Welcome to the MVTA Member News!
March 2024
Dear Maryland Vehicle Titling Association Members,
As we step into the warmth of spring, a season that signals new beginnings, opportunities, and rejuvenation, let us declutter and reorganize to optimize efficiency and productivity. Furthermore, spring brings forth our busy season, adding an extra layer of significance to this period of revitalization.
Whether it’s preparing for heightened customer demand, ramping up marketing efforts, or fine-tuning procedures to accommodate increased workload, businesses should use this time to be prepared for challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead.
As we move forth in this season, the board wishes you all continued prosperity, renewed energy and vitality with your businesses in the months to come.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
- America’s Tag and Title, LLC – Baltimore
- Community Tag & Title – Ellicott City
- Express Tag and Title, LLC – Baltimore
- Lemus Shop Tag and Title – Annapolis
- Mateo Tag and Title Service, Inc. – Dunkirk
- Motor Car Couriers – Silver Spring
- Profound Essential Services – Hyattsville
- Tag and Title Zone – Silver Spring
- Vince MultiServices – Hyattsville
PRESSING NEWS:
* New MVA Bulletin * – On March 27th a bulletin was published that changes the way the MVA will deliver letters regarding missing documents or transaction audits. They will now be delivered to your business portal and not via the US Postal Service. Read more at this link.
* SAVE THE DATE * – On May 15th from 4:00 to 9:00 pm, the MVTA will partner with the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF – creators of the Ag Tag) for a family fun event and membership drive. Please invite any tag and title who is interested in learning more about the MVTA and bring them with you! Light refreshments will be served, and there will be a wider menu available for purchase. MAEF will have a hands-on educational opportunity for children in a farm type setting. There will be something special for the adults too! The location is in Olney, Maryland and the complete details will be disclosed soon! Invitations will be sent out through Eventbrite.
UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES:
MVA Fraud Prevention Training – Tuesday, May 23, 2024, from 9:00 – 11:00 am, in person at MVA Glen Burnie, Building A, Room 5
Don’t miss the upcoming Fraud Prevention Training session on May 23rd! The February training provided a lot of new information and an opportunity to interact with the Investigations, Auditing, and Business Licensing and Compliance departments. Rick Bilenky provided some good information to help you prepare for a possible audit. His notes have been uploaded to the Resource Section of our website under the column heading “MVTA and Miscellaneous Documents”.
→ New audits to be aware of: Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and User Affidavits! ←
Tools you should be using: If you want to detect fraud on titles and protect yourself, you MUST be using a UV/LED lighted magnifying glass! There are many on the market, but the one below checks all the boxes: 1) good quality, 2) low price, 3) takes up little desk space, and BONUS 4) comes with a protective case! See it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S6V7D1V?starsLeft=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_sms_apin_dp_VHGCHA9GN6ZEF1TY1Y7X
Can’t make the May Training? The next MVA fraud training is July 18, 2024.
Dealertrack Seminars
This monthly training is a great opportunity for you and your staff to interact with the trainers from Dealertrack. Open Q&A is a part of each live training session!
Every 2nd Tuesday & Thursday of the month Dealertrack will host a discussion with MD online processing and DMV experts to bring you the latest updates, developments, innovations, common challenges, and more to help you process more efficiently for quick deal turn-around times. Use this link to register for a session and details on how to join will be sent to you. New recorded webinar links from Dealertrack are also now on the Member Resources portal at www.mvta.org.
MVTA Training Events
Q&A Roundtable with the Board of Directors – join our quarterly virtual hangout on May 14th at 7:00 pm! Bring your drinks/snacks, questions, input, and ideas to make the MVTA better! There is often a “show and tell” when fur babies pop in! Mark your calendar and join us at this MS Teams link!
Future Training Events – We value your input! Please send any specific requests you have for tag and title training topics to info@mvta.org. As always, recorded video training is available on our portal for self-paced training. New topics include 1) Q&A with Maryland Health Connection, 2) The Small Business Resources of SCORE!, 3) DHCD Small Business Lending Programs, and 4) IRP Training Parts 1 and 2.
Past Events:
The IRP Training on March 14th was a huge success! Special thanks to Kim Smith of Truck Enterprises Hagerstown, Vice Chair Callie Russell, Past Chair Beth Caro, and our MVTA volunteers who made the day flow seamlessly! Kevin Gamble from the MVA and his assistant Bri provided great insight from their side of the transaction and Kim provided clear instructions from our perspective. There were 47 people in attendance, and MVTA gained some new members that day! Thanks to everyone who took the time to attend. If you are unable to participate that day, the video and class materials are now on our website on the Training Page!
* Breaking News * – The MVA Form IRP RECORD KEEPING REQUIREMENTS, previously only required at the time of initial IRP registration, is now required to be signed and submitted annually upon renewal of Apportioned Tags.
