Recording a deed or mortgage in Nassau County, New York continues to take far longer than it used to!
At the beginning of October the implementation of a new computer system at the Nassau County, New York’s Clerk’s office went less well than anticipated as described in the article ‘Nassau County Technology Blues – The Public Versus The Private Sector!‘!
From that article the following excerpt describes the problem as seen by the New York State Land Title Association (NYSLTA)…
‘…The failure of the computer system upgrade and transition in the Nassau County Clerks’ Office is a problem with far-reaching impact and uncertain consequences.
The primary point of contact is the Examiners who are hired by title agents and direct operations. It confounds the title agent, increases the risk for underwriters and delivers it punch to the real estate attorneys and their clients.
The title industry needs certifiable information to function.
- How do you close deals in this environment?
- What records are going online?
- What are the costs we need to know to run our businesses
Attorneys look to Agents to solve problems. Agents are looking to Underwriters for direction.
The situation is complex.
There is an acute problem – the title industry for Nassau is being compressed into 15 minute increments on three computer terminals in Mineola. The delay in processing orders and the potential for error in transactions cannot be calculated at this time.
This problem is beyond the scope of real estate finance professionals – the Realtors, the Lenders, the Bar Association, the Title insurance Corporations and the Title Insurance Agents. The solution rests wholly with the technology vendor and the management of the Clerks’ Office in Nassau County…’
Now, about one month later, the problem of time delays and constraints continues to exist, described in the following way by an examiner (who will go unnamed) whose day is spent in the Clerks office and whose livelihood is earned there…
Here are some bullet points:
1st and foremost…recordings.
Why are we limited to submitting 10 docs per day (and is this even legal)?
The demand is so high…why would they cap it? We have over 140 docs (and growing) waiting to be submitted. And…if E-filing is problematic because the new computer systems aren’t compatible, then why not shift attention/county recorders to walkup recordings or to appointments like they did for decades?
Why aren’t there more terminals (they removed 8)?
In the new system, Judgments have to be run in multiple indexes. They should be condensed to one index, to include judgments, state warrants, FTL’s, etc.
There needs to be a reference as far as UCC’s being assigned, terminated, amended, etc.
Similarly, there is no reference for mortgages being sat or assigned. If those assignments or satisfactions have been mis-indexed, we’ll never find them.
Documents that are intended to be recorded against SBL (Section, Block, Lot) should be under the land records tab. Not under the Global Filings Tab. Having these things in multiple indexes means we have to search multiple times. With all of these repetitive steps and procedures, it is taking us almost twice as long to do our jobs. And w/photocopies up to $.65 per page…it is more costly as well.
Michael Haltman is President of Hallmark Abstract Service in New York.
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