Recently there has been quite a bit of discussion about the new FAA Re-registration decision. At this time, and this is subject to change, the fee for re-registration is $5.00 and requires action by an owner during a specified amount of time or face the loss of the current N number and no chance of retrieving it. The window is several months, five I think, and has some stipulations about on line registration and registration by mail within certain time frames. More detailed information can be found on the FAA website at registry/reregistration/.
There has been some response from owners and those affected by the change in rules but much of the activity seems to be coming from companies who will complete the process (at a fee of course) and guarantee compliance. It appears that fee will be in the neighborhood of $45 to $50 per aircraft. The process does appear to be one any owner could easily complete but if one is forgetful these companies may be a good choice. I will just send my check personally.
The process begins with information being sent to the owner of record based on the month during which the aircraft was registered originally. The link above will provide information on that schedule but the FAA has indicated it is going to make a concerted effort to get the documentation to the owner.
