Welcome to the electronic age and banks with branches all over the country. Florida has had electronic titles for many years and, as I said before, you can pay extra and get a paper title if you want one. I also said that you can go to ANY DMV office as they all have access to the same "electronic title" on record and can print you out a copy at any time. They also have records as to whether or not a lien is on the vehicle from a bank. Apparently when a lien is placed on a vehicle it is filed and entered in to the records electronically. The bank that placed the lien must have access to the Florida DMV, and can release the title without going through the hassle of sending something by mail. Way back when, most bank branches did not hold a paper title. It was sent to the home office, which may be in another state. Now it is all done electronically in seconds instead of days/weeks.
When I sold a vehicle, that electronic title is changed to the new owner's name, etc and remains in the Florida electronic file as a permanent record. If the new owner wants a paper title today, or sometime in the future, all he needs to do is go to any DMV office and get it printed out, for a small charge.
It is really no different than renewing your registration online. The internet has made it unnecessary to go to any DMV in Florida unless you feel the need to go wait in line or if you are registering an out of State vehicle for the first time. Then they need to verify the VIN.
