Massachusetts Register of Deeds John O’Brien is rejecting foreclosure documents signed by known robo-signers.

O’Brien is one of a handful of officials nationwide who began pulling court documents following a 60 Minutes story on foreclosure fraud that featured a Palm Beach County homeowner.

On Tuesday, Obrien said he rejected two robo-signed documents submitted to his registry for recording and plans to continue doing so.

Some quotes from the press release...

“the buck stops here”

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“My Registry will not be a knowing participant in this fraud against homeowners. From today forward, lenders be on notice, the Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds will not record robo-signed documents.”

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“I find this practice very troubling on many levels. It has completely jaded my understanding that a notarized document was something that could be relied upon.”

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“If these documents are signed by anyone other than the noted signatories, these notaries and those that employed them should be held accountable for the fraudulent documents that they have produced and the havoc they have caused to chains of title everywhere.”

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“Knowing what I now know, it would be a dereliction of my duties as the keeper of the records to record these documents and any other documents that contain questionable signatures. To do so, would make me a willing participant in a continuing scheme which has corrupted the chain of title of thousands of Essex County property owners. I have decided to put a stop to this reckless behavior and hold these lenders and their agents accountable for the authenticity of what they are attempting to record in my Registry. I do not believe this to be unreasonable.”

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“Now that Register Thigpen has joined with me, I am hopeful that my other colleagues around the country will also take the same action. I strongly believe that this will send a message, loud and clear, that we as Registers and Recorders of Deeds, whose responsibility it is to protect the integrity of the land recordation system, will not be a party to any fraudulent scheme that may damage individual’s property rights”

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Jeff Thigpen joins O’Brien’s effort saying...

“The basic question here is whether we as Recorders are going to sit on our hands, in the face of what appears to be clear fraud or are we going to stand up for 400 years of integrity in land records? John is on the right side of this question and these are reasonable actions that he is taking.”

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Be sure to send this press release to your local recorder…

Palm Beach County residents (or everyone) send this article to Sharon Bock sbock@mypalmbeachclerk.com the clerk of PBC FL.

I think she may want to know how to protect the people that elected her…

Full press release below…

BRAVO!

UPDATE: And then there were two... PRESS RELEASE | Register of Deeds Jeff Thigpen to REJECT Robo-signed Documents

Massachusetts Register of Deeds John O’Brien is first in the nation to say no to recording robo-signed documents