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Source of Title Blog : Public Records

Thank you, Fidlar Technologies!
by Robert Franco | 2019/05/26

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a two-day educational symposium hosted by Fidlar Technologies, for the county recorders who use Fidlar's technology.  In fact, it was their 12th annual symposium; the theme was "You are Still the Source."  The focus of the keynote presentation was on demonstrating how the county recorders' information is used by the real estate industry, and others.  It was a great event - educational and enlightening.

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Categories: Abstractors, Public Officials, Public Records, Technology, Title Industry

Source of Title Blog :: 1 comments ::

Exploring Blockchain and Its Application to Real Estate Titles
by Robert Franco | 2019/01/13

I'm going to admit it -- I do not understand blockchain.  And, I do not like it when I don't understand something.  I have tried to read some articles and I've watched YouTube videos in an attempt to get a better grasp of the technology.  Unfortunately, it remains an elusive concept.  My goal this year is to figure it out.  If this is going to be a technology that government offices adopt to maintain our public real property records, that has the potential to eliminate title companies and attorneys in real estate transactions, I want to know how it works.      

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Categories: Attorneys, Innovation, Public Records, Technology, Title Industry

Source of Title Blog :: 1 comments ::

The Ohio House Sneaks a Massive Recording Fee Increase into the New Budget Bill
by Robert Franco | 2017/04/25

It was kept relatively quiet, though rumors have been circulating for a few weeks. Today the Ohio House of Representatives introduced a substitute budget bill that includes a massive increase in recording fees. Some documents will cost more than double if this version of the budget passes.  

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Categories: Ohio Legislation, Public Records, Title Industry

Source of Title Blog :: 0 comments ::

We Need New Policies or Laws for Computer Indexing
by Robert Franco | 2012/08/14

I had the pleasure of attending the Ohio Association of Independent Title Agent's conference yesterday.  The OAITA is a great organization and they provided some excellent discussion at this year's conference.  One particular speaker gave me an opportunity to ask a question that has been on my mind for quite some time; the speaker was Rick Campbell, President of the Ohio Recorders Association and Stark County Recorder.  I asked him if there was a state-wide policy of noting in the index when corrections were made.

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Categories: Abstractors, Ohio Legislation, Opportunities, Public Officials, Public Records

Source of Title Blog :: 1 comments ::

Confidential Information Presents Challenges for Searching Titles
by Robert Franco | 2009/12/29

Recently, I have had numerous problems searching titles because relevant information has been removed from probate files pursuant to Ohio law which makes it "confidential."  While I can certainly understand the need to protect individuals privacy, this creates a real problem for title professionals, and potentially homeowners.  If omitted confidential information could result in a lien on someone's home, there is a real hazard waiting for a title searcher.

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Categories: Abstractors, Ohio Legislation, Public Officials, Public Records, Title Problems

Source of Title Blog :: 2 comments ::

New No-No's In Ohio
by Robert Franco | 2009/07/02

This month in Ohio, House Bill 525 went into effect requiring very strict formatting on documents to be recorded in the recorders' offices across the state.    Any document that does not conform will be be accepted ONLY if an additional $20 recording fee is paid.  It seems, like many well-intentioned laws, this one too will come with some unexpected consequences.  There are several common practices that may end up costing title companies lots of extra money if they aren't very careful. 

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Categories: Abstractors, Notaries Public, Ohio Legislation, Public Records, Small Agents, Title Industry

Source of Title Blog :: 4 comments ::

I'm Out Of The Office For One Day And Someone Steals The Empire State Building
by Robert Franco | 2008/12/03

Thank you to Robert Breakell and George Booth for posting the link to the story in the forums.  It really should be no surprise, but it is probably the biggest hoax in the city since George C. Parker sold the Brooklyn Bridge in the 19th century.  Parker allegedly sold the bridge twice a week for years. 

Apparently, in an effort to demonstrate how easy it is to file a fraudulent deed, the Daily News forged the documents necessary to "swipe the Empire State Building."  It only took them about 90 minutes to steal the New York landmark.  Unfortunately, they have just educated many crooks that will likely encourage more deed fraud.  And, the "loophole" they cite as the flaw that made it possible, shows a real lack of understanding of the way our industry works.

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Categories: Fraudulent Transfers, Notaries Public, Public Officials, Public Records

Source of Title Blog :: 2 comments ::

Free Speech And The Hypocrisy Of Government
by Robert Franco | 2008/08/29

We have all known for a long time that our public real estate records contain Social Security numbers.  Many advocates have worked long and hard to let our government know about the hazards of placing those records in the public domain of the Internet; yet, counties across the country continue to do so.  Some states have even mandated that those records be available online.  So, the big question is... Can the government do that and then pass a law prohibiting anyone else from doing the same thing?  The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has provided an answer.

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Categories: Public Records, Virginia Legislation

Source of Title Blog :: 4 comments ::

Screw it! It's Too Difficult.
by Robert Franco | 2008/08/06

There is a very interesting article in the Detroit Free Press about a man who found his Social Security number in the county's online records and how Wayne County handles these situations.  It is estimated that the number of documents in Wayne County that contain Social Security numbers is in the hundreds of thousands.  With the Federal Trade Commission estimating that identity theft costs approximately nine million Americans $50 billion per year, surely Wayne County has a comprehensive plan to redact vulnerable information from their records.... ummm... nope.

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Categories: Public Records, Technology

Source of Title Blog :: 2 comments ::

Disappearing Documents
by Robert Franco | 2008/08/01

Source of Title recently ran a feature on documents that were discovered missing from the online records in two counties (see Title Examiner Discovers Documents Missing from Online Database). These incidents appear to have been limited to the online databases, but it should give us all pause for concern.  If this can happen with the online records, how can we be sure that the records we access in the courthouse, maintained by the same companies, are not subject to the same inconsistencies?  Truth be told... documents have disappeared from the computers at the courthouse too.

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Categories: Abstractors, Public Records, Technology

Source of Title Blog :: 22 comments ::

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Source of Title Blog

Robert A. FrancoThe focus of this blog will be on sharing my thoughts and concerns related to the small title agents and abstractors. The industry has changed dramatically over the past ten years and I believe that we are just seeing the beginning. As the evolution continues, what will become of the many small independent title professionals who have long been the cornerstone of the industry?

Robert A. Franco
SOURCE OF TITLE

 

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