I bought my house in 1999 and refinanced in 2003. No title issues were raised. I am now in the process of refinancing again.

The title company now finds that the former owner''s bank still has a lien on the property. My attorney has been attempting to get the bank to submit the proper documents to the county to indicate that the loan has been satisfied and that it has no interest in the property. I am unclear as to how much effort the attorney has made, but the bank has failed to release it''s lien for more than 40 days after it was notified. Until it does, the title company will not issue insurance and the mortgage lender will not lend. Do I have any recourse to this bank ( one of the largest in the US ) for erroneously holding a lien on my property? And what of the title companies that gave clear title when this bank had a lien on the property?