Part of rebuilding New Orleans caused residents often to be
challenged with the task of tracing home titles back potentially hundreds of
years. With a community rich with history stretching back over two
centuries, houses have been passed along through generations of family,
sometimes making it quite difficult to establish ownership. Here's a great
letter an attorney wrote to the FHA on behalf of a client:
You have to love this lawyer...
A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told
the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel
of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated
back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down. After
sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply:
(Actual reply from FHA):
"Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan
application, we note the request is supported by an Abstract of Title.
While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented
the application, we must point out you have only cleared title to the
proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can be
accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin."
Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows:
(Actual response):
"Your letter regarding title in Case No.189156 has been
received. I note you wish to have title extended further than the 206 years
covered by the present application.
I was unaware any educated person in this country,
particularly those working in the property area, would not know Louisiana
was purchased by the United States from France in 1803, the year of origin
identified in our application. For the edification of uninformed FHA
bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to U.S. ownership was obtained from
France , which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain . The land
came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in the year
1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the
privilege of seeking a new route to India by the Spanish monarch, Queen
Isabella.
The good Queen Isabella, being a pious woman and almost as
careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the
blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to finance Columbus 'S
expedition. Now the Pope, as I'm sure you may know, is the emissary of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this
world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume God also made the part of
the world called Louisiana . God, therefore, would be the owner of origin
and his origins date back to before the beginning of time, the world as we
know it, and the FHA. I hope you find God's original claim to be
satisfactory. Now, may we have our loan?"
The loan was immediately approved.
And the Government wants to run health care?
