Ravenna – Nearly half of Portage County taxpayers make property tax payments through their mortgage provider. For most, that process is seamless – but for some, who have had their mortgages bought and sold by multiple providers, it can become a hassle, resulting in late payment notices, fines, duplicate payments and refunds.
Thanks to a new partnership between County Treasurer Brad Cromes and Autoagent, a free web-based property tax collection system, those problems should be less of a concern starting with this summer’s tax collection. Mortgage providers often utilize bulk payment services to make property tax payments, and Autoagent is specifically designed to manage the receipt of those payments from multiple services. The result is fewer refunds and duplicate payments, which translates to a smoother process for taxpayers.
“Our office regularly receives phone calls from taxpayers with mortgages complaining that their payments have been mixed up, and similar calls from the banks that hold those mortgages,” Treasurer Cromes said. “This partnership with Autoagent should alleviate both concerns, and prevent those problems before they happen.”
On Autoagent, mortgage providers and bulk payment services commit to make a payment on multiple parcels in advance. That commitment list is matched with a property file provided by the Treasurer’s Office, and cross-referenced against the payment lists provided by all other mortgage providers and payment services using the system. This direct connection allows those making bulk payments to identify potential conflicts and overpayments in advance, and eliminates the need for the Treasurer’s Office to issue refunds for duplicate payments.
“We hope, as more mortgage providers and bulk payers use Autoagent, we’ll see a reduction in the number of refunds we issue, which will save us time and save taxpayers money,” Treasurer Cromes added. With the partnership, Portage County joins 35 other Ohio counties utilizing Autoagent for bulk payment processing. For more information regarding property tax payments, please contact Treasurer Cromes’ office at 330-297-3586 during regular business hours.
