The section addresses Registries issues that arise through membership concerns, especially indexing and computerization, as well as maintenance and access to the public records to insure availability. The group published the fourth edition of the REBA Guide to the Massachusetts Registries of Deeds. The Committee meets often with representatives from the Secretary of State's Office and the Massachusetts Association of Registers of Deeds and Assistant Registers of Deeds. They also keep abreast of developing registry matters, like electronic recordings (E-sign).
The Registries Section's purpose is to work with the registers and staff of the 21 registries of deeds throughout the Commonwealth and offer them our feedback and support in providing accurate, accessible and reliable real estate records to attorneys, title examiners and the general public. The group seeks to master with the peculiarities and nuances of the different registries as well as attend meetings offering the opportunity to build relationships with the various registers.
When an issue arises that requires the attention of the REBA membership, whether immediate or as a matter that requires deliberation, the section makes every effort to address the issue. Leaders of the section attend the meetings of the Registry of Deeds Technology Advisory Committee and provide insight, on behalf of REBA, to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
The section has also expanded its concerns to the registries of probate due to the essential role of probate records in title examinations and has sought to work with the court system and the probate registers to make their records promptly accessible, especially when stored offsite. The section’s co-chairs make a special effort to insure that its membership is geographically diverse, with an attempt to represent every registry district; it often conduct meetings by conference call.