Hi Kevin,
Cook County had a Recorder of Deeds and a Registrar of Titles. Actually, it was one official with two hats. Recorded instruments were recorded in the land records (tract books) and also registered in Torrens. Information was hand-written onto the existing Torrens certificate and eventually a new certificate would be created with new instruments typed in.
They did not actually switch back and forth, in and out of Torrens. The property remained in Torrens. The searcher would perform a search of the land records and then pull the Torrens certificate, mainly so that the Torrens info could be added to the report. The lenders would need the information to register their mortgage. I do not believe that it was really of any consequence to the homeowner, so it was not cause to deregister.
Once the decision was made to do away with the system, the county began automatically deregistering upon filing of an instrument by, or on behalf of, the owner. I am not certain as to whether any properties are still registered. They may have gotten impatient and held a mass-deregistration party.
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