*858We consider whether the Commonwealth Court correctly determined that 21 P.S. § 351, "Failure to record conveyance," does not create a mandatory duty to record all mortgages and mortgage assignments in a county office for the recorder of deeds. We hold the Commonwealth Court did not err, and therefore affirm.
This appeal arose from four separate, yet substantively similar, lawsuits filed by the county recorders in Delaware, Chester, Bucks and Berks Counties and their respective Counties (collectively, the Recorders). Pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. 213.1 (Coordination of Actions in Different Counties), the suits filed by the Delaware, Chester and Bucks County Recorders were coordinated in the Court of Common Pleas for Delaware County in April 2015, and the suit filed by the Berks County Recorder was coordinated into the Delaware County action in October of 2015.1 The Recorders sued appellees, MERSCORP, Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiary, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS), and several financial institutions who are members of MERS (collectively, MERSCORP). MERSCORP owns and operates the MERS® System, which is a national electronic registry system for promissory notes associated with mortgages and secured by residential real estate. The MERS® System permits its members to transfer promissory notes associated with mortgages between and among its financial institution members. After a member-to-member transfer of a note, MERS remains the mortgagee and title holder of record as a "nominee" for the holder of the promissory note and its successors and assigns. Under this system, MERS facilitates operation of the secondary market for mortgages by enabling its members to transfer the right to repayment on the note associated with a mortgage to other members by recording the transfers only in the MERS database. Thus, priority for the mortgage is established within the MERS® System for purposes of notification to the members, even when the transfers of the note are not recorded in county recording offices. As a result, county recording fees may be avoided by MERS members.
*859The Recorders' complaints set forth six identical claims2 based on Section 351 of Title 21 (Deeds and Mortgages), which is entitled "Failure to record conveyance," and provides as follows:
All deeds, conveyances, contracts, and other instruments of writing wherein it shall be the intention of the parties executing the same to grant, bargain, sell, and convey any lands, tenements, or hereditaments situate in this Commonwealth, upon being acknowledged by the parties executing the same or proved in the manner provided by the laws of this Commonwealth, shall be recorded in the office for the recording of deeds in the county where such lands, tenements, and hereditaments are situate. Every such deed, conveyance, contract, or other instrument of writing which shall not be acknowledged or proved and recorded, as aforesaid, shall be adjudged fraudulent and void as to any subsequent bona fide purchaser or mortgagee or holder of any judgment, duly entered in the prothonotary's office of the county in which the lands, tenements, or hereditaments are situate, without actual or constructive notice unless such deed, conveyance, contract, or instrument of writing shall be recorded, as aforesaid, before the recording of the deed or conveyance or the entry of the judgment under which such subsequent purchaser, mortgagee, or judgment creditor shall claim. Nothing contained in this act shall be construed to repeal or modify any law providing for the lien of purchase money mortgages.
21 P.S. § 351.
A virtually identical challenge to the MERS® System was already proceeding in the United States District Court for the Eastern District, filed in 2011 by the Recorder of Deeds for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Nancy Becker (the Federal Action). The Federal Action was a putative class action complaint against MERSCORP seeking a declaratory judgment and permanent injunction establishing MERS members failed to record mortgage assignments in violation of Section 351. In 2012, the District Court held Section 351 creates a mandatory obligation on the part of MERS and its members to record documents memorializing the transfer of promissory notes. Montgomery Cty. v. MERSCORP, Inc. , 904 F.Supp.2d 436 (E.D. Pa. 2012). Proceedings in the Delaware County coordinated actions were stayed pending appeal of the Federal Action.
On August 3, 2015, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the District Court's decision and held Section 351 does not create a mandatory duty to record all land conveyances. Montgomery Cty. v. MERSCORP Inc. , 795 F.3d 372 (3d Cir. 2015). Relying on the Third Circuit's decision, MERSCORP filed preliminary objections in the nature of a demurrer to the Recorders' complaints seeking dismissal on the basis that Section 351 does not provide a duty to record, and the Recorders do not have authority to enforce Section 351 in any event. The court overruled the preliminary objections, and denied MERSCORP's request to certify its interlocutory order for an immediate appeal. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 702(b) (court may certify interlocutory order as involving controlling question of law on which there is substantial ground for difference of opinion and immediate appeal may materially advance ultimate termination of matter).
