The venture into the e-Recording followed visits to other counties that had initiated the e-Recording, said Jessica Lopez, Miami County recorder.
Tim Evans of Evans Title Agency in Tipp City worked with Lopez on implementing the electronic deed transfer/recordings. He said the county was the first in the area offering the full-service electronic recording when it started the service in November.
Evans said the e-Recording leaves a good electronic trail of documents that are easier to store. His company does business primarily in a 15-county area from Allen to Butler. “It is a big step forward,” Evans said.
For the project, the office first purchased land records software to digitize and archive each document submitted whether in paper form or electronically.
The e-Recording involves vendors who provide a portal that allows companies to submit documents electronically. The company chooses which vendor with which to work. The documents previously were hand delivered to the recorder’s office or sent via certified mail or couriers.
Each document that arrives electronically is treated the same as a paper document delivered to the office. The process includes opening and reviewing the document to make sure it meets standards for recording and other requirements, Lopez said. The e-vendor receives a message back with the fee amount along with the recording date/time and a unique document number.
“It saved the submitter the worry of, ‘Did it get lost in the mail?’ and the cost associated with certified mail or a courier system. On the county side, we have the benefit of not having to open the envelope, take it out, scan the document, a lot of physical handling,” Lopez said.
The addition of the county engineer’s map department and the county auditor’s office to the electronic system last year allowed for the e-Recording of a deed and mortgage. The map department needs to check legal descriptions on documents, which then need to go through a transfer at the auditor’s department before a final recording can be done.
“The engineer and auditor jumped on board and have become a part of the process,” Lopez said.
Although electronic service is available, walk-in business is not going away any time soon, she said.
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