Shelly went to a Notary signing. The minute she arrived, she could feel extreme tension. The husband was listed as an entity on the loan application, but the wife was the one taking command. Shelly was (and still is) white, and the couple was black. I’ve done hundreds of signings in black homes and without issue — however, those signings were done before people had a reaction to Donald Trump’s political presence.
Racism was at an all-time low from around 1997 to mid 2015. And then it started up again. There were more protests, riots, clash between minorities and police, the Black Lives Matter movement, etc. But, during the last few months of 2016 it turned violent. I witnessed people being beaten in the street over race — strangers beating strangers with no provocation. Can we blame Donald Trump for this insanity? After all, he has done nothing to anyone (yet) and was only speaking his mind in his own non-sugar coated way.
The husband and wife started going through the Loan Estimate. They went through every fact and figure with a fine toothed comb because they had prejudged that something must be wrong and that everybody was out to get them including the Notary, Lender, Donald Trump, Title, Escrow, and Sam down at the butcher shop (I made the last part up.) They were basically trying to confirm their baseless suspicions by finding something wrong with the paperwork.
When the Notary tried to smooth things over, the couple called the Loan Officer and commented about how terrible the Notary was. The Loan Officer failed to return the Notary’s calls but called the party that hired them for the loan (whomever that was.) The Notary’s reputation had been slandered, tarnished, and she didn’t want to lose her client. Shelly’s reputation was on the line here for a crime she didn’t commit. Was racism to blame?
Shelly comments that if people are negative about the process from the getgo, they will create problems that weren’t there in the first place. Too true Shelly. I agree completely. But, the main thing is to stay out of the loan. The loan is not your business. It is not up to the Notary to determine if there is something wrong with the loan. You just make sure they sign where they are supposed to and notarize the signatures.
Shelly has signed hundreds of loans for people of all communities in her area and treats people equally. It looks like she was not treated equally in return this time.
The moral of the story is, if you walk into a tense situation as a Notary — just do your job and don’t make comments. Be neutral. It’s not your problem. If someone fires you for reasons beyond your control, just state your side of the story and it is their loss if they lose you because you are a good Notary who did nothing wrong and has a 99.9% accuracy rate (or so you claim.)
You might also like:
Black Notaries vs. White Notaries — comedy edition
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17455
Demographics in the Mobile Notary business
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15359
I’d rather stop being a Notary than carry a gun
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15896
Where you been a mistake, you have no business talking about Trump on this. As a notary, you have no business talking about politics. If they bring the politics, ignore it and do your your job as professional. You’re showing bias.
Second, by talking about the Grace whether it’s black or white or green you should have brought I brought this into this issue. By doing that you’re showing yourself and your bias
I love my business as a notary as a with a passion. I’ve seen thousands of people who signed documents for me where there in the middle of a divorcway, losing a property, losing a loved one. Many different things can change fate attitude that you having with the notary signing. In this situation, yes they may have been racist. Do your job as a professional and Let It Go
Comment by Lester L Gardiner — March 18, 2017 @ 9:27 pm
I agree with Jeremy that the details of the loan are not your concern. Your only interest in this documentation is for notary purposes only. If the purchaser is not happy with any verbiage included in the paperwork, it should be taken up with the Realtor. Being quite honest, the realtor should have provided a copy of the paperwork for review prior to scheduling the signing. A minor detail but a very valuable one.
Comment by Barbara McKee — March 21, 2017 @ 7:57 pm
I agree with Lester Gardiner’s comment regarding politics. Its not a notary’s place to talk about politics or anything else that is not associated with your signing duties. Jeremy’s comment to stay out of the loan is spot on. Its the one sure way of getting into trouble. Either the borrower will get upset or the loan officer and more importantly the signing company that hired you.
The moral of this story is simple: go in, do your signing, and leave.
Comment by Morrie Shoob — May 2, 2017 @ 2:42 pm
Fact: Jeremy’s description of Notary’s actions [the Notary tried to smooth things over ] do NOT include her mentioning Trump OR the Almighty. Start reading general English as carefully as you read your legal documents.
In a Blog, it’s my understanding, we express opinions and.set forth our personal points of view. In my opinion, that means you are getting upset over Jeremy’s slant on what MAY have been one or two underlying factors contributing to the Signer’s attitude. I agree we need to be sure borrowers know we have NO affiliation with Lender or Title. Best to educate them in your opening instructions.
Hey folks, if anyone is looking for a nit to pick, knock yourselves out. But try to address the issues. Don’t argue politics or religion. This space is for addressing PROFESSIONAL issues. In my opinion.
Comment by Donna J. R. Conne — May 2, 2017 @ 4:42 pm
I take umbridge with you having put our President into this situation. Race relations were strained by BLM and other idiots quite some time ago.
Comment by Ellen Welsh — May 2, 2017 @ 4:43 pm