*860MERSCORP then filed a petition for review in the Commonwealth Court. See Pa.R.A.P. 1311(b), Note (where lower court refuses to amend interlocutory order to allow immediate appeal, petition for review is proper mode to determine whether prerogative appellate correction is required). The Commonwealth Court granted review of the following issues: "(1) whether Section 351 requires the recording of all mortgages and mortgage assignments; and (2) whether the General Assembly conferred on the Recorders a right of action to enforce Section 351." MERSCORP, Inc. v. Delaware Cty. , 160 A.3d 961, 964 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2017).
A divided Commonwealth Court reversed.3 The majority agreed with the Third Circuit's conclusion in the Federal Action, specifically ruling " Section 351 does not issue a blanket command that all conveyances must be recorded; it states that a conveyance 'shall be recorded' in the appropriate place, or else the party risks losing his interest in the property to a bona fide purchaser." MERSCORP , 160 A.3d at 965, quoting Montgomery Cty. , 795 F.3d at 377. The majority observed the plain language of Section 351 does not specify which party to a transaction must record a conveyance, nor does it state when recording must take place. The majority also recognized Pennsylvania courts have consistently interpreted Section 351 and other provisions of Title 21 as intended to protect subsequent mortgages and purchasers, and that the failure to record inherently provides a limited consequence - the loss of a priority interest. Id. at 965-66. The majority found further support for its conclusion in precedent recognizing as valid even unrecorded interests in land. Id. at 966, citing U.S. Bank N.A. v. Mallory , 982 A.2d 986, 993 (Pa. Super. 2009) (recording mortgage assignment not prerequisite to filing complaint in mortgage foreclosure and failure to record does not negate validly executed mortgage assignment).
In addition, the majority held Section 351 does not confer any authority upon the Recorders to enforce Section 351. Id. at 968, citing Montgomery Cty., 795 F.3d 372. The majority noted the Recorders have a ministerial duty to the public to record and safeguard records presented to them for recording, but that duty does not confer standing to file actions to protect the public from "inaccurate" records in the MERS® system. Id.4
We granted the Recorders' petition for allowance of appeal on the following issues:
(1) Whether the Commonwealth Court erred in ruling that [MERSCORP] may systematically evade Pennsylvania's land recording statutes, including 21 P.S. § 351, and not record many thousands of conveyances in the Offices of the Recorders of Deeds across the Commonwealth?
*861(2) Whether the Commonwealth Court erred in ruling that Recorders of Deeds and Counties do not possess standing or a right of action to pursue claims against Respondents that have deliberately engaged in a course of conduct that undermines the public land recording system and is without precedent in the long history of Pennsylvania's recording laws?
MERSCORP, Inc., v. Delaware County, Recorder of Deeds et. al , 643 Pa. 644, 174 A.3d 549 (2017) (per curiam). These issues require statutory interpretation, and are thus pure questions of law. Accordingly, our standard of review is de novo and our scope of review is plenary. Schappell v. Motorists Mut. Ins. Co. , 594 Pa. 94, 934 A.2d 1184, 1187 (2007). In such cases, we must ascertain and effectuate the intention of the General Assembly. 1 Pa.C.S. § 1921(a). We are cognizant that, "[w]hen the words of a statute are clear and free from all ambiguity, the letter of it is not to be disregarded under the pretext of pursuing its spirit." Id. § 1921(b). Moreover, we presume the General Assembly did not intend a result that is "absurd, unreasonable, or impossible to execute." In re Concord Twp. Voters , 632 Pa. 311, 119 A.3d 335, 341-42 (2015).
We turn first to the Recorders' argument Section 351 mandates the recording of all conveyances, including all mortgages and mortgage assignments. The Recorders emphasize the plain language of Section 351, which provides "all ... conveyances ... shall be recorded in the [appropriate county] office for the recording of deeds." Appellants' Brief at 19, citing 21 P.S. § 351 (emphasis added). The Recorders observe Pennsylvania adheres to the "title theory" of mortgages, which "deems a mortgage to be a conveyance." Id. at 21, citing Pines v. Farrell , 577 Pa. 564, 848 A.2d 94, 99 (2004) (mortgage assignments are "conveyances" for purposes of Pennsylvania's recording acts). The Recorders submit the Commonwealth Court's decision incorrectly permits a decoupling of the mortgage from the note to evade recording requirements, undermining and eroding the need for public recording in the Counties, contrary to the clear language of Section 351. The Recorders assert the court's interpretation rewrites Section 351 as an optional procedure rather than a requirement, i.e. , if one chooses to record a conveyance, Section 351 merely provides the manner for doing so. See Appellants' Reply Brief at 7.
