Officials want SS numbers off documents

Legislators sent the governor a measure to remove Social Security numbers.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The average person who has ever owned a house and taken out a few loans may not know he has probably 10 or so loan, lease or property transfer documents available for anyone with Internet access to see.
In the past, the only people looking at such documents were lawyers and title searchers, researching properties for lenders and doing their work among the books of a recorder's office in their county.
Today those documents are available at the touch of a button on the Internet. That type of easy access has some officials concerned enough to seek laws allowing recorder's offices to remove Social Security numbers before the documents are filed.
Diana Marchese, Trumbull County recorder, says her office established a new policy two weeks ago to allow Social Security numbers to be eliminated from documents her office puts on the Internet only. The only requirement is to fill out a form at her office that lists documents containing the numbers, she said.
Among the documents locally that have caused some concern are gas well leases, she said.
County recorders' offices keep documents pertaining to dozens of types of documents, such as loans, liens, deeds, leases, property transfers, military service discharges and powers of attorney.
Within a day or two, Marchese said, her staff can remove the numbers from Web page documents.
Marchese said she has never been told that identity theft has occurred because of documents from her office's Web site. But she wants to provide people with the option of removing the information if they want.
Measure passed
On another front, Marchese and county recorders across the state lobbied the Ohio Legislature to obtain the right to remove Social Security numbers from documents that are brought to their offices.
Kathy Dunn, Ross County recorder and immediate past president of the Ohio Recorder's Association, said she testified about 10 times on behalf of the association to get the law passed.
The Ohio House approved the measure 94-0 on Tuesday; the state Senate already had approved it, and the legislation goes to Gov. Bob Taft. It would go into effect in three months or so, depending on when he signs it.
Dunn and Marchese said concern about Social Security numbers has grown in recent years as the number of identify thefts has increased. Dunn said most documents contain Social Security numbers out of habit -- the numbers are not needed on the documents.
Recording documents electronically today also saves space over traditional paper storage systems, she said.
Marchese said the segment of the business world enjoying Internet access to the records should continue to have use of the records online, and the benefit of having the information online outweighs the dangers.
In Mahoning County
Mahoning County Recorder Ronald V. Gerberry says there's a "distinct possibility" that his office's Web site will be taken down later this year if he can't find a fast, cost-effective way to cover up Social Security numbers on old documents. Gerberry's office has been posting documents dating to 1985, when Social Security numbers were more commonly used, he said.
Dunn said she believes recorders across the state agree that limiting unnecessary access to Social Security numbers is a good thing.
The law will allow recorder's offices to remove the numbers or send the documents back to the preparer for removal before they are recorded, Dunn said. There would be some exceptions, such as court orders.
People who insist on including their Social Security numbers on documents will need to sign affidavits before the recorder's office will accept their papers, Gerberry said.
The Internal Revenue Service has already started to cooperate with the need for privacy by filing tax liens with abbreviated Social Security numbers on them, Dunn added.
Contributor: Staff writer Debora Shaulis.
runyan@vindy.com