News Release

Attorney General, Allen County Recorder Issue Alert
Consumers should check with their local county recorder
before using commercial deed service


(May 17, 2007) – Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter and Allen County Recorder John McGauley today issued an alert to consumers wishing to obtain a copy of the deed to their home.

Earlier this spring, counties across Indiana became aware of a business that distributed a mass mailing within offering to sell new homeowners copies of the deed to their homes at a cost of $59.50.  That same document, if obtained directly from a county recorder, often costs the consumer as little as $1-$2. Once a property owner pays the fee, the company, National Deed Service, sends a blanket request for those deeds to the appropriate county recorder’s office for taxpayer-paid staff to look up and mail back to the company.

The Allen County Recorder’s Office has received two orders for documents from National Deed Service, including a request for 42 deeds on May 9. The prior order, for 37 documents, was received on April 5.

“Deciding to utilize a service to purchase public records must balance the cost, convenience and the facts,” Attorney General Steve Carter said.  “Even without paying an outside service, you can get your property deed for as low as a few dollars. Your county recorder is here to provide this service at a minimal cost and is easy to find. If you get a solicitation, don’t think that your property deed is in jeopardy.”

“These are public records that belong to our community,” added Allen County Recorder John McGauley. “A citizen who needs the deed to his or her property should never have to pay for more than the cost of a copy. We very much want citizens to know that these records are readily available in their local County Recorder’s Office, many times without even having to leave home.”

The Allen County Recorder’s Office will provide deed copies through the mail for $1 per page and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Most deeds are one to two pages long. Citizens can contact the recorder’s office to find out how many pages their deed is by e-mailing the property owner’s name, the property address and the approximate date of purchase to recorder@allencounty.us.

Property owners are not required to have a copy of the deed to their home. When a property is sold, the deed is traditionally retrieved by the title search company involved in that transaction.

Some County Recorders are concerned the company may be taking advantage of a language barrier by targeting citizens who speak little or no English. When the non-English speaking homeowner receives this commercial solicitation, they may not know how to obtain these public records affordably and they may not know exactly what document they are purchasing.

McGauley said that the Allen County Recorder’s Office would approach state lawmakers prior to the 2008 session of the Indiana General Assembly to seek legislative changes to provide better protection for consumers who receive solicitations from commercial deed services.

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