Carl R. Ernst, CEO of Ernst Publishing Co., LLC, is co-chair of the Land Fraud Workgroup of the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA www.pria.us). The workgroup focuses on developing programs to bring together government and industry at the local and national levels to prevent, detect and deter land fraud schemes.

He has been involved in public record filing, recording and searching since the early 1980’s, when he first became involved with a firm that, under his management, grew to be the largest national UCC search service company.

In the late 1980’s he developed one of the first national online systems containing due-diligence level public record databases, which included UCC and corporate records for more than 30 states and a comprehensive file of local court record information in California.

From 1992 to 1998 Mr. Ernst was active in BRB Publications, where he edited many of the publications in the Public Record Research Library series, including comprehensive guides to searching in all local, state and federal felony and large civil court jurisdictions. Mr. Ernst continues as a stockholder, editor and consultant to BRB Publications.

In 1997-1998, Mr. Ernst assisted in the founding of what is now PRIA, originally a joint effort of IACREOT and NACRC that has brought together for the first time the public and private sectors with an interest in property records and transactions. PRIA has by consensus successfully developed many best practices papers, and is the official source of eRecording standards for transmitting documents electronically to land recording offices.

He was presented with the first PRIA Founders Award in 2006. Mr. Ernst has been active in the development of standards for electronic commerce in the real estate industry, UCC revised Article 9, paper document formatting, and protection of the confidentiality of recorded DD-214’s

Ernst Publishing is the national leader in providing land recording office information and automated calculation of recording fees and transaction taxes related for preparation of good faith estimates, HUD-1’s and for submission of documents to land recording offices by title and escrow companies and mortgage lenders.