PRIA was created based on the concept of “round table” discussions, where participants from all industry segments come together as equals to openly discuss issues relevant to the property records industry and, through frank discussions leading to consensus, develop best practices and standards for the industry.

For nearly three centuries, no forum existed to foster understanding and cooperation between the government and business sectors of the property records industry, at either the local or national levels.  In the 1990s, the industry found itself at a crossroads, facing new laws, such as the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN), or revised laws, such as Article IX of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC); new industry structures, such as the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS); and the use of new technologies, such as the Internet and electronic recording.  The urgent need for a means to coordinate such complex challenges was palpable.  Business was frustrated by an inability to get documents recorded quickly and efficiently.  Government was frustrated by its inability to improve efficiency and customer service through use of new technologies because of a lack of funding.  To make matters worse, with no national standards in place, state legislatures were adopting widely differing requirements applicable to property transactions, hampering the growing nationalization and globalization of property financing and ownership.

By 1997, leaders of the two national associations representing county recorders recognized the critical need for a structured forum to promote better communication and understanding between the industry’s government and business sectors.  Through the vision and efforts of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials & Clerks (NACRC) and the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials & Treasurers (IACREOT), the idea of an industry-wide task force, established jointly by government and business, was born.  The Property Records Industry Joint Task Force (PRIJTF) was created, legally structured as a subcommittee under NACRC co-sponsored by IACREOT.  National business groups, led by Fannie Mae and the American Land Title Association (ALTA), provided crucial organizational and financial support.  Industry leaders from all sectors were invited and encouraged to participate.  The response was positive and the first PRIJTF meeting was held on February 26, 1998, in Washington, D.C., with representatives from most of the industry’s major national professional associations in attendance.