Page:North Dakota Reports (vol. 48).pdf/101

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ROLETTE COUNTY BANK v. HANLYN
77

and that a mortgage given by him is within the recording statutes, Simonson v. Wenzel, 27 N. D. 638, 147 N. W. 804. The statutes relating to mortgages make specific provision for the recording of assignments. §§ 6742-3, Comp. Laws 1913; Henniges v. Paschke, 9 N. D.' 489, 84 N. W. 350; Merrill v. Luce, et al. 6 S. D. 354, 61 N. W. 43. And the effect of failure to record is elsewhere specifically stated. § 5594, Comp. Laws 1913.

Where the decisions turn upon the recording statutes the assignee of an interest in the mortgage who fails to: record it is either considered at fault or not, depending upon the application of the statute. If he is at fault, his interest is not protected as against a subsequent bona fide purchaser who relies upon the record for the reason that, as between the two, be whose omission of duty has made the loss possible should suffer. Our examination of the cases dealing with the question of priority in the general circumstances stated leads us to the conclusion that the best considered ones indicate a trend in favor of supporting titles to real property acquired in good faith and in reliance upon a record, as against equitable claims resulting from transactions not noted on the title records. It would seem that sound policy would require the giving of stability to titles acquired by persons who, in good faith, rely upon the public records. Stability would certainly be impaired if protection is accorded to those whose interests are of an equitable character and who have not been sufficiently diligent to cause to be entered upon the records the evidence thereof. An apt expression of this policy is found in the case of Williams v. Jackson, 107 U. S. 478. In that case it appeared that land had been conveyed to trustees in fee in trust for the payment of certain negotiable notes thereby secured. The trust deed was recorded and the notes transferred to an endorsee in good faith and for value. Before the maturity of the notes and while they were thus in the hands of the endorsee, the payee and the trustee released to the grantor of record the trust deed, whereupon the grantor obtained a second loan upon the same property by executing and recording a second trust deed. In disposing of the questions of priority between the holders of the notes secured by the first and second trust deeds, the court, among other things, said:

“It was suggested in argument that as the first deed of trust showed that the notes secured thereby were negotiable and were not yet payable. and that the land was not intended to be released from this trust until all the notes were paid, Williams was negligent in not making further in-