WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice announced that the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), an online computer system to help protect states and consumers from automobile fraud, is now available for consumers through third party, fee-for-service Web sites. The Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers NMVTIS in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In September a federal judge ordered the DOJ to provide public access to an electronic database that includes information on vehicles that have been declared a total loss by insurance companies. Shortly after the ruling, the department issued a notice of proposed rulemaking on NMVTIS that calls for insurance companies, junkyards and salvage dealers to provide VIN-based information on totaled or salvage vehicle vehicles by March 31, and update the information every 30 days. (See related story, “Lawsuit prompts action on national title information system.”)

The system allows state motor vehicle administrators to verify and exchange titling and brand data and provides law enforcement officials, consumers and others with critical information regarding vehicle histories. Consumers now have access to the vehicle's brand history, odometer data and basic vehicle information and can be redirected to the current state of record to access the full title record if available. Law enforcement can track the vehicle's status from state to state by accessing the system directly.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, car theft is a profitable business generating nearly $8 billion a year. Along with implementing this system, the Department has outlined the various responsibilities and reporting requirements for states, auto recyclers, junkyards and salvage yards, and insurance carriers. The Department has designed the system consistent with federal law that requires that the system be paid for through user fees and not dependent on federal funding.

More information can be found at http://www.ojp.gov.