NB 609
May 25, 2004
FREDERICTON (CNB) - Service New Brunswick (SNB) announced today a new online Lien Check service that offers protection to New Brunswick consumers purchasing used goods.
"When consumers buy a previously-owned good - such as a used car, recreational vehicle or furniture - there may be liens against the good they are purchasing," said Intergovernmental and International Relations Minister Percy Mockler, Minister responsible for Service New Brunswick. "Perhaps the owner of the used car still has an outstanding loan on that car, and what the purchaser may not realize is that by purchasing that car, he also takes with him the outstanding amount of that loan. The purchaser is now responsible for paying it back to the bank, or the bank can seize that car and the purchaser is left with little recourse."
With this new service, a consumer interested in purchasing a previously owned item simply needs to get the serial number of that item, punch it into the online service and search it themselves from their own home.
Before the introduction of this online functionality, the public had to travel to an SNB Registry Office or hire a private search firm to do a search on their behalf. By introducing the online search capacity, SNB is making searching more accessible, more convenient and quicker, and increasing consumer protection in the process. For a minimal search fee, payable online with a credit card, consumers will be able to search the Registry themselves.
"As they say, it's buyer-beware, and now government is making it much easier for people to search for the information they need to make informed and safe buying decisions," Mockler said.
New Brunswick is also collaborating with the other Atlantic provinces on this project. This is a result of Service New Brunswick selling its technology and expertise to these three other provinces. The other provinces' respective online databases, made possible by SNB technology, will be available for public search in a near future.
SNB's Personal Property Registry is an award-winning electronic registry that offers one-stop access to publicly available information about personal property, and provides an easy way to check if the product being offered has any loans or judgments outstanding.
In addition to the Personal Property Registry, SNB is responsible for the Real Property Registry and the Corporate Affairs Registry. Service New Brunswick is also responsible for real property assessments and provides more than 176 government services through 36 service centres throughout the province, through SNB TeleServices, toll-free, at 1-888-762-8600, and through SNB Online at: http://www.snb.ca.
04/05/25
MEDIA CONTACT: Diane Gauthier, communications, Service New Brunswick, 506-453-7416.
04/05/25