Reissue Rates in Colorado: What Qualifies & What It Costs

We issue title policies through First American, one of the country’s largest title underwriters, and Westcor, the largest independent. Both file a rate for property that already carries a qualifying policy. First American files it as a “short-term rate”; Westcor files it as a “reissue rate.” The idea is the same — the new policy costs a percentage of the standard (basic) premium rather than all of it.

The rate follows the property, not the carrier. Neither manual asks who issued the prior policy, so it does not have to be one of ours, and an owner’s, loan, or leasehold policy all count. First American asks how it was issued: in conjunction with a recorded mortgage to an institutional lender, or a recorded deed to a bona fide purchaser for value — a good-faith buyer. That covers an ordinary purchase or refinance and rules out a quitclaim between family members. Westcor asks only for satisfactory evidence that a prior policy exists.

Percentage of the standard (basic) rate, by age of the prior policy

Age of prior policy	First American	Westcor
Age of prior policy	Purchase	Purchase · owner’s	Refinance · loan
Year 1	55%	50%	50%
Year 2	60%	50%	60%
Year 3	75%	50%	70%
Year 4	75%	70%	70%
Year 5	75%	70%	80%
Year 6	—	70%	80%
Year 7+	—	—	—

Scroll for Westcor →

— no tier; the full standard rate applies. Westcor files two rates — one on the owner’s policy, a separate one on the loan policy at refinance. First American files one, covering the owner’s, leasehold or loan policy — but it does not reach refinances, where Appendix 4B governs (4A if the loan policy is bundled). Commercial: 50% within 10 years at First American, 5 years at Westcor. Tiers reflect the filed manuals effective September 1, 2026 (First American) and May 1, 2026 (Westcor) — for planning, not disclosure. Ask us for a written quote before you disclose.

What we need from you

The policy itselfA copy in hand, not a borrower’s recollection. It is usually in the closing package from the last transaction, with the prior lender, or with the title company that closed it. First American needs it before closing; Westcor accepts satisfactory evidence.
Ask at applicationNot the week of closing. On a commercial file First American requires the prior policy before the commitment issues, so a late arrival can miss the window entirely.

Four places this gets quoted wrong

Refinances are the trap. First American’s short-term rate expressly does not apply to a refinance. Quoting a refi off that ladder is the most common error we see — its filed refinance rate governs instead.
Westcor won’t stack. Its reissue rate and its bundled refinance rate cannot be combined. We run both and charge whichever filed rate is lower.
Count from the prior policy, not your file. First American measures its five years from the prior policy’s effective date to the date your order comes in — a policy that feels four years old is often already five. Westcor’s ladders set no measuring date, so on a file sitting near a tier line the two carriers can land differently. Send us the policy before you quote it.
$175 is a simultaneous-issue rate, not a standing price. In the counties we work, both carriers price a plain loan policy at $175 when a full-value policy issues alongside it — which is why, on a purchase, the percentage tiers effectively land on the owner’s policy. Take the owner’s policy away and First American prices off its Appendix 3 schedule instead: $550 on a $400,000 loan, not $175. A bundled loan policy goes to Appendix 3 the same way. Construction, junior and new-home loans sit outside First American’s short-term rate entirely.

Common questions

What is a reissue rate?

A filed rate that applies when the property being insured already carries a qualifying title policy. Instead of paying 100% of the standard (basic) premium, the new policy is written at a percentage of it — between 50% and 80%, depending on how old the prior policy is and which underwriter issues the new one. In Colorado every one of these rates is filed with the Division of Insurance and charged exactly as filed.

Does the prior policy have to be from the same title company?

No. Neither filed manual conditions the rate on who issued the prior policy, and an owner’s, loan, or leasehold policy all count. First American does condition it on how the prior policy was issued: in conjunction with a recorded mortgage to an institutional lender, or a recorded deed to a bona fide — good-faith — purchaser for value. An ordinary purchase or refinance clears that; a quitclaim between family members does not. Either way you need to produce a copy of the policy.

Does a reissue rate apply on a refinance?

At Westcor, yes — it files a separate reissue rate for the loan policy on a refinance, reaching back six years. At First American, no: its short-term rate expressly does not apply to a refinance, and its filed refinance rate governs instead. This is the single most common place a refi gets quoted wrong.

My buyer is skipping the owner’s policy. Does that change the lender’s side?

Yes, and by more than most people expect. The $175 lender’s policy is a simultaneous-issue rate — it exists because a full-value policy is being issued alongside it. With no owner’s policy, First American charges 100% of its Appendix 3 schedule instead: $550 on a $400,000 loan. Worth raising with the borrower before they decline.

How far back does it reach?

First American reaches five years on a residential purchase and ten years on a commercial file. Westcor reaches six years on the owner’s side and six on a refinance loan policy, and five years commercially. So a six-year-old policy is still worth something at Westcor and nothing at First American.

What do I need to send you?

The property address and a copy of the prior title policy. We will price the file under each underwriter’s filed manual and tell you which rate applies. You do not need to open an order first.

Educational only — not legal or tax advice. Reissue and short-term rates are filed with the Colorado Division of Insurance and charged exactly as filed; eligibility, tiers, and premiums follow the policy issued and vary by transaction. Figures are for planning, not for disclosure — request a written quote before disclosing. Policies underwritten through First American (rates effective September 1, 2026) and Westcor / WLTIC (rates effective May 1, 2026). Underwriter market-share rankings per ALTA, Q1 2026. As of September 2026.