Thursday, April 10, 2014

2014 Holiday Schedule

Someone from a local bank just emailed with a request that I send the registry's holiday schedule for the remainder of 2014.  If one person is looking for it, others might be too, so here it is:



The following are the remaining holidays in 2014 on which the registry of deeds will be closed:

April 21 – Patriots Day
May 26 – Memorial Day
July 4 – Independence Day
Sept 1 – Labor Day
Oct 13 – Columbus Day
Nov 11 – Veterans Day
Nov 27 – Thanksgiving
Dec 25 – Christmas

Please note that we will be OPEN all day on the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

Friday, April 04, 2014

Updating Deed Indexing Standards

Earlier this week the Massachusetts Registers of Deeds Association met in Worcester and agreed to begin the process of updating the Massachusetts Deed Indexing Standards which were created back in 2000 and last updated in 2008.  The hope is to have this new version take effect on January 1, 2015.  We expect to have a draft available for public comment by July 1, 2014.

Here are some of the items we hope to clarify or address in the new version of the standards:



Acknowledgements
Update/explain list of documents requiring acknowledgement
Revisit requirements for out-of-state acknowledgements
Must acknowledgement clause state the name of the person who has signed the document (and not just “the person who signed above”).  In re Giroux, Bankruptcy case
Modification of Mortgage – signatures of all parties must be acknowledged?
Raised Seal – should it be shaded?

Mass. Uniform Probate Code
deed of distribution
disclaimer of property statement

Deed Excise Tax
Selling a stamp although no document is presented for recording?
Is excise tax due in a transfer for consideration if incident to divorce decree?

Names
Punctuation marks in names such as E*Trade or Amazon.com
Non-traditional names – which is first name; which is last name?
Deed of distribution – Code for “Personal Representative”
Affidavit relative to note signed by officer – just institution name or signatory name too?

Certified documents – adding book and page reference

1.  

Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Recording statistics for March

The stagnant real estate market continued through March.  No doubt the nasty weather was a factor but things slowed down as far back as September and have never really recovered.

The total number of documents recorded in March 2014 was down 33% from March 2013 (3886 v 5824). 

The number of deeds recorded was down 8% (484 v 526).

The number of mortgages was down 52% (593 v 1235).

The number of foreclosure deeds was up 67% (10 v 6)(given the very low numbers in both cases, this should not be of concern).

The number of orders of notice were down 51% (19 v 39).