A new Illinois law as of June 1 requires notaries who witness signatures at Cook County (Chicago) real estate closings to fingerprint home sellers as a way of documenting they are who they say they are. The cost of the thumbprint will be the responsibility of the home seller with a maximum of $25. Luckily, outside of the real estate closing, these prints can only be accessed through a court subpoena and are not available through the Freedom of Information Act. Sellers also must continue to provide valid photo identification.
The law is intended to deter housing fraud, which often exists when a person sells a property by forging the signature of the entitled owner on the deed. In order to transfer the title deed to a new owner, the seller must provide a thumbprint in the presence of a notary public.
The concept of providing thumbprints for certain transactions, specifically banking, is not unusual or even new in concept. And, if deemed a success and not a nuisance in Cook County, it may only be a matter of time before we, locally, will have to give each real estate transaction a “thumbs up.”