Morrisville, N.C. – The number of counties that are electronically recording documents surpassed600 during the month of February according to Richard Bramhall, president of the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA). Electronic recording (eRecording) is the automated process in a land records office of receipt, examination, fee calculation and payment, endorsing of recording information and return of recorded electronic documents. eRecording improves the quality of data, reduces turn-around times and provides significant cost savings for those who utilize it, when compared to manual processes.
“Between April 2010 and February 2011, the number of counties committing to the eRecording process increased by 20 percent,” said Linn County (Iowa) Recorder andPRIA Technology Committee Co-chair, Joan McCalmant. “As the PRIA eRecording standards continue to mature, the number of counties leveraging this technology is rapidly expanding.”
According to PRIA’s tracking system, it took from the late 1990s until August 2006 to reach the 200 eRecording counties mark. That number has now more than tripled in the ensuing four and one-half years.
“It’s exciting to see so many counties embracing this technology and, along with the technology, the PRIA standards,” said Bramhall.
PRIA, the national standard-setting body for the land records industry, maintains a list of counties that have implemented eRecording technology and posts the list on the association’s Website (www.pria.us). The list includes counties whose implementations have been confirmed by PRIA. “We are confident the actual number of eRecording counties is higher than what we publish, but the list is limited to those counties that have been accurately verified,” said Technology Consultant Mark Ladd.
The names of the eRecording counties are available to the public, while PRIA members have access to a more detailed list which includes contact information for the counties, as well as the individual county’s technology vendor(s). The list is continually updated by the PRIA Technology Consultant who tracks down reports of new eRecording-enabled counties from a variety of sources.
“PRIA has worked diligently to develop XML standards and promote industry adoption of this important technology,” said Technology Committee Co-chair Kate Teal, Ernst Publishing. “eRecording is experiencing unprecedented success with recorders who have installed the technology. It is also providing a competitive edge to the firms that submit documents to the recorders electronically, as it decreases turnaround time and allows firms to more rapidly complete the transaction process.”
Specific questions on eRecording can be directed to the PRIA Technology Consultant at technology@priamail.us.
About PRIA
The Property Records Industry Association is a coalition of government and business partners within the property records industry, cooperating to formulate positions on issues of common interest. PRIA works to identify problems, opportunities and solutions that will make property records systems more efficient, effective and responsive to the public. PRIA strives to identify areas of consensus within the industry, leading to recommendations for national standards pertaining to recordable documents. For more information on PRIA, visit www.pria.us.