Dear Jimmy and JD - I am sorry that you have lost your business because of what is going on.  I certainly had to restructure my business to the changing markets.  In my case, I choose to increase my counties that include counties that are not anywhere near being online much less on a computer.  I have also increased my client base because no matter what company chooses to use the online services there are certain orders they cannot find nor can they actually complete the order depending on the type of search.  I have utlized this method waiting for "the walls to come crashing in" and I think that is happening.  Too many mistakes, too many errors and too much liability is catching up on everyone and everything.  I personally found 2 closings that occurred after 2 local attorneys had filed AJ on properties.  They are both going after the title companies.  That was a 100% defect rate by anyone asking me to see if there was a closing after their AJ was filed.  I try to do my part in letting my clients know that online searches are not many times "official public" records nor do they have the search capabilities we have at the courthouse in order to cross-reference all our work which picks up errors in indexing by name and also in many of my online counties - the only way we can pick up assignments and releases on a property.  For example, one of my counties - Collin county - is on the Collin county online site but is not even done by the county clerk's office - it is done by the appraisal district.  No certification date - it is not done by them.  This site contains so many errors I cannot even go to the extent of listing.  Anyone utilizing this online site has to be crazy when it has to do with depending on legal documentation and the drafting of it.  I have done test runs myself running a name and seeing what is displayed and then going to the courthouse - in every case, every time I found more at the courthouse - bar none - and that doesn't even include when I'm able to use the additional resource of running the property by the legal description at the courthouse - our cross-referencing capability to guarantee a good search. 

Instead of going out of business, some people have chosen to take part-time night jobs to supplement themselves through this adjustment time and while I have not had to go this route - I think because I never stopped marketing - I did go this route when I first started and was building my clientele.  I learned my lesson in yr 2000 when interest rates were so high no one was buying new homes.  Title fell in a matter of months to an all time flat - I learned to diverse my business to include other services and try and balance it accordingly thinking if this would happen to the economy this service would drop but the other services might increase during this time.  It's all part of being a business owner.  Always retain your professional standards, integrity and honesty - because what goes around comes around and I know that some of the companies that may have put you out of your business may end up losing their own in the process when push comes to shove and the errors show up.  When the lending institutions and title companies complain and find out it wasnt an abstractor or person physically doing the search at the courthouse it will come back on them and some of these companies one client may mean millions to them not like thousands to us.  There are also abstractors that have started the online searching because pricing has dropped so much because the thought was it could be done online.  I'm sure these are the ones that are coming up with the missed AJ's, etc.  To do the online search the abstractor risked their honesty and integrity because they knew better - they knew the courthouse had a much more sophisticated system and they too will be weeded out.  I believe that once the weeding takes place the volume of work will resume.