Funny how the fact that an "offshore" company is bashed for using online searches, when we all know there are 100's U.S. based companies who do the EXACT same thing.  I see helo-wanted ads for them all the time.  In fact, I receive docs from them that are water marked "NOT AN OFFICAL COPY" when they pull it from online public records.

That being said, in NJ, our fees are set and registered with the State as to what a title agency can charge for the examination (that includes the primary search fees as well).  So whether the title agency paid $25 for their county search or $125, they can only charge the consumer $100.00

As a Senior Title officer, I see mistakes from U.S. based search companies as well as foreign.  Not everyone is a great, wonderfully seasoned, amazing searcher/abstractor.   And, we see various companies that probably have no business getting into the business of abstracting, yet, there they are.

So, in choosing abstractors, it is prudent to learn who is thorough and experienced and who is rookie and no so comprehensive.

There is a HUGE company out there that recently opened it's doors within the last couple of years, at a national level, that recently partnered with an Underwriter.  They are U.S. based, have some great seasoned abstractors and readers and then some not so great ones.  They take longer to produce their product and I've found their searches to be medocre.  However, the Underwriter is now shopping their services to their agents under the premise that using one search company only will help eliminate "risks" at the agency level.

Well, that's a nice concept, but it's the title agency's job to identify and elminate the risks as part of their underwriting process.  Our searchers are to provide all comprehensive information to us, but honestly, "elminiate risks"?  I'd call that effecting title, not just searching and that's a whole different animal.

As an industry we need to wake up to the fact that the world "GLOBALIZED"  officially in the 1990's (Good reference "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" if you'd like to read it)   It's a MUCH bigger world out there than it was 25 years ago!  We are truly in the information age.

If our counties allow access to their public records to ANYONE by subscription or for free, you are telling me that foreign "processors" should not be privy to the same information? 

I really kinda have to laugh at this concept since probably 85% of your personal information is already IN the hands of some offshore processing company:  credit card servicing, bank servicing (I reference Duetsche Bank out of Germany one of THE LARGEST foreign banks investing in to U.S. distressed mortgages and a leader in foreclosing mortgages in the U.S.); your health and insurance records, even your phone bills.

It would be nice if we could protect U.S.jobs being done on U.S. soil - but as a country, we gave that right away YEARS ago.  And a thought, there are many people who live here in the U.S. who were not born here.  They may be on work visas or have immigrated here, but they are still "foreign nationals"    Should they be required to have special processing or certification to use public record information as part of their jobs if their job does not require national security clearance?

Or, what about people who hold dual citizenships ?  One in the U.S. and the other in ????  Should special attention be made to this kind of status when handling public record information??

 And, as far as I know, many states don't even require any kind of certification or licensing to be an abstractor, yet they require the title agents, the title agencies, the readers, etc to be licensed.

So, maybe EVERYONE who handles public information, should have to be licensed, including annual Continuing Education, just like in Title? 

It becomes a much more complicated issue as we peel back the onion's layers, doesn't it?  to post a reply: login - or - register