Electronic Recording Update

Here’s the latest on electronic recording: after January 1st we expect to move the ACS electronic recording software from the test server to our live production system. Next, we will electronically record several fictitious documents to test how it works with our regular recording system. We will use fictitious documents in case there are any problems; we don’t want to jeopardize real documents. We’re also testing this stage because every other time we’ve added a new feature to our regular recording system there have been unintended consequences (the military calls this “collateral damage”) that must be rectified. Once the first phase of testing is successful, we will advance to recording individual documents such as mortgage discharges or assignments from a selected national mortgage company. This will allow us to test the fee payment mechanism (electronic bank transfer at the end of the day). The document types that we will accept at this stage are not particularly time sensitive. We really are unable to develop procedures for electronically recording time sensitive documents such as deeds and (some) mortgages without the type of practical, hands-on experience that these earlier stages of testing will provide. That’s our plan. Once we start executing the plan it might undergo some drastic changes, but we’ve found that it’s easier to alter an existing plan than it is to just make things up as you go along.