Commissioners discuss Senate Bill 423, ask staff to check state status amid concern about deed fraud

Ash County commissioners discussed concerns about forged or fraudulent deeds Oct. 6 after staff and the registrar of deeds raised the matter. The registrar’s office has been monitoring suspicious recording activity and recommended the board support state action to reduce the risk of property title fraud.

Commissioner Jerry (speaking as a commissioner in the transcript) described Senate Bill 423 (referred to in the meeting as “4 23” or “423”) as proposed state legislation intended to make it harder for criminals to record forged property documents. A board member said the bill had passed the North Carolina House unanimously on June 18 and was pending in the state Senate as of June 19; no further action was recorded in the transcript.

“Someone can forge a deed, forge a signature, get a notary on it and record it, and that puts a cloud on the title,” a commissioner said. The registrar’s office told the commissioners it had encountered suspicious calls and recording attempts earlier in the week.

The board directed staff to contact the county’s state senator and request an update on the bill’s status; the chairman said he would send an email to the senator and copy other commissioners. No formal county resolution was taken at the Oct. 6 meeting.

Why it matters: Recording forged deeds creates immediate and severe legal and financial problems for property owners. Commissioners and the registrar described the issue as a real threat that sometimes shows up as “rackets” offering paid monitoring services; commissioners said any state-level statutory fixes should be considered quickly.

Next steps: County staff will send an inquiry to the county’s state senator for an update on SB 423 and report back to the board.