LTO MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 17 of the said manual of operations provides that “In all dealings or transactions on motor vehicles, a chattel mortgage or release thereof shall first be registered with the office of the Register of Deeds before any registration transaction is effected.”
The Bottom Line Chattel mortgages are a little-known but potentially good option if you're looking to finance a manufactured home or heavy equipment. These loans are smaller than conventional loans and tend to have higher rates, but they have shorter terms and quicker payoffs.
An attorney licensed to practice law in Ohio must prepare deeds, powers of attorney, and other instruments that are to be recorded. One exception is that a party to the transaction may prepare an instrument in which they are a party.
The buyer who records their deed first is recognized as the legal property owner. Thus, it is a “race” between the two buyers to record their deeds. But, the subsequent bona fide buyer is only allowed to compete in the race if they didn't know about the earlier property transfer. Ohio is a race-notice jurisdiction.
A chattel mortgage shall not be valid against any person except the mortgagor, his executors or administrators, unless the possession of the property is delivered to and retained by the mortgagee or unless the mortgage is recorded in the office of the register of deeds of the province in which the mortgagor resides at ...
By chattel mortgage, personal property is recorded in the Chattel Mortgage Register as a security for the performance of an obligation. If the movable, instead of being recorded, is delivered to the creditor or a third person, the contract is a pledge and not a chattel mortgage.