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November 4, 2013

How much can a California Notary Public Charge?

Filed under: California_Notary,Popular on Twitter 2013,SEO — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 7:07 am

Notary Public California: What does a California Notary Cost?

Looking for notary service in California? The price for notary work in California is based on state government set maximum notary fees. The exact fee might depend on the particular act. Please remember that a California Notary Public charges you for each notarized signature. If you have one document where you are being notarized twice, then you pay two notary fees. Additionally, many California Notaries are in the mobile notary business and might offer you the convenience of coming to your office, hospital, home, or jail cell for an additional travel fee on top of the California notary fees.

You can visit
http://www.123notary.com/california_notary/
For detailed information about California Notary Fees as well as California Notary Public search functions.

CA Notary — maximum notary fees
Acknowledgments – $15
Oath or Affirmation for a Jurat – $15
Certified copy of a Power of Attorney – $15
Administering an Oath for a Witness – $7
Taking a Deposition – $30
Apostilles & Authentications – Refer to Secretary of State Website

Please note that a notary is not required to charge the maximum allowed notary fees. They are welcome to notarize your signature for free, or for a nominal fee if they like. Find a great California mobile notary on 123notary.com!

(1) A California Notary can charge $10 per signature for Acknowledgments & Jurats. But, what about other acts?

You might also like:

Find a California Notary in Fresno
http://www.123notary.com/notary-result.asp?state=CA&n=Fresno&county=127

Find a California Notary Public in Riverside
http://www.123notary.com/notary-result.asp?state=CA&n=Riverside&sub=34

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August 17, 2013

A California Notary Acknowledgment Goes to Taiwan!

Filed under: California_Notary — Tags: , , — admin @ 9:57 pm

A California Notary was asked to notarize a document from Taiwan. The document didn’t have California Notary Acknowledgment Wording or California Notary Acknowledgment Verbiage. So, the notary said, “No problem, I’ll just add a California Acknowledgment Certificate”. That was easy. The notary followed legal procedure for California notarizations. The document was sent to its custodian in Taiwan who rejected the document. The message was that the stamp needs to be on the document.

So, the California Notary Public informed his client that he cannot legally stamp the document without the corresponding Notary Verbiage which must be California Acknowledgment Verbiage or California Acknowledgment Wording. The client said, “Is it really necessary? People do this all the time!” The notary stated that the law was the law and that he wasn’t going to break it for another person’s convenience or why bother having notaries at all?

So, the California Notary emailed the Acknowledgment boiler plate wording template to his client who emailed it to his contact in Taiwan. The document came back with the wording at the bottom of the page. The notary notarized it, and all was well!

You might also like:

Apostille General Information
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21419

How do I get a foreign language document notarized?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18788

Can you notarize a signature in Chinese or another alphabet?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18784

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July 2, 2013

Find a notary public at the last minute on 123notary.com

Filed under: Find a Notary — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 8:28 am

Do you ever need to find a notary public at the last minute? You might need to find a notary office, or even find a mobile notary public who will travel to you. It seems like a difficult thing to do. You ask around. You ask where you can find a great notary public. You might assume that you will have to stand in line at some bank or office and fill out a lot of forms.

It is easier than that. Just visit www.123notary.com and click on the FIND A NOTARY page. Find 7000 mobile notaries throughout the United States. We have notaries in every state by the boatload. We even have notaries in remote parts of Montana, Hawaii, and Delaware.

Notaries on our site who have our certification icon are a lot better trained than those who don’t. So, even if your notarization is an easy one, it pays off to have someone who knows what they are doing. We have Notaries who speak many foreign languages as well and sometimes have other unique skills like being a wedding officiate, knowing how to do Apostilles, or having intimate knowledge of many types of loan packages.

Good luck finding a great notary on 123notary.com!

You might also like:

How do you let people know you are a notary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=1936

Common notary acts from A to Z
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2392

Power of Attorney Signings
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=1627

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May 9, 2013

What is a notary public?

