Morrisville, N.C. – The number of counties that are electronically recording documents reached the 800 mark on June 30 according to Kay Wrucke, recorder, Martin County, (Minn.), and 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 to the submitter. eRecording improves the quality of data, reduces turn-around times and provides significant cost savings for those who utilize it, when compared to a manual process.
“Between September 2011 and June 2012, the number of counties committing to the eRecording process increased by 14.3 percent,” said Washoe County (Nev.) Chief Deputy Recorder and PRIA Technology Committee Co-chair, Larry Burtness. “As the PRIA eRecording standards continue to mature, the number of counties leveraging this technology continues to expand.”
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 quadrupled in the ensuing six years.
“It’s exciting to see so many counties embracing this technology and, along with the technology, the PRIA standards,” said Wrucke.
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 PRIA Chief Staff Officer Stevie Kernick.
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 administrative staff that works with key resources to find and report new eRecording-enabled counties.
“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 offices at info@pria.us.
About The Property Records Industry Association
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.