First e-home sale closes in Pennsylvania.

HomeSale Settlement Services, in collaboration with Simplifile, the Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds and the National Notary Association (NNA), announced the first completely electronic home sale closing in Pennsylvania, revolutionizing the way residential and commercial real estate transactions are conducted and recorded in the Commonwealth.

The completely paperless transaction incorporates the fundamental and protective components of notarization using the NNA--developed Electronic Notary Seal (ENS[TM]) and National eNotary Registry[TM], which provide real-time authentication of a Notary's identity and credentials, greatly reducing the potential for fraudulent mortgage transactions. Electronic notarization improves the security and efficiency of real property transactions from the point of origination to recording, while reducing costs associated with examining and storing traditional paper-based documents.

"By taking the lead to make the first electronic closing achievable in Pennsylvania, HomeSale Settlement Services is single-handedly transforming how real property is transacted in the Commonwealth," said Timothy S. Reiniger, Esq., NNA executive director.

In February, the NNA, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of State and four of the state's recorders of deeds, launched the nation's first statewide system for eNotarization. Since January 31, the Department of State has authorized approximately 200 qualified Pennsylvania Notaries Public to perform notarizations on electronic documents, which are then recorded digitally by participating Pennsylvania county recorders.