Title Dating Back to Its Origin

For those of you who have had to deal with governmental
agencies, this will strike a familiar and then satisfying
chord.....


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 letter):


"Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan
application, we note that 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 that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral
proper 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 letter):


"Your letter regarding title in Case No. 189156 has been
received. I note that you wish to have title extended further
than the 194 years covered by the present application. I was
unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly
those working in the property area, would not know that
Louisiana was purchased by the U.S. 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
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
then reigning monarch, Isabella.


The good queen, being a pious woman and careful about titles,
almost as much as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the
blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to fund
Columbus' expedition. Now the Pope, as I'm sure you 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 that He also made
that part of the world called Louisiana. He, therefore, would be
the owner of origin. I hope you find His original claim to be
satisfactory. Now, may we have our loan?"


They got it.