MERS® System
Streamline Your Mortgage Processes with MERS System Membership
The MERS System is a national electronic database that tracks changes in mortgage servicing rights and beneficial ownership interests in loans secured by residential real estate.
Two of the primary benefits of being a MERS System Member (“Member”) are:
- Saving money
- Eliminates need for certain paper assignments, thus reducing costs associated with transferring mortgage rights
- Reducing issues related to breaks of chain in the title
- At closing, the borrower and lender agree to name Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS) as mortgagee or beneficiary on the mortgage or deed of trust
- The lender then records the mortgage in the county land records and registers the information about the loan on MERS System
- MERS remains mortgagee in the land records as servicing rights and notes are bought and sold between active Members. No interests are transferred on the system; they are only tracked
Who can become a member?
Membership is open to originators, servicers, lenders, and brokers serving the mortgage industry. Learn about MERS to determine if membership is right for you.
MERS System Resources
Experience the benefits of MERS and the MERS System
- Eliminates breaks in the chain of title
- Hard dollar savings on each loan for lenders
- Identity of servicer and investor available for free to homeowners via phone or Internet
- Used by lenders to find undisclosed liens
- Used by governments and code enforcement officers to find companies responsible for maintaining vacant and abandoned properties
- Simplifies lien releases because chain of title starts and stops with MERS
- Increases efficiency in sale of loans and servicing transfers in secondary market
- Uses the Mortgage Identification Number (MIN) assigned to each loan for tracking throughout the life of a loan
How to become a MERS System Member
To ensure an efficient path to MERS System membership, please review and assemble the list of required documents before applying. When you are ready to apply, click Apply for Membership to access the MERS eApplication Walkthrough, which is a recorded guide to accessing and completing the MERS eApplication. We highly encourage you to view this walkthrough in full to improve the likelihood of a successfully completed application. Please plan on approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete your guided application.
MERS Link
MERS Link is a service that allows organizations to retrieve summary information regarding mortgage loans registered on the MERS System, including the loan’s current Servicer and any Property Preservation Company associated with the property. Because MERS Link is accessed through MERS OnLine, the browser-based interface to the MERS System, use of MERS Link requires membership in the MERS System.
To become a MERS Link Member:
- Review the MERS Link Terms and Conditions
- 2. Click the link at the bottom of the Terms and Conditions to download the MERS Link Membership application.
- Complete and execute the Membership application.
- Email your completed Membership application to the MERSCORP Holdings Help Desk.