Bulletin: NY000049

Dear Associates:

It has come to our attention that the deed in Reel 4951 page 319, which purports to convey the captioned premises from Frank Surina and Mary Surina, his wife, to Sondra French, is a forgery, and that both Frank Surina (d.o.d. June 17, 1946) and Mary Surina (d.o.d. March 8, 1964), the last owners of record, were in fact long deceased at the time the forged deed was made. Since these facts are not readily available from the record, you are advised to be aware of this matter. No agent of this Company is authorized to issue a policy of title insurance on the captioned premises, in the absence of completion of an action to quiet title.

The forged deed bears an unreadable notary stamp, a "record and return" to Alan D. Lasher, Esq. and a purported "South Shore Abstract" title number. Please advise your examiners to turn out and note complete copies of any deed in any chain of title which has similar characteristics, in particular a smudged or unreadable notary stamp and a title number from an abstract company which was out of business at the time the deed was made or recorded.

As a general underwriting rule, you will note that the Surinas had taken title in 1943 and the forged conveyance out was in 1993. Where there is an unusually long time between (a) the last deed of record and the closing deed, or (b) between deeds in the chain of title, the following exceptions are proper, and should be raised by the reader:

1. Proof is required to show that the person executing the deed or mortgage at the closing is the same person as the grantee in deed recorded in Liber (Reel, Record Liber)_____ (C)p _____, the certified owner herein.
   
   
2. Proof is required that _______, the grantor in deed in L. (R.L., R.)_____, (C)p _______, is the same person as _______, the grantee in deed in L. (R.L., R.)_____, (C)p _______.

Our thanks to Brian Reardon, President of General Abstract Corp. in Staten Island, for bringing the circumstances of the captioned matter to our attention.