Additionally, the Recorders rely on the history of recording statutes to support their argument the General Assembly's use of the word "shall" should be read to mandate recording in the Counties in every instance. The Recorders observe a system for local recording of land transfers was established in 1715, and once that local system was established, the General Assembly amended the law to mandate recording of deeds, conveyances, and mortgages in the country recorder's office within six months of execution. See Appellants' Brief at 22, citing Act of March 18, 1775, 1 Sm. L. 422 (App. 13) (the Enrollment Act). The Recorders also refer to the General Assembly's enactment of additional legislation in 1841 (Section 441) which required the recording of all deeds or conveyances which were executed before the 1775 mandate came into effect. Id. at 23, quoting 21 P.S. § 441 ("It shall be the duty of all persons who claim any lands ... in this commonwealth ... bearing date previously to the act of 18th March 1775 ... to have the same recorded, in the proper county, in the manner now provided by law ..."). The Recorders thus conclude the General Assembly has historically required the recording of all conveyances (which would include the mortgages and mortgage assignments at issue here) in the Counties, *862and the Commonwealth Court's contrary interpretation of Section 351 that allows filing in the MERS® System only runs afoul of this clear statutory mandate. See Id. at 23-24.
The Recorders find further support for their position in Section 356 of Title 21, which provides an interest in real property "shall be recorded in the office for the recording of deeds in the county or counties wherein such real properly is situate." Id. at 24, quoting 21 P.S. § 356. The Recorders assert Section 351 and 356 are related and must be read in pari materia , leading to the inevitable conclusion that Section 351 provides a mandatory duty to record all conveyances, including the mortgages and assignments at issue here. The Recorders argue the Commonwealth Court's finding Section 351 to be "optional" and "discretionary" while Section 356 is mandatory, leads to an absurd result, and runs afoul of the rules of statutory construction. Id. at 25, citing 1 Pa.C.S. § 1922(1) ("the General Assembly does not intend a result that is absurd ..."). The Recorders further observe an examination of the recording statutes reveals many other statutes which are expressly permissive on their face, and distinguishes them from the mandatory language in Section 351.5
In light of the above, the Recorders argue the Commonwealth Court disregarded both the history of Pennsylvania's recording statutes and the public policy that mortgages and mortgage assignments be recorded in the public record. The Recorders assert that, in order to give effect to all the provisions in Section 351, the word "shall" cannot be read as merely permissive. The Recorders further allege the Commonwealth Court improperly conflated the question of whether unrecorded transfers of property are enforceable with the more pertinent question of whether Section 351 provides a mandatory recording requirement. The Recorders submit whether an unrecorded instrument may be enforced is irrelevant to the interpretation of Section 351, which explicitly requires recording.6
*863MERSCORP asserts the Commonwealth Court properly held Pennsylvania law does not impose a mandatory duty to record mortgages or mortgage assignments. MERSCORP observes in the 300 years the recording statutes have been in effect, they have never been interpreted to mandate recording, and this Court has specifically held "the language of the Acts of Assembly providing for recording of written instruments has not generally been mandatory.... It is optional whether or not to record." Appellees' Brief at 15, quoting Appeal of Pepper , 77 Pa. 373, 377 (1875) ; see also Fisher v. Knox, 13 Pa. 622, 626 (1850) ("the grantee was not bound by the recording acts to [record] his deed" and "no law requires such an assignment to be" recorded); Mott v. Clark , 9 Pa. 399, 406 (1848) ("assignee is not bound to [record] his assignment, and is in no default"). See also id. at 16, citing Montgomery Cty . 795 F.3d at 377, n.4 ("There are ... decisions of Pennsylvania Courts referring to recording as 'optional' and 'not obligatory.' "). MERSCORP avers the Commonwealth Court properly followed this 300 year-old precedent and the Recorders fail to provide any reason to depart from the settled law.
MERSCORP also challenges the Recorders' interpretation of Section 351 that the phrase "shall be recorded" creates a mandatory duty as being taken out of context. According to MERSCORP, the plain text, history, and purpose of Section 351 all indicate the General Assembly never intended to require recording, and the phrase "shall be recorded" serves only to dictate the place where an instrument should be recorded if it is recorded, and also inform property owners of the steps to be taken to safeguard their interests. MERSCORP further notes Section 351 itself does not state that a failure to record is a violation of the statute. See Id. at 18-19, quoting Montgomery Cty. 795 F.3d at 376-77. MERSCORP further notes Section 351 does not signal a legislative intent to impose a duty to record by, for example, specifying when the document must be recorded or any penalties for a failure to record. Id. at 19.
