www.dsnews.com/articles/los-angeles-adopts-mers-system-2010-09-01

"As an alternative to its registry of foreclosed properties and property preservation contacts for vacant properties, the city of Los Angeles is adopting the MERS System, an electronic loan registry that acts as a nominee in county land records on behalf of lenders and servicers."

“We’re able to see these benefits more quickly while saving on the city budget by partnering with MERS, whose system is immediately available and already in use by many property preservation companies.”

Not many details in the article, such as how much of an "official" source this is for the county, and what it is used for beyond how described.