Mortgage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A mortgage pledges the property as security for a loan. Recorded, it is a lien that comes ahead of later liens and stays on the title until a satisfaction or release is recorded. In Philadelphia, mortgages are recorded with the Philadelphia Department of Records, and a HeritageDeed title search lists them for the property. 3,250 were recorded in Philadelphia in May 2026.
How Philadelphia records it
Philadelphia's real estate documents are recorded by the city's Department of Records, whose records cover deeds, mortgages, satisfactions and sheriff's deeds.
A sheriff's deed records a property sold at a sheriff's sale, usually after a mortgage foreclosure or for unpaid taxes.
What it means for a buyer or bidder
A recorded mortgage with no satisfaction of record is an open lien, even if the loan was paid: it has to be released or paid at a sale.
How many are recorded
3,250 in May 2026 and 40,459 over the twelve months to then. What else was recorded that month.
Does a title search find it in Philadelphia?
Yes. The Philadelphia report covers: Deeds, mortgages, satisfactions and sheriff's deeds recorded with the Department of Records.
Not covered: Satisfactions in Philadelphia are not cross-referenced to the mortgage they release, so the report says when a pairing is uncertain.
More about Philadelphia records
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