Sued over deed delays; the office denied a problem, then acknowledged it was wrong

ING Properties, a Virginia-based investor and lender to commercial developers, sued the Sheriff’s Office over its failure to transfer deeds. The firm had become the owner of six properties after the development project it financed fell through and no one bid at the June 4 sheriff sale; nearly four months later, it had received none of the deeds. An attorney representing mortgage-servicing companies said a deed from a September 2023 sale had arrived only the month before — about eleven months after the auction.

When the Inquirer first reported the delays in July, the office’s spokesperson had responded by email: “You insist there is a widespread delay, but that is incorrect.” Days later, presented with city records, the office reversed course and acknowledged it was wrong, blaming an unspecified staffing issue.