ediverse

Type to search across standards, messages, tools and glossary.

ediverse Explore the platform

Spotlight PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 The EU e-invoicing mandate is here — France Sept 2026, Belgium Jan 2026, Germany 2025.

— 01

Foundations

— 02

Standards

— 03

Flagship messages

— 04

Tools

X12 197 — Real Estate Title Evidence

The 197 transmits title evidence — title insurance policy, title commitment, abstract — from a title company to a lender or investor.

Purpose

The 197 documents the official title evidence required to close a real estate sale or financing: issued title insurance policy, listed exceptions, coverage amount, effective date. It serves as archived proof for the lender and secondary market.

It complements the 262 (Real Estate Information Report) by carrying the title insurance binding rather than just the inquiry report. Acknowledged by 997.

Envelope structure

The 197 travels within the three X12 envelope levels (ISA/IEA, GS/GE with functional group RE, and ST/SE). Didactic example in release 004010:

x12 example-197.x12 
ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*TITLECOMPANY  *ZZ*MORTGAGELENDER*260515*1700*U*00401*000000197*0*P*>~
GS*RE*TITLECOMPANY*MORTGAGELENDER*20260515*1700*1*X*004010~
ST*197*0001~
BGN*00*TE-2026-0099*20260515~
N1*PR*XYZ TITLE INSURANCE*24*EIN-TITLE~
N1*LE*ACME MORTGAGE LENDER*24*EIN-LENDER~
REF*ZZ*PROPERTY-1234-ELM-ST~
REF*ZZ*POLICY-TI-2026-7788~
DTM*090*20260601~
AMT*FA*385000.00~
MSG*ALTA LOAN POLICY 2021~
SE*10*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000197~

Common segments

  • Header — ST, BGN.
  • Title Company / Lender — N1*PR, N1*LE.
  • Property / Policy — REF*ZZ (property), REF*ZZ (policy number).
  • Effective date — DTM*090.
  • Coverage — AMT*FA (face amount), MSG (ALTA form).
  • Summary — SE.

Common pitfalls

  • ALTA form versioning: the 2006 ALTA loan policy and 2021 ALTA loan policy have different exceptions; always carry the exact version in MSG.
  • Owner vs Loan policy: an owner title policy does not cover the lender — the 197 must list both if the transaction covers both.
  • Endorsements: ALTA endorsements (8.1, 9, 22-06, etc.) are critical add-ons; omitting them makes coverage insufficient for the secondary market.

Documentation

The code 197 and the name Real Estate Title Evidence are public and listed on x12.org/products/transaction-sets. The complete structure of loops, qualifiers and code lists is distributed by DISA via the proprietary Implementation Guides (TR3). ediverse.io covers only public concepts, the envelope and didactic examples.