MERSCORP submits the General Assembly is clear when indicating recording is mandatory, as demonstrated by Section 682 of Title 21, which plainly specifies: (1) the party who must record the lien release: the mortgagee; (2) the time frame for recording: 45 days after request and tender of the loan balance; and (3) the penalty for failure to record: for every offense, the mortgagee must pay to aggrieved parties any sum not exceeding the mortgage-money. Id. at 20. MERSCORP notes Section 351 does not contain any of the above elements. Rather, MERSCORP emphasizes, the sole consequence for failure to record is contained in Section 351 : a failure to record results only in the transfer or *864conveyance being rendered "void as to any subsequent bona fide purchaser." Id. at 21, citing Montgomery Cty. , 795 F.3d at 376. MERSCORP thus submits the plain language of Section 351 anticipates some parties many not record, and provides the clear consequence for failure to record.
MERSCORP also challenges the Recorders' reliance on Section 356 to support a mandatory duty to record, and distinguishes Section 356 as addressing agreements related to the rights and privileges pertaining to real property rather than mortgages or mortgage assignments.7 MERSCORP observes Section 356 does not mandate recording but, like Section 351, sets forth the manner of recording a conveyance, i.e. "in the office for the recording of deeds," should one wish to do so. MERSCORP argues the purpose of Section 351 is "to give subsequent purchasers constructive notice of the mortgage," see id. at 24, quoting First Citizens Nat'l Bank v. Sherwood , 583 Pa. 466, 879 A.2d 178, 181 (2005), not to provide a revenue-generating tool for county recorders. Id. at 25.
MERSCORP also observes Section 351 once coexisted with 21 P.S. § 623 (repealed in 1998), which explicitly provided that recording mortgage assignments was optional. See 21 P.S. § 623 ("All assignments of mortgages ... duly executed and acknowledged in the manner provided by law for the acknowledgement of deeds, may be recorded in the office for the recording of deeds ....) (emphasis added). MERSCORP submits the General Assembly would not have enacted Section 351 in 1925 to mandate recording of mortgage transfers when Section 623 had been in effect since 1849, and specifically provided recording of assignments was optional. Appellees' Brief at 28. Finally, MERSCORP relies on long-standing Pennsylvania jurisprudence which acknowledges recording is not necessary to effect a valid conveyance of property interests. See Id. at 33, citing Fiore v. Fiore , 405 Pa. 303, 174 A.2d 858, 859 (1961) ("The recording of the deed was not essential to its validity or the transition of the title.").8
*865Our disposition of this appeal depends upon our interpretation of Section 351. "The object of all interpretation and construction of statutes is to ascertain and effectuate the intention of the General Assembly. Every statute shall be construed, if possible, to give effect to all its provisions." 1 Pa.C.S. § 1921(a). The Recorders submit the use of "shall" in Section 351 creates a mandatory duty to record while MERSCORP argues a plain reading of the statute as a whole makes clear there is no mandatory requirement. Although the former interpretation easily arises from reading the words "shall be recorded" in isolation, we must "read them with reference to the context in which they appear." A.S. v. Pennsylvania State Police , 636 Pa. 403, 143 A.3d 896, 906 (2016), quoting Roethlein v. Portnoff Law. Assoc. , 623 Pa. 1, 81 A.3d 816, 822 (2013). "[S]tatutory language must be read in context, that is, in ascertaining legislative intent, every portion of statutory language is to be read 'together and in conjunction' with the remaining statutory language, 'and construed with reference to the entire statute' as a whole." Com. v. Office of Open Records , 628 Pa. 163, 103 A.3d 1276, 1285 (2014), quoting Board of Revision of Taxes, City of Philadelphia v. City of Philadelphia , 607 Pa. 104, 4 A.3d 610, 622 (2010). See also Yates v. United States , --- U.S. ----, 135 S.Ct. 1074, 1081-82, 191 L.Ed.2d 64 (2015) ("Whether a statutory term is unambiguous, however, does not turn solely on dictionary definitions of its component words.... Ordinarily, a word's usage accords with its dictionary definition. In law as in life, however, the same words, placed in different contexts, sometimes mean different things.") (internal citations omitted).
