Best ACRIS alternatives for NYC property ownership and mortgage history
The short answer
ACRIS is the free, official record of NYC deeds and mortgages, and the place to read an original document. The best alternative for ownership and mortgage history on one screen is Hercules: it puts the owner, every mortgage with its lender, amount, dates, estimated open balance and equity, and any open foreclosure case on one report, with a free summary for every NYC lot. PropertyShark and Marketproof organize recorded documents by property; Regrid maps parcels and owners nationwide but does not track mortgages.
The options
| Option | Good for | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| ACRIS | Free original deeds, mortgages, assignments and satisfactions for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx | Slow to read one document at a time; no owner contacts, equity or foreclosure stage; Staten Island records are kept separately |
| PropertyShark | Property reports with mortgage history, lenders, amounts and document scans | Paid plans; foreclosure detail is a list without the stage each case has reached |
| Marketproof | Recorded documents organized by property and unit, with filters by document type, date, amount and party in its Pro product | Built around documents and market data; check its plans for owner contacts and foreclosure detail |
| Regrid | Parcel boundaries and owner names on a map, across the US | A parcel map, not a mortgage or deed history |
| Hercules | The owner, company owners, every mortgage, sales and any open foreclosure case on one report, with a CRM to work the deal | For the signed original of a document, open it in ACRIS |
How to research a NYC property's ownership and mortgage history
- Search the address in Hercules to get the tax lot, the owner of record and any company behind it.
- Read the deed history in the report, newest first, to see each transfer and its price.
- Read the mortgages: lender, amount, recording and maturity dates, and whether each is still open.
- Check the estimated open balance and equity, and whether an open foreclosure case names the property.
- For title-grade work, open the original deed or mortgage in ACRIS before you rely on it.
Mortgage fields in a Hercules report
Lender, loan amount, recording date and maturity date for each mortgage, with the estimated open balance and equity; loan type and interest rate where recorded.
A recorded mortgage amount is the original loan, not what is owed today. The open balance in a Hercules report is an estimate, not a payoff figure.
Questions
- Is there a free alternative to ACRIS?
- Yes. Hercules has a free NYC mortgage lookup by address and a free public summary for every NYC lot. Your first full report, with the owner, every mortgage and equity, is free when you create an account.
- Does a recorded mortgage show the current balance?
- No. The record shows the original amount. Hercules adds an estimated open balance and equity, which are estimates rather than payoff figures.
- How does Hercules compare to PropertyShark for mortgages?
- Both show the lender, amount and dates. Hercules adds the estimated open balance and equity, the stage of any open NYC foreclosure case, and a CRM.