Recorder warns against high fees for deeds

YOUNGSTOWN — A private company offering to provide certified copies of deeds to Mahoning County homeowners is charging 10 times more than the county recorder’s office for the average deed, said Noralynn Palermo, county recorder.

Palermo said 20 to 30 county residents, some of them elderly who have purchased homes in recent years, called her office Monday and Tuesday. They said they received letters from National Deed Service Inc. of Northbrook, Ill., offering to provide them with an official, or certified, copy of their deeds for $59.50.

The deeds are public records available in person or by mail to anyone, and the recorder’s office charges $2 per page for copies plus a $1 certification fee, Palermo said. The average deed is two pages, so the average charge would be $5, she added. Deeds range from one to four pages, she said.

For more, see Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com