How to Transfer a Car Lien to Another State

**ahubbard8763** · 03-30-2012, 09:25 AM

My question involves vehicle registration or title in the state of: GA

I refinanced my car loan and now Wells Fargo is making me transfer the lien. Well I have two jobs, one in GA and one in TN and a residence in both. When I tried to transfer the lien in GA, they told me that I couldn't because my tags were in TN and when I tried to transfer it in TN they told me I could't because the address I used on my loan papers were from GA. I can't change either.

Is there any way to transfer a lien without a DMV or any way around this? If it is not transferred Wells Fargo is going to make it an unsecured loan and raise my payments by almost $150 a month. I can't have that.

**Mr. Knowitall** · 03-31-2012, 06:19 PM

Wells Fargo is the new lender? They're a national outfit - they can't redo the loan out of Tennessee?

jk · 03-31-2012, 06:49 PM

transfer the lien to ????

You do not transfer liens. Liens are either released or imposed. If you refinanced, the lien that was in place would be released by the lender that held that lien. Then the new lender would file with whatever state the car is titled in to place a lien on the title. Wells Fargo has to have you sign a lien agreement that allows the state to place a lien on your title. Wells Fargo them sends it to the state the car is titled in and the state issues a new title with wells fargo as lienholder and sends it to wherever wells fargo listed as their address.

Where you live and what you used as an address is irrelevant since in both TN and GA the lienholder retains the title.

the only problem I see is whether you have the car titled in the correct state. It is to be titled in your state of legal residence. If it isn't, then you need to change that. What you list as your address for the purposes of the loan is irrelevant to the lien and title issue.

**Mr. Knowitall** · 03-31-2012, 07:00 PM

I suspect by "transfer" he means "discharge one lien and substitute the other." Georgia can't remove a lien from a Tennessee title, because... they're a different state. I don't know what the issue is in Tennessee; but it could be that the new lien documentation was prepared for the Georgia DMV and is not in acceptable form for Tennessee. I agree with what you're saying - we need clarification.