New Years Hours

The Registry of Deeds will be open during our normal operating hours on New Years Eve, Thursday December 31, 2009. The Registry will be closed for New Years Day on January 1, 2010.

Have a Happy New Year from the Worcester District Registry of Deeds!

Christmas Hours

The Registry of Deeds will be open during our normal hours on Christmas Eve, Thursday December 24th. The Registry of Deeds will be closed for Christmas on Friday December 25th.

Have a Merry Christmas from the Registry of Deeds!

Happy Hanukkah 2009

Today at sundown marks the first night of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights.

Register Vigliotti and his staff would like to wish everyone a Happy Hanukkah.

Special Election Today - Polls open until 8 PM

Today is the primary for the Special Election to replace Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Polls are open until 8PM. For more info on the election and where to vote, click here!

Fitchburg Satellite - Closed on Wed Dec 9, 2009

The Fitchburg Satellite office will be closed Wednesday December 9, 2009 due to the inclement weather forecast. The office will reopen on Thursday December 10, 2009 at our regular business hours.

Thanksgiving Reminder

The Registry of Deeds will be closed on Thursday, November 26, 2009 for Thanksgiving. The Registry will be open as usual on Friday, November 27, 2009.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Registry Closed for Veterans Day

The Registry of Deeds will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday November 11, 2009, in honor of Veterans Day.

Election Day

Today is Election Day - Don't forget to vote!

October Statistics

The total number of documents recorded in October 2009 was 13, 564, up from 11,411 in October 2008. The number of deeds recorded increased from 1,274 in October 2008 to in 1,395 October 2009. The number of foreclosure deeds dropped from 173 in October 2008 to 142 in October 2009.

The final recording day of the month, October 30th was a very busy day, with 1,098 documents recorded.

W.C.B.A. Real Estate Section Meeting

The Worcester County Bar Association Real Estate Section will be holding a meeting Tuesday, October 27, 2009, at 4:30 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester District Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA.

Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Registers and Assistant Registers of Deeds Association

On October 19th, 2009 the Massachusetts Registers and Assistant Registers of Deeds Association held their annual meeting and the Association formulated plans for technology and operational advancements for the Registry of Deeds. These plans consisted of developing standards and regulations for electronic recording, exploring optional returning of recorded plans at time of recording, improvements of the new version of Mass Land Records website, centralizing storage of documents, microfilm, and technology backups for all Massachusetts Registry of Deeds, and continued development of disaster recovery and business continuity plans.

The Association also elected Register Vigliotti as President. The Association also elected the following officers: Barry J. Amaral, Register of Northern Bristol County Registry of Deeds as Vice President; Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr., Register of Berkshire Middle Registry of Deeds as Secretary; and Michael Holden, Assistant Register of Plymouth County Registry of Deeds as Treasurer.

Judicial Institute Fall 2009 Judicial Response Program

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Trial Court Judicial Institute will be holding a Judicial Response program on Friday, October 16, 2009, in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds from 8:30 AM until 4:00 PM.

Old Republic Title Insurance Seminar

Old Republic Title Insurance Company will be holding a Fall Seminar on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 beginning at 8:30 AM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds.

Topics to be presented:
Short Sales
HUD-1/ RESPA Changes
Reverse Mortgages
Underwriting Updates

City Council Debate

Last night the candidates for at-large seats on the Worcester City Council debated at the Worcester Registry of Deeds.

For coverage of the debate, view the Telegram & Gazette article here.

Statistics for the Third Quarter 2009

The following is a breakdown for the months of July, August and September 2009 for income, foreclosure deeds, and recordings in the Worcester District Registry of Deeds.

Month	Income	Foreclosure Deeds	Recordings
July	$2,575,403.78	120	16,023
August	$2,096,402.02	127	12,597
September	$2,125,034.87	125	12,451
Q3 Total	$6,796,804.01	372	41,071

Registry to Host Mayoral, City Council, and School Committee Debates

The Worcester District Registry of Deeds is excited to host the debates for the upcoming mayoral, city council, and school committee elections, organized by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. We are proud to play a role in the election process for the City of Worcester.

• The Mayoral debate will be Monday, October 5, from 6-7:30 pm
• The At-Large debate will be Wednesday, October 7, from 6-7:3o pm
• The District debate will be Thursday, October 8, from 6-7:3o pm
• The School Committee debate will be Tuesday October 13, from 6-7:30 pm

The debates will be broadcast by WCRN at 11 am the morning following the debate.
Public Access Channel 13 will also be airing the debates.

