Thank you for your response.. I read all of the abstractors complaining about how our industry is changing and not for the better.. It is a very serious and complicated thing to abstract.. there is no school for it here in Minnesota... and it is a "on the job training" thing, until you pass your license test.. I believe the Title Insurance Company wants to keep it quiet and not have too many knowing just how to abstract. (it does not require a college degree). and the Lib's don't want that out. I believe like you, many public officials (and they are not elected here, the legislation here in Minnesota, allowed the counties to take away elected positions, and place them as appointed by the County Board's).  Anyone with a computer, and especially those from other countries, want to make more money for their families, well with the online access, and the ones that got trained by us American's who flew overseas to train them, who could blame them... We did this to ourselves.. but if the licensed abstractors don't step up to the plate and get something done on behalf of those who's files we are abstracting, who will?  The same is going on in the banking business, the insurance business, etc. etc,.. and I Could go on and on.. But those elected/public officials, who invest in those overseas companies now using our public information (IE:  I believe PERA- Public Employees Retirement Association is a part of this, but I have no proof), should be held accountable to those that elect/appoint them, but then again, who is going to do that?  We keep the average tax payer so ignorant within our Public Schools, who will ever figure this out and then stand up for it what most of those ignorant taxpayers should care about... look how many times an average person(s) refi's, and then take 30 years to pay off their house.. some never do pay them off, and still have payments beyond retirement years...Try in your county to get a list of those that have access to public records.