This contextual approach is particularly instructive when the meaning of statutory terms is ambiguous. "Notwithstanding the general rule that 'shall' is mandatory, we are aware that the word 'shall' has also been interpreted to mean 'may' or as being merely directory as opposed to mandatory." Gardner v. W.C.A.B. (Genesis Health Ventures) , 585 Pa. 366, 888 A.2d 758, 764-65 (2005), citing Oberneder v. Link Computer Corp. , 548 Pa. 201, 696 A.2d 148, 150 (1997), Commonwealth v. Baker , 547 Pa. 214, 690 A.2d 164, 167 (1997), see also Commonwealth ex rel. Bell v. Powell , 249 Pa. 144, 94 A. 746, 748 (1915) (interpreting "shall" as "may"); Fishkin v. Hi-Acres, Inc. , 462 Pa. 309, 341 A.2d 95, 97-98 (1975) (interpreting "shall" to be merely directory as opposed to mandatory). We acknowledge the precise meaning of the word "shall" may be ambiguous in some contexts, and under such circumstances, reference to principles of statutory construction are instructive. See, e.g. , 1 Pa.C.S. § 1921(c) ("(1) The occasion and necessity for the statute. (2) The circumstances under which it was enacted. (3) The mischief to be remedied. (4) The object to be attained. (5) The former law, if any, including other statutes upon the same or similar subjects. (6) The consequences of a particular interpretation. (7) The contemporaneous legislative history. (8) Legislative and *866administrative interpretations of such statute."); see also Chanceford Aviation Properties, LLP v. Chanceford Twp. Bd. of Supervisors , 592 Pa. 100, 923 A.2d 1099, 1104 (2007) ("When the context in which 'shall' is used creates ambiguity, this Court has used the factors in [ 1 Pa.C.S.] § 1921(c) to ascertain the legislature's intent.")
"Whether a particular statute is mandatory or directory does not depend upon its form, but upon the intention of the Legislature, to be ascertained from a consideration of the entire act, its nature, its object, and the consequences that would result from construing it one way or the other". Deibert v. Rhodes , 291 Pa. 550, 140 A. 515, 517 (1928) ; quoting In re McQuiston's Adoption , 238 Pa. 304, 86 A. 205, 206 (1913) (citations omitted). The apparent purpose of Section 351 mirrors the object of Pennsylvania's land recording statutes: to protect subsequent bona fide purchasers by providing notice of conveyances and any other restrictions on land and guarding against a fraudulent title. See, e.g. , Finley v. Glenn , 303 Pa. 131, 154 A. 299 (1931) (recording deed provided constructive notice of restrictions to subsequent purchasers); see also, e.g. Poth v. Anstatt , 1842 WL 4846, at *2, 4 Watts & Serg. 307, 309 (Pa. 1842) (recording conveyance acts as evidence of delivery of property as it concerns a subsequent bona fide purchaser); see also , e.g. Salter v. Reed , 15 Pa. 260, 263 (1850) ("The principle runs through the whole system of our recording acts, that the object is to give public notice in whom the title resides; so that no one may be defrauded by deceptious appearance of title."); Montgomery Cty. , 795 F.3d at 376 (purpose of Section 351 is not to create mandatory duty to record every conveyance but to provide instructions for "preserv[ing] the property holder's rights as against a subsequent bona fide purchaser").