For more information, including lists of candidates and debate panels, click here

Events at the Registry: Week of September 21st

Massachusetts Family Guardianship Training Program

The Massachusetts Juvenile Court in conjunction with the Committee for Public Counsel Service and the Department of Children and Family Service will be conducting a training program on Monday, September 21, 2009, from 1:30 PM until 4:15 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA


Worcester County Bar Association Committee Meeting

The Worcester County Bar Association will be holding a meeting for the leadership of the Worcester County Bar Association, consisting of all of the committee and section chairs and executive committee members on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 from 4:30 PM until 6:00 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA


Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accident Board Annual Conference

The Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accident Board will be holding the second and final phase of the Vocational Rehabilitation Conference on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 from 8:30 AM until 12:30 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA

Commonwealth of Massachusetts District Court Training Program

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts District Court will be holding a training program for Clerk-Magistrates and Assistant Clerk-Magistrates in connection with amendments to the Rules Regarding Small Claims scheduled to become effective October 1, 2009.

This training will be held on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 from 12:30 PM until 4:30 PM in the Commonwealth Room at the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA

Worcester Registry of Deeds now on Facebook

We have recently created a Facebook page for the Registry of Deeds. If you currently use Facebook, click the link on the right hand side of the page to follow us. We will be posting stories from this blog and other information on the page as another way to keep users of the Registry informed.

August 2009 Statistics

The total number of documents recorded in August 2009 was 12,519, up from 11,683 in August 2008. The number of foreclosure deeds dropped from 161 in August 2008 to 127 in August 2009, a decrease of 21%.

Hopefully our statistics continue trending towards increased recordings and fewer foreclosures, signs of a rebound. Check back in early October for more in depth Q3 statistics.

The Passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy

The Worcester District Registry of Deeds would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. We thank him for his many years of public service and are grateful for the time he was with us. May he rest in Peace.

To find more information about the arrangements or to offer condolences to his family, please visit www.TedKennedy.org

Fed Holds Interest Rates at Record Low

The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee announced Wednesday that they will be holding the federal funds rate at the same level, 0.25%. This means that the bank prime rate used to peg rates on home equity loans, certain credit cards and other consumer loans will remain around 3.25%. Experts suggest that this indicates that the recession may be ending.

Electronic Recording Coming to the Worcester Registry of Deeds!

The Worcester District Registry of Deeds has received approval and funding to begin a state of the art electronic recording program. This is news that the registry and many of our customers have been awaiting anxiously. We here at the Worcester Registry of Deeds are committed to offering the most innovative and efficient approach to recording, and e-recording will certainly help us acheive this goal.

We look forward to working with our current records management provider, ACS to implement electronic recording. In addition to serving the Worcester Registry of Deeds, our system will be designed to serve as the future state-wide portal as e-recording as this technology continues to expand to other registries across the Commonwealth. This type of system should encourage uniformity in standards and help eliminate the need of costly third party e-recording vendors. We will continue to update the blog with ongoing coverage of the implementation of e-recording in Worcester.

Fitchburg Satellite Office

The Worcester District Registry of Deeds' Satellite Office in the Worcester North Registry of Deeds in Fitchburg was moved to a new location within the Worcester North Registry of Deeds facility. The Satellite Office will continue to offer the same services that we have offered. For more information about the Satellite Office, click here, or call (978) 345-1570 during our recording hours of 9AM to Noon and 1PM to 3PM.

Back Indexing Progress

On January 24, 2008, the Registry of Deeds began a project to electronically index documents which previously had only been indexed in traditional, paper book form. Over the past 18 months, we have completed over five years of indexing, 1966 to 1961, totaling 217,996 documents. This project is an ongoing process so check back here for more updates on our progress.

Notarization Recording Requirement

The Worcester District Registry of Deeds in conformity with Massachusetts Executive Order No. 455 requires that Notary Clauses must contain the following:

1. Name of the Person/s who signed the document
2. How the Notary identified the Person/s signing the document
3. Name of the Notary Public
4. Expiration date of the Notary Public

Documents containing Massachusetts acknowledgments will not be recorded in the Worcester District Registry of Deeds if they fail to comply with the Executive Order No. 455.

For more information and examples on the Executive Order click here.

Statistics for the Second Quarter of 2009

The following is a breakdown for the months of April, May and June 2009 for income, foreclosure deeds, and recordings in the Worcester District Registry of Deeds.

Month	Income	Foreclosure Deeds	Recordings
April	$1,960,128.37	124	13,478
May	$2,199,853.09	84	13,890
June	$2,550,269.55	94	16,443
Q2 Total	$6,710,251.01	302	43,811

Compared to Q1 2009, income increased by 35.1%, recordings increased by 25.3% and forclosure deeds decreased by 23.2%. Also, the number of forclosure deeds per document recorded decreased by 38.7%.

