Introduction

The following examples demonstrate how to use Cardinal Gray’s API across the lifecycle of common DMV transactions, covering the below concepts.

Interoperability of Transaction and Vehicle Objects

The Transaction and Vehicle objects work together to represent a complete vehicle-related transaction, such as a sale, loan, or repossession. The Transaction object contains information about the parties involved and the nature of the transaction, while the Vehicle object serves as a source of truth regarding the vehicle specifications as well as its current title and registration information.

Common Interactions

  • Transaction References Vehicle: The Transaction object references the Vehicle object to tie the transaction to a specific vehicle. There are two notable examples of this:
    • When transacting on vehicles that already have a title, if the vehicle title state differs from the target state DMV, the API will automatically generate the necessary state transfer paperwork.
    • For vehicle sales, the vehicle.type property often determines which state authorities are involved in completing a given vehicle sale.
  • Data Enrichment: By setting pull_nmvtis and pull_state_data to true in the Transaction object, the API can enrich the Vehicle object with additional data, requiring minimal input (e.g., only VIN and type).

You will never have to worry about the intricacies of reconciling vehicle title information with your recorded, originations data (for example, reconciling the borrowers field of a loan transaction or that provided in the seller field of a private party sale with the current vehicle ownership information). Cardinal Gray handles this for you by cross-referencing these values and using those which are most likely to be correct in the DMV’s eyes.

Basic Example: Data Enrichment

The most basic API request does not generate any forms, but instead simply queries real-time DMV data.

{
  "transaction": {
    "state": "CA",
    "pull_nmvtis": true,
    "pull_state_data": true
  },
  "vehicle": {
    "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
    "type": "AUTO"
  }
}

Refinance

This guide walks through the complete workflow for processing a vehicle refinance transaction, from frontend lien perfection to acquiring a repo title. Endpoints covered independently include DMV data enrichment, form generation, and document signing.

Ask us about how you can leverage Cardinal Gray to dispatch a refinance payoff to the current lienholder.

1

Initialize Refinance Request

Description: This endpoint initiates the refinance process by submitting borrower, vehicle, and lienholder information. It triggers two parallel processes:

  1. DMV data enrichment - pulls current vehicle and title information from state DMV databases
  2. Form generation - begins preparing required state-specific refinance documents
2

Fetch DMV Data Pull

Description: This polling endpoint checks the status of the DMV data enrichment process. It retrieves:

  • Current title status and lienholder information
  • Vehicle registration details
  • Any title brands or restrictions
  • Current odometer reading (if available)
3

Form Generation

Description: This endpoint monitors the generation of state-specific refinance documents, which includes:

  • Title application forms
  • Lien release documents
  • State-specific disclosures
  • Supporting documentation requirements
  • Optional title applications for owner add/drops or state transfers
4

Document Signing

Description: This endpoint handles the document signing workflow, which varies by state:

  • E-sign states: Initiates electronic signature requests through a notary network
  • Wet-sign states: Manages physical document shipping for manual signatures The endpoint tracks both signature collection and notarization status
5

Transaction Update: Refi to Repo

Description: This endpoint allows updating the refinance transaction status. In this example, it converts the refinance to a repossession case by:

  • Recording repossession details
  • Updating lien status
  • Triggering required state notifications
  • Initiating recovery documentation

Title Loan

This guide details the complete workflow for processing a vehicle title loan transaction, including DMV data enrichment, form generation, and document signing.

1

Initialize Title Loan Request

Description: This endpoint initiates the title loan process by submitting borrower, vehicle, and lienholder information. It triggers two processes:

  1. DMV data enrichment - retrieves current vehicle and title information from the DMV
  2. Form generation - prepares required state-specific title loan documents
2

Fetch DMV Data Pull

Description: This polling endpoint checks the status of the DMV data enrichment process. It retrieves:

  • Current title status and lienholder information
  • Vehicle registration details
  • Any title brands or restrictions
  • Current odometer reading (if available)
3

Form Generation

Description: This endpoint monitors the generation of state-specific title loan documents, which includes:

  • Title application forms
  • State-specific disclosures
  • Supporting documentation requirements
  • Optional title applications for owner add/drops or state transfers
4

Document Signing

Description: This endpoint handles the document signing workflow, which varies by state:

  • E-sign states: Initiates electronic signature requests or remote online notarization through a notary network.
  • Wet-sign states: Manages physical document shipping for manual signatures. The endpoint tracks both signature collection and notarization status.

New OHV Sale

This guide details the complete workflow for processing an off-highway vehicle sale transaction, including form generation and document signing.

1

Initialize OHV Sale Request

Description: This endpoint initiates the OHV sale process by submitting buyer, seller, vehicle, and lienholder information. It triggers form generation for required state-specific documents.

2

Form Generation

Description: This endpoint monitors the generation of state-specific OHV sale documents, which includes:

  • Title application forms
  • Bill of sale
  • Odometer disclosure
  • Power of attorney (if applicable)
  • State-specific disclosures
3

Document Signing

Description: This endpoint handles the document signing workflow, which varies by state:

  • E-sign states: Initiates electronic signature requests through a notary network
  • Wet-sign states: Manages physical document shipping for manual signatures The endpoint tracks both signature collection and notarization status

Salvage Title

This guide provides an overview of the workflow for processing salvage title cases, covering insurance claims, total loss assessments, and DMV notifications for both theft and damage cases.

1

Initialize Salvage Case

Description: This endpoint initiates the salvage process for a vehicle, submitting necessary information about the claim, vehicle details, and insurance provider. The endpoint supports two types of cases:

  1. Theft - for vehicles reported as stolen and unclaimed
  2. Damage - for vehicles deemed a total loss due to damage
2

Fetch DMV Data Pull

Description: This polling endpoint checks the status of the DMV data enrichment process. It retrieves:

  • Current title status and lienholder information
  • Vehicle registration details
  • Title brands or restrictions (if any)
3

Form Generation

Description: This endpoint monitors the generation of state-specific salvage documents, including:

  • Title transfer forms
  • Insurance documentation
  • State-specific salvage declarations

Private Party Sale

This guide details the workflow for processing an ownership transfer for a used vehicle sale between a private seller and buyer, covering the required information submission, DMV checks, and documentation.

1

Initialize Ownership Transfer Request

Description: This endpoint initiates the ownership transfer process for a used vehicle sale. It includes details about the seller, buyer, and vehicle, and triggers data retrieval from NMVTIS and state DMV databases for verification.

2

Fetch DMV Data

Description: This endpoint polls the DMV data pull status. It retrieves:

  • Current title status, including lienholder information
  • Vehicle registration details
  • Any title brands or restrictions
  • Odometer reading (if available)
3

Form Generation

Description: This endpoint monitors the generation of state-specific documents needed for the ownership transfer. These documents may include:

  • Title transfer application
  • Bill of sale
  • Odometer disclosure statements
4

Document Signing

Description: This endpoint initiates the document signing process. Requirements vary by state:

  • E-sign: electronic signature requests sent through a notary network
  • Wet-sign: manages physical document shipping for manual signatures