Out of the almost 2 dozen counties my company covers, only one is online and that is Virginia Beach.  They have ways to check cross indexes such as names and legals and such BUT every other place I cover, the county computers in the courthouses you can only check by name.  Thats it.  And assignments are files under the ORIGINAl borrowers name.  So if the loan was assumed during a sale, you have to check the original borrower, but safer to check them both.