Data Trace Information Services LLC, a provider of data services to the settlement services industry, announced that it added new title plants and land records to its databases, further increasing its geographic reach.
Overall, the company added 107 title plant counties in the fourth quarter of 2012, which included expansion into Alaska, Delaware, Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina and South Carolina. Data Trace’s title plants now include data from more than 500 counties, representing more than 70 percent of the housing stock in the United States.
“In a dynamic real estate environment, our customers need access to timely data. The expansion of our databases empowers our customers by providing efficient access to real estate transaction information in a broader geography,” said Robert Karraa, president of Data Trace.
Data Trace also increased its land records database that houses official copies of real estate transaction documents, such as transfer deeds, mortgages, foreclosures and other liens. This database is the largest of its kind, housing more than 5 billion land records in more than 1,000 counties and includes 90 percent of the top 50 major metropolitan areas of the United States.
Title plants are searchable databases that contain historical transaction data and current ownership information associated with a piece of real property. Title plant users are able to view official document images as recorded in a county office via a desktop application or browser portal. Settlement services companies rely on title plant databases to research ownership and lien history on a piece of real property in the course of issuing title insurance.