Pennsylvanians are paying among the steepest mortgage-related fees in the country, according to a new study by Bankrate.com. Closing costs in the state were the eighth-highest overall, averaging $4,236 on a $200,000 loan, 13 percent higher than the national average of $3,741, the survey said. Costs excluded property taxes, homeowner's insurance and escrow fees.

The actual cost for title search and insurance on a $250,000 home would be a maximum of around $1,600 to $1,750, said Diana Sabol, president of the title association. "I don't know where Bankrate got $2,334" as the average cost, she said.

But a local professor who has been studying the title insurance industry for a number of years and wrote a 2008 book on the subject said title insurance often ends up being more costly for Pennsylvania consumers than the set rates.

"In addition to the authorized rate, title agents can add additional fees, which are not regulated," said Joseph Eaton, professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

A 2008 study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that actual title fees charged in Pennsylvania were an average of 60 percent higher than the official rate, Dr. Eaton said.

Ms. Sabol was unfamiliar with the HUD study.