A finding that "shall" is directory and not mandatory is further supported when considering the consequences of a different interpretation. See 1 Pa.C.S. § 1921(c)(6). Justice Donohue would hold a failure to record a conveyance is a violation of Pennsylvania law with undefined consequences. See Dissenting op. at 885-86. The express terms of Section 351, however provide the specific, limited, consequences of failure to record. Section 351 plainly provides "[e]very such deed, conveyance, contract, or other instrument of writing which shall not be acknowledged or proved and recorded, as aforesaid, shall be adjudged fraudulent and void as to any subsequent bona fide purchaser or mortgagee or holder of any judgment ... without actual or constructive notice ..." 21 P.S. § 351 (emphasis added). This emphasized language indicates a conveyance is rendered void only (1) with respect to a limited class of individuals - subsequent bona fide purchaser or mortgagee or holder of any judgment; and (2) under limited circumstances - when the subsequent bona fide purchaser does not have actual or constructive notice of the transfer. We may not ignore the General Assembly's choice to limit the consequence of invalidity to specific circumstances. See 1 Pa.C.S. 1921(a) (statutes must be interpreted to give effect to every word); see also Holland v. Marcy , 584 Pa. 195, 883 A.2d 449, 455-56 (2005) ("In construing a statute, the courts must attempt to give meaning to every word in a statute as we cannot assume that the legislature intended any words to be mere surplusage."); Allegheny Cty. Sportsmen's League v. Rendell , 580 Pa. 149, 860 A.2d 10, 19 (2004) ("Because the legislature is presumed to have intended to avoid mere surplusage, every word, sentence and provision of a statute must *867be given effect.") (additional citations omitted).9
Moreover, we have consistently held a "failure to record [documents demonstrating a conveyance is] not dispositive of whether [the documents] effectuated a valid conveyance." In re Estate of Plance , 644 Pa. 232, 175 A.3d 249, 266 (Pa. 2017) ; see also , Morris v. Ziegler , 71 Pa. 450, 453, 1872 WL 11333, at *3 (Pa. 1872) (finding transfer was ineffective as consequence of bad faith [fraud] and "not for simply not recording her deed, which in law she was not bound to do") (emphasis added); Appeal of Nice , 54 Pa. 200, 201, 1867 WL 7443 at *2 (Pa. 1867) ("it has been held that an unrecorded mortgage is not wholly inoperative. It will avail against the mortgagor himself, or his alienee or mortgagee with notice ..."). This rule undermines the position that Section 351 mandates recording. See, e.g., Matter of Pentrack's Estate, 486 Pa. 237, 405 A.2d 879, 880 (1979) ("Title to real estate may be passed by delivery of a deed without recording."); Fiore v. Fiore, 405 Pa. 303, 174 A.2d 858, 859 (1961) ("recording of the deed was not essential to its validity or the transition of the title"). Moreover, this well-established principle is equally applicable to mortgage assignments. See U.S. Bank N.A. v. Mallory , 982 A.2d 986, 993 (Pa. Super. 2009) (recorded mortgage assignment is not prerequisite to filing complaint in mortgage foreclosure proceedings).10
Furthermore, had the General Assembly intended to treat every unrecorded conveyance as if it never happened, it could have stated this clearly, and without defining a limited consequence for failure to record. Cf. Clow v. Woods , 1819 WL 1895, 5 Serg. and Rawle 275 (Pa. 1819) (Opinion in Support of Reversal) ("[I]n the case of lands, where possession is not ... the legal evidence of title, provision should be made, that unless a mortgage is recorded within six months, it should be void.") Instead, the express terms of Section 351 explain it is only those deeds, conveyances and contracts where it is "the intention of the parties ... to grant, bargain, sell and convey any lands, tenements or hereditaments" to which recording applies, and with respect to those items, failure to record will result in the grant or conveyance being "adjudged fraudulent and void." 21 P.S. § 351. The words "shall be recorded"
*868thus provide direction to parties who intend to convey land and simultaneously protect the interest created by the conveyance.
Our recent decision in Estate of Plance serves to illustrate this last point. In that case, a grantor prepared deeds to convey property to a trust, under which the grantor would be trustee and his son would be a beneficiary (the 2004 deeds). However, the grantor never recorded the 2004 deeds, despite several requests by his son and advice from counsel. 175 A.3d at 253-54. Instead, two years later, the grantor prepared new deeds to convey the property to himself and his wife and had those new deeds recorded in the counties where the property was located (the 2006 deeds). Id. In determining the conveyance effectuated by the 2006 deeds was valid - and the conveyance envisioned by the 2004 deeds was not - we focused on the grantor's decision not to record the 2004 deeds as evidence of his lack of intent to convey the subject property to the trust. Id. at 266 ("failure to record those deeds suggests that [grantor] lacked the necessary intent to convey the [property], so as to constitute an effective delivery"). Estate of Plance presents a scenario - however unusual - where there was no intent to record and thus validate a proposed conveyance.
