Deed Recording for Victims of Domestic Violence

Deed Recording for Victims of Domestic Violence

Final Report

Task Force to Study Recording Deeds for Victims of Domestic Violence

Secretary of State John C. Wobensmith, Chair MSAR #10944

December 1, 2017

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................3 Task Force Members .............................................................................................................4 Executive Summary ...............................................................................................................5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................6 Observations ..........................................................................................................................6 Recommendation ...................................................................................................................7 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................8 Appendix A. Draft Legislation, LR0039, as of November 29, 2017.....................................9 Appendix B. FIN-2009-R003 Customer Identification Program Rule -

? Address Confidentiality Programs ......................................................37 Appendix C. Task Force Meeting Minutes...........................................................................40

2

Acknowledgements

The members of the task force gratefully acknowledge the many stakeholders and community members who generously contributed their time, insight and expertise to this project, including: Pete Fenton, Chief Deputy Clerk, Anne Arundel County Circuit Court; LaTonya Day, Collections Supervisor, City of Annapolis; Bruce Miller, Director of Finance, City of Annapolis; Amy Craig, Dorchester County Clerk of the Circuit Court; Barbara Meiklejohn, Montgomery County Clerk of the Circuit Court; Dorsey Hile, Recordation and Transfer Tax Administrator; Karin McQuade, Controller; Helen Shomberg, Assistant Controller; Darcy Goode, Tax Billing Manager; Lynda Wood, Real Property Tax Administrator; Allegera Wynn, Revenue Collections Manager; Maria Furigay, Utility Billing and Customer Service Manager; Laura Brentzel, Customer Service Supervisor; Sharon Burke, Lands Records Supervisor; Kita Sorrell-Camper, SDAT of Queen Anne's County; Eric Jackson, Charles County Government Chief of Treasury; Dale Dewine, SDAT; Diane Johnson, Talbot County Assessment Office, Daphne Halling, Baltimore County Assessment Office; Sean Powell, as director of SDAT; Della Stull, SDAT; Bryan Robb, Corridor Mortgage Group; Garrett Haslinger and Logan Haarz of the Law Office of Brett Dieck, LLC; Sydney Harrison, Prince George's County Circuit Court Clerk; and Gary Maragos, Department of Planning.

We recognize Dianna Umidon and Julie Strother of the Minnesota Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program for inspiring this deed shielding procedure, answering countless questions, and blazing the trail for safe home ownership for victims in every State.

We appreciate April Morton for participating in task force meetings and drafting our recommendation into a bill and Laura Lodge for her patience and careful edits.

3

Deed Recording Task Force Members

The members of the Task Force to Study Recording Deeds for Victims of Domestic Violence included legislators and representatives from State agencies, title companies, financial institutions, and domestic violence organizations. The task force sought input from experts and other stakeholders, including participants in the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program, private mortgage lenders, local finance offices, and other State agencies not formally represented on the task force.

John C. Wobensmith, Chair Secretary of State of Maryland

Senator Susan C. Lee Maryland Senate

Delegate Anne Healey Maryland House of Delegates

Josaphine B. Yuzuik Assistant Attorney General Office of the Attorney General

Anne Hoyer Director, Maryland Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program

Timothy Baker State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents, Maryland State Archives

Kevin Swanson Director, Records and Access Maryland State Archives

James Cosgrove Legislative Committee Chairman Maryland Land Title Association

Kathleen Blough Assistant Chief Deputy Clerk Anne Arundel County Circuit Court

Matthew Fox Maryland Bankers Association

David Rawle Assistant Attorney General Maryland Department of Commerce

Michael Higgs Director, State Department of Assessments and Taxation

Charles Cluster State Supervisor of Real Property Assessments, State Department of Assessments and Taxation

Corbett Webb Communications Director and Legislative Liaison, State Department of Assessments and Taxation

Brett Dieck The Law Office of Brett M. Dieck, LLC Old Line Title Company, Inc.

Dorothy Lennig Director, Marjorie Cook Domestic Violence Legal Clinic, House of Ruth Maryland

Frederick Smalls Maryland Municipal League

April Miller Maenner Maryland Association of Counties

Michael Lore Chief of Staff, Senator Susan Lee

4

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download