rust Powers
In 1887, Illinois passed the General Trust Company Act, which granted qualified corporations the right to act as executor, administrator, guardian and trustee, and as fiduciary in other capacities. In that same year the Handy firm was succeeded by the Title Guarantee and Trust Co., which qualified as a trust company under the new act.

Thus, Chicago Title and Trust Co. derives its trust powers by succession from the first trust company authorized under the General Trust Company Act of 1887.

First Title Policy
In 1888 came another action giving Chicago real estate owners a new and far more complete protection of their titles to real estate. The Title Guarantee and Trust Co. issued the first title guarantee policy in Illinois, protecting the owner against loss if the title as guaranteed was found invalid.

It was a new kind of protection, more commonly known today as real estate title insurance. To Chicago it brought a new element of stability in property ownership. Now, since titles were insured, Chicagoans needed no longer fear that the ghost of a former owner would rise out of the past to threaten the ownership of their homes or businesses. Loans were more available to property buyers and home builders, and Chicago's growth was given a new impetus. The company was now settled on Washington Street between Dearborn and Clark streets, where it and its successors were to be until 1947. Three years later, in 1891, the name of the company was changed to Chicago Title and Trust Co.

Through the years, Chicago Title and Trust Co. has grown along with Chicago. It was not until the 1920s that the scope of the company's business was extended beyond Cook County, Ill. In December 1930, a small regional office was established in Springfield, Ill. In the late 1940s, Chicago Title and Trust Co. moved to 111 W. Washington St. and continued developing and expanding its extensive statewide organization.

The 1950's was a decade of looking beyond the borders of Illinois. These efforts were so successful that on Aug. 30, 1961, a separate entity was created to do national title insurance business as a wholly owned subsidiary of Chicago Title and Trust Co. - Chicago Title Insurance Co.