July 4th Hours

The Worcester Registry of Deeds and the Worcester Registry of Deeds Satellite office in Fitchburg will be open normal business hours on Friday, July 3, 2009.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

New Mass Land Records Site

On July 1st the new version of Mass Land Records will be going live.
The old version and the new version will be running in parallel for 30 days.

We welcome your feedback. Click here for your comments .

Permanency Training Program

A New Initiative in the Worcester Juvenile Court: Enhancing Permanency Planning for Youth in Care Training program sponsored by the Worcester County Juvenile Court, Department of Social Services and Children & Family Law Program, CPCS will be held on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 from 1:00 - 4:00 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA

Board of Bar Overseers Training Seminar

The Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers will be holding a Hearing Committee Training Seminar on Thursday, June 25, 2009 from 2:00-4:00 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA

The Future of the Old Courthouse

For over a century, the Registry of Deeds called the old Courthouse at 2 Main Street its home. Since the construction of the new Courthouse, all operations within the old Courthouse have moved out, the most recent being the Worcester Law Library. While questions still abound about the future use of the building, a new Worcester Magazine article offers some insight and possibilities of what could become of our old home.

Click here to read the article.

May 2009 Statistics

Statistics for the month of May 2009 show that while it is clear that the problems plaguing the real estate market have not vanished, some areas seem to be trending in a positive direction.

The total number of documents recorded in May 2009 was 13,811, down from 14,057 in May 2008. The number of deeds recorded dropped 17%, from 1404 to 1172. However, the number of mortgages increased by 23%, from 2735 to 3362. Most notably, the number of foreclosure deeds dropped dramatically from 228 in May 2008 to 84 in May 2009, a decrease of 63%.

These statistics seem to match a similar trend in other districts of the Commonwealth. For a report of May statistics for the Middlesex North District, click here.

Massachusetts Trial Court Judicial Institute - A Seminar on Probate Guidelines for the Probate and Family Court

The Massachusetts Trial Court Judicial Institute is hosting a seminar on the Probate Guidelines for the Probate and Family Court on Thursday June 4, 2009 in the Commonwealth Room of the Registry of Deeds from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Memorial Day

The Registry of Deeds will be closed on Monday, May 25, 2009 in observance of Memorial Day. We thank all the women and men who have given their lives in the service of our Country.

WCBA Real Estate Law Section

The Worcester County Bar Association Law Section Committee will be holding a meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 4:30 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA.
The Real Estate Bar Association of Massachusetts will speak on Short Sales, Tom Bussone of Massachusetts Attorneys Title Group, membership benefits and other concerns to the conveyancing bar.
A brief discussion will be given by Matt Foster of Avatar Computing on Personal Information Security under MGL c.94H and 941, which will impact all firms by January 1, 2010.

UPDATE: Massachusetts Bar Association CLE Program Canceled

The Massachusetts Bar Association CLE Program scheduled for tonight at the Registry of Deeds has been canceled.

Massachusetts Bar Association CLE Program

The Massachusetts Bar Association will be holding a Continuing Legal Education program on the New Child Support Guidelines today, May 18,2009, from 4:00 - 7:00 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA.

Worcester Community Housing Resources

The Worcester Community Housing Resources, Inc. will be conducting a strategic planning session on Friday, May 15, 2009, from 7:30 AM until 1:00 PM, in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA.

For more information contact Stephanie R. Pasquale at 508-799-0322 ext. 109

DIA Annual Vocational Rehabilitation Conference

The Department of Industrial Accident Board will be holding their Annual Vocational Rehabilitation Conference on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 from 8:30 AM until Noon at the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, Ma. in the Commonwealth Room.

Senior DIA Administrative Judge Martine Carroll will give an explanation of the claim adjudication process, opinions on Labor Market Survey, establishing earning capacities, and more.

Elliot Winer, Senior Economist at the Department of Workforce Development, will give an explanation of the current unemployment situation, projections for labor market improvement, and outlook for specific occupations and industries when market improves.

WCBA Real Estate Law Section

The WCBA Real Estate Law Section meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2009, at 4:30 P.M in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA.
Richared Hogan, Esq., Legislative and Regulatory Counsel for CATIC will discuss the new HUD Regulations.

Patriots Day

The Registry of Deeds will be closed Monday, April 21st, 2009 in observance of Patriots Day.

Have a happy and safe holiday!

Foreclosure Seminar

Massachusetts Independent Title Examiners Association, Inc. will be hosting a Foreclosure Seminar at the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester in the Commonwealth Room on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 10:00 AM.

Attorney Anthony DeSantis of Old Republic Title Insurance Company will be presenting the Seminar.

Statistics for the First Quarter of 2009

The following is a breakdown for the months of January, February and March 2009 for income, foreclosure deeds, and recordings in the Worcester District Registry of Deeds.

