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
you
want Government running
health care?
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