A title commitment exception is not automatically a defect, and a curative task is not automatically a researcher error. ALTA's March 2026 Critical Issues Study reports that 82% of purchase transactions require review of 11 or more documents, 21% involve more than 50, and half use at least nine sources. The study measures production complexity, not a national defect rate.
Compare the right units
| File item | Meaning to preserve |
|---|---|
| Schedule B exception | An item the policy may exclude |
| Recorded instrument | The source document behind the exception |
| Contract title provision | What the seller promised to deliver |
| Objection or response | Whether a party acted within the contract window |
ALTA's study also reports that 59% of respondents identified securing releases for prior mortgages as a significant challenge. That supports a source-fragmentation finding; it does not establish that 59% of transactions have defective title.
A defensible research metric
Report exception resolution by category: released lien, permitted exception, legal-description question, ownership issue, tax item, or unresolved. Include jurisdiction, file type, transaction period, count, and denominator. “Unresolved exception at review cutoff” is more useful than a generic defect count because it preserves what the source actually shows.
When reviewing a contract, compare the title deadline, objection process, seller cure promise, and termination remedy with the commitment and later updates.
Primary source: ALTA Critical Issues Study.
**Professional disclaimer:** This research is informational and not title or legal advice.