Fidlar was kind enough to extend an invitation to not only me, but also Wanda Steudel, President of NALTEA, and Jill Kissell, Vice President of NALTEA, to take part in a fireside chat to present the perspective of the independent abstractors to the county recorders. The conference was mainly held at Fidlar's offices in Davenport, Iowa. They have a beautiful office building and it was a terrific venue for the event.
I believe that there were about 200 recorders, clerks, and others in attendance. It was a great pleasure to meet them - they were all very nice and genuinely concerned about what abstractors and title companies do.
All abstractors should know that they were well represented by Wanda and Jill, who explained what abstractors do and some of the challenges they face. Some of the topics included the off-shoring of the public records, online searching, electronic filing, etc. But it was more than that - we spoke about how a search is prepared, what other offices abstractors rely on, and how technology has helped and hindered the industry (particularly independent abstractors).
Our panel discussion touched on the effect that online records has had on the independent abstractors, such as a loss of some of the easier searches that can now be done remotely - or even through automated means. Many abstractors now find that their work consists of the more difficult searches that cannot be done online or electronically. We also pointed out that as more experienced abstractors retire, there are fewer new abstractors entering the field - and fewer seasoned searchers available to train newbies. One of these days, it may be difficult to find someone who is able to do a "real search" - particularly some of the more complicated ones involving railroads and rivers, or commercial properties.
We also briefly discussed a concern the entire industry should share - with more and more technology making the job easier to do remotely, what will become of the local title insurance market? We know that more and more of the searches are done without requiring a searcher to step foot in the courthouse. We are also seeing more counties accepting electronic filing. Now, several states are adopting legislation allowing electronic signatures and online, remote notarization. Ohio's remote notary law will allow a document to be notarized online regardless of where in the country the parties are located (in some cases the person signing may even be located in another country).
Once the search can be done from anywhere, the closing can be done over the Internet, and the documents can be filed electronically... will the big regional and national lenders even need a local title company? My guess is they will consolidate all of their title and closing operations in a joint venture that they co-own. And, if nobody needs to physically visit the recorders office anymore, will we even need a local county recorder? Or, will we see politicians attempting to centralize real estate records in a state office - or worse, a federal land records registry? They used to say that "all real estate is local," but I wonder if we aren't seeing that beginning to change.
Like I said... it was enlightening. It certainly gave me a new perspective and something to think about on the long drive home.
Unfortunately, I had to get back and I was not able to stay for the full day on Tuesday. But, it sounded like they had some very interesting topics planned, from funding issues and copy costs, to blockchain. Fidlar did a great job hosting this symposium - and it was not a two-day sales pitch by Fidlar. It was a very educational and informative conference relevant to the jobs of the county recorders.
If any recorders get the opportunity - they should go to a future Fidlar symposium! And, again, a big "thank you" to Fidlar for including us in the event and giving us the opportunity to address the audience.
Robert A. Franco
SOURCE OF TITLE