Soundex is a method used to identify names that sound like the name entered in a name search. It provides the user with a variable means of obtaining investigative/open order search results when the correct spelling of a name is not known or the name was misspelled during data entry. DTS 2.0 uses multiple versions of Soundex, but never more than one version in any county.
Only some counties use the Soundex feature. To find out, contact the assigned Customer Service Representative (CSR) at the local Data Trace Branch.
The Soundex feature can be access through the General Name or Grantor/Grantee Title Serivces, located in the options panel.
The Soundex Percent allows you to tell the system how selective to be when comparing the Soundex Code of the name requested to the names within the system's Name Table that have similar Soundex codes. A posting for a name in the table is only reported if the letter-by-letter Likeness Comparison is equal to or higher than the Soundex Percent for the requested name. As a general rule, the smaller the Soundex percentage, the more postings retrieved; the larger the percentage, the fewer postings retrieved.
To avoid having to enter a percentage for each search, each company can identify a default percentage. The Data Trace customer support representative will work with each company to determine this percentage. This default can be changed permanently on a title company basis and temporarily on a search-by-search basis on the search screens. Do not use decimals or percent signs when entering a Soundex Percent. The Soundex Percent field cannot be blank. The allowed values are 1 through 99.
Refer to the General Names service listed under Title Services section of the DTS 2.0 Services for more information.
See the Nickname Table more information on entering names.
Note: Detailed descriptions of Qualifiers and Investigative Options fields are discussed in the respective service listed under the Title Service section of DTS 2.0 Services.
Titon Version
(AKA Basic Version)
Soundex applies a numeric value to each letter of the Last name or first word of a Company entered. In addition, an exact match is performed on the first three letters of the second word entered in the Last/Company name field.
This is the table the system uses when assigning numeric values to letters in a searched name:
|
Letter(s): |
Numeric Equivalent |
|
A, E, I, O, U, Y, H, W |
0 |
|
B, F, P, V |
1 |
|
C, G, J, K, Q, S, X, Z |
2 |
|
D, T |
3 |
|
L |
4 |
|
M, N |
5 |
|
R |
6 |
Vowels, letter Y, H, and W are assigned a value of zero and are therefor ignored.
Note: Since Soundex works on a numerical principle, matches may be created which do not resemble the searched name even remotely. Likewise, names that sound the same but have different spellings than the searched name may not produce a match.
San Mateo/Pacific Teletitle Version
(AKA Advanced Version)
These Soundex versions are a two-step process. First, the system establishes a phonetic code using consonants and, in some circumstances, a combination of vowels and certain consonants, for the requested name. It matches that code to other name records within the system's Name Table that have the same phonetic code. Next, it uses these matched records to do a letter-by-letter comparison (Likeness Comparison) of the requested name against each of the phonetically matched names. As each name is compared, the percentage of likeness is compared to the threshold (Soundex Percent) to determine whether or not the matched record should be reported on the inquiry/open order.
The Likeness Comparison
The Likeness Comparison is calculated by the total number of letters in the requested name that are used in the Soundex code, divided by the total number of letters in the longest name in the postings with a similar Soundex code. Special consideration should be given to names with less than 4 characters. Consideration should be given to lowering the Soundex Percent. With a Soundex Percent of 75%, only one different character will make the difference between reporting and not reporting a record. For example, if the name is Dow and the name on the record is Daw, there is only a 67% match. Therefore, the record on Daw would not be reported. If the name Chu is requested and the name on the record is Chew, there is only a 50% match.
Entering Names
Names should be entered in the Last/Company name field of a General Name search input screen or the General Names tab of property and reference searches in the usual manner in accordance with the data entry rules of the county. If a company name is longer than the length of the Last/Company name field, the remainder of the company name should not be entered in the First name field.
Common company terms and abbreviations are ignored when they are the last term used in a company name. As a general rule, if any of the entire term does not fit within the Last name field, then the term should not be entered into the field at all. For example, if the name is Dow Associates, the 'Associates' is ignored. If the name is Dow Associates Inc., then "Inc" is ignored and 'Associates' is used for the Soundex Code and the Likeness Comparison. Therefore, a request for Dow Associates will not pick up a record with the name Dow Associates Inc. A request for Dow Associates Inc. would pick up a record with the name Dow Associates. On request for Dow Associates Incorporated where only a portion of 'Incorporated' fits the Last name field, the portion 'Incorporate' will be dropped because it is considered a variation of 'Incorporated' and the remainder in the First name field is ignored.
Below are some of the common terms and abbreviations that are ignored. Any variation of these terms is also ignored.
ASSN CO INC LTD
ASSOC COMPANY INCORPORATED LIMITED
ASSOCIATED CORP
ASSOCIATES CORPORATION
ASSOCIATION
All articles (A, An, The), special characters (&), professional designations (Dr. and DDS) and general designations (JR or III) should not be entered. Names beginning with 'St.' should always be typed the same, either with or without the abbreviation, depending on the data entry rules of the county.
Other name entry rules may apply, depending on the data entry rules and Soundex method used within your county. Contact your Customer Service Representative for more information.