We also find compelling the Seventh Circuit's decision in Union Cty., Ill. v. MERSCORP , Inc. , 735 F.3d 730 (7th Cir. 2013), which involved the substantively similar Illinois recording statute.11 Judge Posner likened the Illinois statute's provision that deeds and mortgages "shall be recorded in the county in which such real estate is situated" to a department store's notice that "[a]ll defective products must be returned to the fifth floor counter for a refund." Union Cty. , 735 F.3d at 733. Obviously, the store's notice does not mandate a return of all defective products, but if a consumer intends to return such defective product for a refund, he must return it to the fifth floor.12 Id. The Seventh Circuit thus employed an effective analogy to hold the Illinois statute contained an implicit "if," and dictated only that in the event a property owner wished to record a property interest, he must record it in the county where the property is located. Id.
Contrary to the Recorders' preferred reading, the words "shall be recorded" in *869Section 351 must not be read in isolation to require every conveyance (or mortgage or mortgage assignment) be recorded, but rather viewed in context to provide a mortgagee with instructions in the event it intends to safeguard its interest by recording in the county. The process of recording a conveyance, as it has developed in this Commonwealth, is essentially a service purchasers and mortgage holders have a right to accept or decline. Although the Recorders emphasize a consequence of MERSCORP's failure to record is a loss by the Counties of attendant recording fees, there is nothing in Section 351 to support the conclusion that the purpose of recording is revenue generation. Instead, our precedent has long recognized the purpose of recording is to protect the purchaser or mortgage holder's bona fide status and "to give public notice in whom the title resides; so that no one may be defrauded by deceptious [sic] appearance of title." Salter , 15 Pa. at 263. See also First Citizens Nat. Bank v. Sherwood , 583 Pa. 466, 879 A.2d 178, 181 (2005) ("legal effect of the recording of a written agreement such as a mortgage is to give subsequent purchasers constructive notice of the mortgage"). Moreover, a failure to record results in a clear consequence - the mortgagee runs the risk of losing its status and being deprived of property rights - and a party that chooses not to record a conveyance or ownership interest pursuant to Section 351 does so at its own peril. An additional penalty for failing to record is beside the point.13 *870Our conclusion is further buttressed by the fact the General Assembly did not provide any language to enable or authorize enforcement by anyone, let alone the Recorders. Nor does the statute provide any other enforcement details, such as a deadline for recording or the penalties for failure to record in a timely fashion. We thus reject the Recorders' invitation that we read additional provisions into a statute where they were not provided by the General Assembly. See, e.g. Commonwealth v. Vasquez , 562 Pa. 120, 753 A.2d 807, 811 (2000) ("we can not [sic] read into the statute a requirement that is not present"). The Commonwealth Court thus correctly held Section 351 does not impose a mandatory duty to record and we affirm that holding. See also Montgomery Cty. , 795 F.3d at 378 (concluding Section 351 imposes no duty to record all land conveyances in county recorder's office).
We now turn to the second question we accepted for review - whether the Recorders have the authority to pursue claims to enforce compliance with Section 351. The Recorders argue they may bring actions to enforce statutory provisions under their purview, and the Commonwealth Court erred in holding they do not. See Appellants' Brief at 40-41, quoting Com., Pennsylvania Game Comm'n v. Com., Dept. of Envtl. Res. , 521 Pa. 121, 555 A.2d 812, 815 (1989) ("[U]nless the legislature has provided otherwise, such an agency has an implicit power to be a litigant in matters touching upon its concerns."), and citing Robinson Twp., Washington Cty. v. Com. , 623 Pa. 564, 83 A.3d 901, 920-21 (2013) (municipalities may litigate claims as part of their "responsibilities to protect the quality of life of [their] citizens"). The Recorders emphasize the General Assembly provided them with the authority to appoint a solicitor to pursue such claims. Appellants' Brief at 46, citing 16 P.S. § 4313.1 ("The recorder of deeds may appoint one person ... as his solicitor ... [who] shall conduct any litigation in connection with the recorder of deeds office when requested to do so by the recorder of deeds.").
Even assuming the Recorders correctly argue they have authority to pursue actions against individuals or entities that do not comply with mandatory duties within their statutory purview, our holding that Section 351 does not provide a mandatory duty to record renders review of this issue unnecessary.14
*871Accordingly, we affirm the order of the Commonwealth Court, which reversed the common pleas court's decision to overrule MERSCORP's preliminary objections in the nature of a demurrer. The matter is remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion, including entry of judgment in favor of MERSCORP.
Jurisdiction relinquished.
Chief Justice Saylor and Justice Wecht join the opinion.
Justice Donohue files a dissenting opinion.
Justices Baer, Todd and Mundy did not participate in the consideration or decision in this case.