The executive order signed on October 22, 2026 covers several housing-cost measures: a mortgage insurance cancellation pilot, a manufactured housing task force, and lower rates on USDA and VA direct loans. One provision is aimed squarely at title insurance. According to the White House fact sheet, the order "directs the FHFA Director to reduce homeowners’ refinancing costs by expanding the FHFA’s title insurance waiver pilot into a permanent program to allow more borrowers to utilize cost-friendly alternatives to title insurance."
We covered the pilot itself when the FHFA first talked about growing it in June; our explainer on the Fannie Mae title waiver walks through how it works. This article is about what the new order adds.
- The order tells the FHFA to make the title waiver pilot permanent. It applies to refinances, not purchases.
- Reported details include raising the 80% loan-to-value ceiling, adding providers and dropping geographic limits. The final order text and the FHFA's rules will set the actual terms.
- A waiver replaces the lender's policy. Your owner's policy from when you bought is not affected and keeps protecting you.
- Nothing changes on a Florida refinance today. The program still has to be built out by the FHFA and adopted by lenders.
What the order says
The White House fact sheet describes the goal in one sentence: make the waiver pilot permanent so more borrowers can use alternatives to title insurance and pay less to refinance. Coverage of the order in the mortgage trade press adds that the FHFA is directed to:
- Raise the current 80% loan-to-value ceiling, so borrowers with less equity could qualify.
- Bring in more providers of the automated title reviews that stand in for a lender's policy.
- Drop the geographic limits that currently confine the pilot to certain areas.
The same order separately directs the FHFA to waive appraisals and income re-verification on limited cash-out refinances that lower the borrower's monthly payment. That is a different provision, but it points the same way: fewer steps and lower costs on a refinance.
Where this applies: loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, on refinances. A home purchase still requires a lender's title policy, and a cash purchase has no lender at all.
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What is still unknown
When this was written, the White House had published a fact sheet but the full order text was not yet posted, and the FHFA had not announced how or when the permanent program will work. The open questions that matter most for Florida homeowners:
- The new loan-to-value limit. Reports say the 80% ceiling will rise, but not to what.
- Which reviews qualify. An automated review reads public records. Who stands behind it if it misses something, and for how much, will decide how much risk moves to borrowers and lenders.
- Timing. Agencies usually take months to turn an order into lender guidelines, and lenders then decide whether to offer it.
Analysts at KBW told HousingWire they expect a limited effect on the title industry, since refinances are roughly 7% of title premiums, and warned that extending waivers to purchases would carry more risk because there is no scalable alternative to a traditional title search.
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Your owner's policy is not affected
This is the point most coverage skips. On a refinance there are two kinds of title protection in play:
- The lender's policy on the new loan protects the lender. This is what a waiver would replace.
- The owner's policy you bought when you purchased the home protects you, and it stays in force as long as you or your heirs own the property. A refinance does not end it, and the order does not touch it.
If a forged deed, a missed lien or an unknown heir turns up years from now, the owner's policy is what defends your ownership. That is why we still recommend one on every purchase; here is what it covers.
What to check before you refinance
If your lender offers a waiver once the program is permanent, ask three questions before you accept it:
- How much does it actually save? In Florida the lender's premium is set by the state, and refinances often qualify for a discounted rate. Run your numbers on our reissue rate calculator so you are comparing real figures.
- Is a title search still being done? An automated review checks public records. A full search and examination also catches problems like unreleased mortgages, judgment liens and open permits before closing.
- Who pays if something is missed? Without a lender's policy, the cost of a title defect can land on the lender, and lenders can look to the borrower. Why cutting title insurance shifts risk explains how.
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Submit a Contract →We will update this page when the FHFA publishes the rules. Until then, Florida refinances close the way they do today.
Related Reading
Fannie Mae Is Expanding Title Waivers
How the waiver pilot works and who qualifies.
Why Cutting Title Insurance Shifts Risk
Where the risk goes when the policy goes.
What Does Title Insurance Actually Cover?
The owner's policy, in plain English.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the executive order get rid of title insurance?
No. It directs the FHFA to make its title insurance waiver pilot permanent for refinances. Home purchases still require a lender's policy, and owner's policies are not affected.
When will the title waiver be available on my Florida refinance?
Not yet. The FHFA still has to set the program's rules and lenders have to choose to offer it. Until then, Florida refinances close with a lender's title policy as they do today.
Does a refinance cancel my owner's title policy?
No. Your owner's policy stays in force as long as you or your heirs own the home. A refinance, with or without a waiver, does not end it.
Who qualifies for the title waiver?
The current pilot covers certain refinances of loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with a loan-to-value ratio under 80% in specific areas. Reports say the order raises that ceiling and drops the geographic limits, but the FHFA has not published the new terms.
Is a waiver always cheaper?
It lowers the up-front cost. Whether it saves money overall depends on what a missed title problem would cost and who pays for it, which is why a full title search still matters.