Month	Income	Foreclosure Deeds	Recordings
January	$1,434,260.54	134	9,612
February	$1,553,156.42	120	11,775
March	$1,978,633.90	139	13,566
Q1 Total	$4,966,050.86	393	34,953

Worcester County Bar Advocate's Meeting

The Worcester County Bar Advocates in conjuction with the Worcester County Bar Association will be holding a breakfast meeting with local Legislators to discuss the 2010 budget.

The breakfast will be held on Friday, April 3, 2009, from 8:00 AM until 9:00 AM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA

WCBA Real Estate Law Section

The Worcester County Bar Association Real Estate Law Section will be holding a meeting on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 4:30 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA.
The main presentation will be "Foreclosure from the Title Insurance Perspective-- An Update."
Gene Gurvits, Regional Counsel for First American Title Insurance will be the guest speaker.

Workers' Compensation Seminar Update

Just a reminder that the Massachusetts Bar Association Continuing Legal Education will be holding a seminar on Workers' Compensation Basics on Thursday, March 5, 2009 4-7 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA.

This seminar will cover the basics of the workers' compensation system, and provide an update on new regulatory changes and case law. The program will also include hands-on application of the law and regulations via small discussion groups with insurer and employee attorneys, and members of the judiciary.

Sponsored by the Civil Litigation and Health Law Sections, and the Young Lawyers Division
Co-sponsored by the Worcester County Bar Association.

For more details on registration click here

MCLE Seminar

MCLE Seminar on Alimony Trends & Theories will be held on Monday, February 23, 2009 from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM, in the Commonwealth Room of the Registry of Deeds, 90 Front St. Worcester, MA 01608.



For more information and registration details click here.

Presidents Day

The Registry of Deeds will be closed Monday, February 16, 2009 in honor of Presidents Day.

Workers' Compensation Basics

Massachusetts Bar Association Continuing Legal Education will be holding a seminar on Workers' Compensation Basics on Thursday, March 5, 2009 4-7 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA.

This seminar will cover the basics of the workers' compensation system, and provide an update on new regulatory changes and case law. The program will also include hands-on application of the law and regulations via small discussion groups with insurer and employee attorneys, and members of the judiciary.

Sponsored by the Civil Litigation and Health Law Sections, and the Young Lawyers Division
Co-sponsored by the Worcester County Bar Association.

For more details on registration click here

Happy Inauguration Day

Tuesday January 20, 2009 is Inauguration Day. Regardless of whom you supported, it is always an exciting day. As a reminder, the Registry of Deeds will be open during our normal operating hours.

CNN.com is offering free live coverage of all of the day's events.

1031 Tax Deferral Strategies and Legislative Update

The Worcester County Bar Association Real Estate Law Section will be holding its monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 4:30 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds, 90 Front Street, Worcester, MA.

The main presentation: 1031 Tax Deferral Strategies and Legislative Update

Presented by Rob Pingeton, Sr. Vice President of Exchange Authority, LLC. which is a subsidiary of Fidelity Bank. Rob will discuss some significant changes to the law; the exchange process; clarification of "vacation homes" issues; concerns about FDIC/SIF coverage for your clients' money in the "holding" status; reverse exchanges, and other advanced topics.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Schedule

The Registry of Deeds will be closed on Monday, January 19th, 2009 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

For some interesting facts and events scheduled this day click here.

Foreclosure Seminar

The Massachusetts Independent Title Examiners Association (MITEA) will be hosting a Foreclosure Seminar on Thursday, January 15th 2009 from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM in the Commonwealth Room of the Worcester Registry of Deeds.
Attorney Anthony DeSantis, Title Counsel for Old Republic National Title Insurance Company will be the guest speaker.

For more information contact: Denald McCarthy, President of MITEA , at 978-502-5510.

Happy New Year

We at the Worcester District Registry of Deeds would like to wish you a very happy and healthy New Year and share some statistics, comparisons and goals for the coming year.

January 2, 2008 through December 31, 2008 Statistics:
Income $26,405,187.96
Recordings 143,362

Fiscal 2009 Budget Appropriation was $2,788,908.00 then reduced by $100,000.00 in November 2008 as a result of the revenue shortfall in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

January 2, 2007 through December 31, 2007 Statistics:
Income $33,638,836.15
Recordings 171,375

Fiscal 2008 Budget Appropriation was $2,743,416.00

Foreclosure Deeds for the year of 2007 were 1204
Foreclosure Deeds for the year of 2008 were 1968

The staff worked very hard to complete the back indexing project for 1965 to 1961 in less than one year. You are now able to do a name search back to 1961.

Our Goals for 2009
Electronic Recording
Replacing old microfilm with new film created from scanned images.
Converting our new scanned back images into the database replacing poor quality images.
Ongoing redacting of personal information numbers.