2022 Highlights
The total number of documents recorded in 2022 returned to pre-pandemic levels. There was a total of 175,132 documents recorded in 2022. The 2022 total shows a change of 25.2% fewer documents compared to the total recorded just a year prior in 2021 (234,197 documents). While this is a stark difference in total documents recorded, the 2022 total is on par with document totals from before the COVID pandemic. In 2018 and 2019, the Franklin County Recorder's Office recorded 175,864 and 176,139 documents respectively. The record numbers of documents processed in 2020 (209,193) and 2021 (234,197) were products of the red-hot housing market conditions felt across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the difference in totals is notable when comparing 2022 to 2021 and 2020, the 2022 total is right on par with pre-pandemic levels - a time in which Columbus had a consistently strong housing market when compared to the rest of the country.
The majority of documents were submitted to us virtually. Our e-Record option, which allows documents to be submitted for recording through an online portal, continues to gain popularity among customers of our office. In 2022, 71.9% of documents recorded by the Franklin County Recorder's Office were submitted digitally through the eRecord process, allowing people to skip a trip to our downtown office. This was the largest proportion of documents submitted via eRecord ever, beating the previous record set in 2021 of 69.1%.
We saw fewer Release of Mortgage documents, but the number is on par for pre-COVID activity. The number of Release of Mortgage documents recorded at the Franklin County Recorder's Office in 2022 (45,901) decreased by 40.3% compared to the amount recorded in 2021 (77,006). The number of Release of Mortgage documents recorded in 2022 (45,901) is similar to totals seen before the COVID crisis in 2018 (45,071) and 2019 (45,291). The return to normalcy could have been triggered by the fluctuating mortgage interest rates in 2022, which were strategically increased by the Fed throughout the year. Interest rates dropped during 2020 and 2021, causing many Americans to purchase homes or opt to refinance their current property to take advantage of the lower rate. The desire to refinance diminished as the COVID-era interest rates started to creep back up.
|
2016
|
2017
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
|
Total Recorded Documents
|
179,746
|
183,205
|
175,864
|
176,139
|
209,193
|
234,197
|
175,132
|
|
% Change In Recordings
|
|
1.9%
|
-4.0%
|
0.2%
|
18.8%
|
12.0%
|
-25.2%
|
|
Total e-Recorded Documents
|
43,780
|
46,600
|
44,350
|
49,745
|
109,182
|
161,885
|
126,066
|
|
% Of Total Documents e-Recorded
|
24.4%
|
25.4%
|
25.2%
|
28.2%
|
52.2%
|
69.1%
|
71.9%
|
|
% Change In e-Recordings
|
|
6.4%
|
-4.8%
|
12.2%
|
119.5%
|
48.3%
|
-22.1 %
|
|
Total Deeds Recorded
|
36,208
|
36,049
|
36,784
|
37,349
|
34,866
|
41,426
|
37,028
|
|
% Change In Deeds
|
|
-0.4%
|
2.0%
|
1.5%
|
-6.6%
|
18.8%
|
-10.6%
|
|
# of Deeds e-Recorded
|
|
|
|
|
9,370
|
27,433
|
27,872
|
|
% Of Deeds e-Recorded
|
|
|
|
|
26.9%
|
66.2%
|
75.2%
|
|
Total Mortgages Recorded
|
45,439
|
43,305
|
41,980
|
46,031
|
63,141
|
69,256
|
46,364
|
|
% Change In Mortgages
|
|
-4.7%
|
-3.1%
|
9.6%
|
37.2%
|
9.7%
|
-33%
|
|
Total Release of Mortgages Recorded
|
47,400
|
46,510
|
45,070
|
45,291
|
65,983
|
77,006
|
45,901
|
|
% Change In Release of Mortgages
|
|
-1.9%
|
-3.1%
|
0.5%
|
45.7%
|
16.7%
|
-40.3%
|
|
# of Old Documents Digitized
(Filed Before 1997)
|
50
|
38,927
|
62,781
|
58,363
|
63,531
|
52,350
|
75,097
|
Monthly Snapshot
|
February 2023
|
|
|
Total Recorded Documents
|
9,143
|
|
Total Paper Documents Recorded
|
3,003
|
|
Total Electronic Documents Recorded
|
6,140
|
|
Total Deeds Recorded
|
1,894
|
|
Total Mortgages Recorded
|
2,018
|
|
Total Releases of Mortgage Recorded
|
1,949
|
|
Documents Recorded YTD
|
19,113
|