Florida-based Title Agent Implements Simplifile e-Recording Solution
September 25, 2014
First International Title’s CEO Jim Moran has been an advocate for making real estate closings easier and more efficient.
“Historically, title companies had to mail or courier deeds and mortgages to the courthouse in order to record and officially transfer title,” Moran said. “We had to wait until the recorded documents were returned before policies could be issued. I knew we had to find a better way to improve the process, saving time and money.”
Enter, e-recording, which is the process of electronically recording title by submitting, receiving and processing documents for recording via the internet, instead of sending them to the county clerk’s or recorder’s office by express mail or courier service.
Moran said his company offers e-recording through Simplifile in all of its 25 branch offices in Florida.
“Without question, e-recording has become the standard for document recording, streamlining and expediting the recording process,” said Paul Clifford, President of Simplifile. “First International Title has quickly become one of the largest document submitters in Florida and is often the first company in the state to e-record a document with a new e-recording county. Not only does e-recording with Simplifile provide a faster recording method for them, it’s also more cost-effective for both of them and their customers.”
Via e-recording, First International Title customers now receive their title policy at the closing table and the recordings are timely as a result, according to Moran. E-recording also reduces the risk of liens being recorded prior to the buyer’s deed, avoiding problems for both the title company and buyer.
“E-recorded documents also help cut down on overall paper waste, mailing costs and risk of lost documents,” Moran added. “Recording fees and payments can now be processed securely thereby eliminating the need to write and mail checks. It also reduces payment errors that can delay recording.
“It’s really hard to fathom that this has been done manually for so many years. Ultimately, it’s all about providing ease and comfort to the customer.”
The fourth pillar of ALTA’s “Title Insurance and Settlement Company Best Practices” addresses recording procedures to ensure compliance with the settlement process. Implementing a tracking mechanism is helpful in providing a record of what documents were sent, when they were sent and method of delivery. The use of e-recording can aid in the implementation and documentation of procedures.
Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or [email protected].