Skip to main content

Office statistics

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