Answer:  Title insurance protects a policyholder against challenges to rightful ownership of real property, challenges that arise from circumstances of past ownerships.  You should remember that title to your real estate doesn’t begin when a house is built on the land; it is the title to the land itself that you are purchasing.  If a claim is made against your insured title, A Title Insurance Company protects you by: (1) Defending your title, in court if necessary, at no cost to you, and (2) Bearing the cost of settling the case, if it proves valid, in order to protect your title and maintain your possession of your property.  An owner’s title policy, once purchased, does not have to be renewed nor does it expire as long as the same owners own the property.