Thank Ed Wood for this one

A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client who lost his house inHurricane Katrina and wanted to rebuild. He was told the loan would begranted if he could prove satisfactory title to the parcel of property beingoffered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, whichtook 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, wenote that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While wecompliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented theapplication, we must point out that you have only cleared title to theproposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can beaccorded, 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 notethat you wish to have title extended further than the 194 years covered bythe present application. I was unaware that any educated person in thiscountry, particularly those working in the property area, would not knowthat Louisiana was purchased, by the U.S., from France in 1803, the year oforigin identified in our application. For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the landprior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France, which had acquired it byRight of Conquest from Spain. The land came into the possession of Spain byRight of Discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named ChristopherColumbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to Indiaby the Spanish monarch, Isabella. The good queen, Isabella, being a piouswoman and almost as careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution ofsecuring the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to financeColumbus' expedition.Now the Pope, as I'm sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, theSon of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore,I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the worldcalled Louisiana. God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and Hisorigins date back to before the beginning of time, the world as we know itand the FHA.I hope you find God's original claim to be satisfactory.Now, may we have our damn loan?"

He got the loan!