[refurb]

Is that state specific? I recall some banks holding liens against titles instead?

I recall buying a used car where the bank lien had to be removed prior to transfer.

[foobarian]

It could be we're not distinguishing lease vs. finance in these threads. In my experience in Massachusetts, lease titles were in a holding company's name, while financed vehicles were in my own.

P.S. Looking around a bit there is a lot of variation on how this works depending on locale. So I guess lease vs. finance is just another way things can differ out there.

[refurb]

I wouldn’t be surprised it varies a lot. Just vehicle registration varies. In California the plate stays with the car, but in other states new plates are issue and old plates move to the original owners new car.

No doubt it would be fascinating to see how each state does it. I only have experience with a few.