support at 817.461.5500 for additional information and assistance.

SVG

Need Help? Contact us.

Whether it's just to chat, requesting a demo, or ready to get started. We're ready to talk to you!

Contact us