Legislative Updates:
From our attorney, Travis Martz: “The 2024 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly will conclude at midnight on April 8th. Transportation funding options have been a hot topic as the legislature knows revenue must be raised but the timing and manner of the funding is in debate. The House of Delegates wants to increase the vehicle excise tax, registration fees and repeal the vehicle trade difference. The Senate is taking a more conservative approach with far fewer tax increases. At this time, both chambers are still in negotiations.
There is no direct legislation that will harm independent title agents. Some bills have passed that will create additional special registration plates: 1) Disabled Veteran and; 2) Gold Star and Next of Kin. Another piece of legislation will allow the MVA to electronically access death records from Dept of Health which should streamline the re-titling process.
Finally, HB 972 requires all Off High Recreational Vehicles to be titled regardless of when purchased. All retailers must have a relationship with a titling provider to sell OHRV’s under this law. Therefore, Walmart cannot sell an ATV without a contractual relationship with a title service.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.“
See the full list of bills we are watching on our website: Resources > MVTA and Miscellaneous Documents > Maryland Legislation we are watching as of March 26, 2024.
TRANSACTION SPOTLIGHT – RETURN TO MARYLAND:
Process for a customer returning to Maryland with a vehicle that was previously titled and registered in their name in Maryland:
- If the owner(s) coming back to Maryland are exactly the same as when the vehicle left the state (as verified with an ERT VIN inquiry and current out-of-state title/registration card), then the transaction is a Duplicate Title (DT) and New Registration (NR). The DT portion must be done by MVA either via your business portal or walked through. You must submit the current out-of-state title* with the Application for Duplicate Title (VR-018). You can submit the DT and NR together as one transaction in your portal. * If the vehicle is financed and there is no out-of-state title to surrender, then you must submit the VR-018 along with the standard hold-title documents (out-of-state reg card, Out of State Lienholder Letter [VR-056], Hold Title Notice [VR-204])
- The vehicle does not have to be reinspected as long as it was already inspected in Maryland when last registered here (e.g., if the vehicle had temp tags when it left the state – it still needs to be inspected here).
- If there was a removal or addition of a co-owner while the vehicle was titled out of state, then the transaction is a New Title (T1, T4, or T5 per the circumstances). If the change in ownership is eligible for MSI and/or tax exemptions by the standard gifting rules, then the transaction would need to be processed by MVA, via business portal or walked through, to claim that exemption. If there are no eligible exemptions, then the transaction can be processed via ERT as a “New Maryland Resident”.
- If the returning owner wishes to add or remove a co-owner, then the transaction is also a New Title (T1, T4, or T5 per circumstance). If the change in ownership is eligible for MSI and/or tax exemptions by the standard gifting rules, then the transaction would need to be processed by MVA, via business portal or walked through, to claim that exemption. If there are no eligible exemptions, then the transaction can be processed via ERT as a “Private Sale”.
MVA UPDATES:
As highlighted in each newsletter, here are some useful MVA contacts to keep at your fingertips.
- The MVTA Board will continue to assist our members with the Vehicle Emissions Unit with flag removal requests. The MVTA is collaborating with the MVA to develop a more efficient method for a help desk to handle MVA requests from membership. Please send your requests to: helpdesk@mvta.org for assistance.
- Insurance Compliance Department – ICDhelpdesk@mdot.maryland.gov
- MVA Comptroller Flags – mvahold@marylandtaxes.gov
- Important Reminder: Update your contact information in the MVA portal, specifically your email and phone number. Many are reported as incorrect.
- Tired of sitting on hold with MVA? Or waiting forever for an email response? We can help! Email HelpDesk@mvta.org with your questions!
- REMEMBER to use the MVA Contact Sheet stored in the Resources Section of the MVTA member portal! If you have updates or changes to an email or phone number, please highlight them in the notes section for us!
Virginia Letters (continued from last newsletter):
As you know, MVA sent out thousands of letters last month to MD residents with VA tags – warning them to re-title and register in MD. As the July deadline requiring VA-insurance for VA tags approaches, expect to see an increase in volume of customers needing to change their VA titles over to MD. The majority of these transactions should be straight forward T1/T4/T5. Please note that these MD customers with vehicles less than 7 years old will NOT be eligible for the New-To-MD excise tax credit.
PLATE OF THE MONTH:
This month’s submission courtesy of Ross Molovinsky of Keystone Tag and Title! If you have a fun photo to share in our Plate of the Month section, please email it to info@mvta.org.
The new board of directors is off to a great start, and we want to remind you to GET INVOLVED to make the most of your membership. You will be amazed at the amount of support we provide, and how we strive to grow your small business. Consider joining the MVTA Facebook Group for up to the minute conversations, outage reports, and assistance from peers. Also, think about jumping into the fun as an MVTA volunteer!
Sincerely,
Lisa Charaf, Secretary
Wendy May, Executive Director
and
The MVTA Board of Directors