Filed under: Popular on Twitter 2013,Popular Overall,Public Interest — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:17 am

What is a notary?

A notary is a state appointed public official that is authorized to conduct certain types of official acts such as Acknowledgments, Jurats, Oaths, Affirmations, Protests, and sometimes other notary public acts. Since notaries are appointed by their respective states, the laws for notary conduct and what types of official notary acts a notary can do vary from state to state.

Notary Acknowledgments & Identification Requirements
A notary public can execute acknowledgments. Acknowledgments are the most common notary act representing about 80% of all acts done by notaries! The notary must positively identify a signer as the first step in executing an acknowledgment. Identification requirements vary from state to state, but most states allow state issued identification cards, drivers licenses, and passports. As a general rule, any government issued photo-ID with a serial number, expiration date, and physical description is accepted. Social security cards, credit cards and green cards are not acceptable.

Identification through Credible Witnesses
Some states allow a notary to positively identify a signer through the use of credible witnesses who must be identified by the notary and then swear under Oath as to the identity of the signer. Personal knowledge of the signer used to be allowed in most states, but in recent years, notaries are required to rely on more “hard” forms of identification.

Notary Journals
After the identification process is over, the notary must fill out a journal entry in his/her official journal of notarial acts. Not all states require journals, but they should because the journal is the only record of a transaction that the notary has, and can be used in an investigation or in court after the fact. Such an investigation might happen in a few critical cases where fraud is suspected! The signer is required to sign the notary journal which is one of the most important parts of the notary process.

Notary Certificates
The notary must fill out an Acknowledgment Certificate with state specific Acknowledgment verbiage. The Acknowledgment wording can be embedded in the last page of the document, or could be added and stapled as a loose form.

The official notary seal
Notaries typically affix their seal to the notary certificate area in a document or on a loose certificate. This is a very official way that notaries finalize their notary acts. Notaries may use an inked rubber seal. Some states allow a notary public to also use an non-inked embosser which leaves a raised impression in a piece of paper — as a supplemental seal to deter fraud through page swapping.

Jurats
A Jurat is a notary procedure where the notary administers an Oath. The signer has to raise his/her right hand and swear under Oath to the truthfulness of a document or statement in a Jurat form. Additionally, the signer must sign the document in front of the notary for a Jurat, where they can sign long ahead of time for an Acknowledgment. Identification requirements for Jurats vary from state to state. Jurats represent roughly 18% of all notarial acts!

Oaths and Affirmations
Notaries can perform or administer Oaths or Affirmations for clients. They should record such acts in their bound and sequential journal as well. Wording for Oaths is really up to the notary, but some standardized or formal wording is recommended such as, “Do you solemnly swear that the contents of this document are true and correct to the best of your knowledge?”. Or, “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”. The Oath verbiage depends on the situation and the document. However, it should be formal, and the Affiant (Oath taker) must raise their right hand definitively for this type of act. An Affirmation is the same as an Oath except for the fact that the word God is omitted from the Affirmation Verbiage.

Protests
This is an antiquated notary act where someone can protest the non-payment of a bill. I have never met a notary who has actually conducted such a notary act, but most states still include this as one of their official acts.

Acts allowed only in specific states
New York allows notaries to do Safety Box Openings as an official notary act while most other states do not. Rhode Island has something called a Marine Protest which is only an official notary act in Rhode Island. Various states allow notaries to act as a Witness as an official notary act as well. Additionally, please consult your state’s notary division for information about Apostilles and Authentications which typically involve either a local county recorder, the Secretary of State’s office, or a local embassy.

Documents that are commonly notarized.
Many notaries notarized Power of Attorney documents frequently. Notaries are advised not to draft such documents as they are legal documents. However, notaries can notarize signatures on such documents.

Affidavits of all sorts are normally notarized with a Jurat since they are to be sworn to (usually). The notary is forbidden from recommending a particular notary act over another, but they are not prohibited from stating what is “usually” done.

Wills can be notarized by a notary, however, it is generally frowned upon unless given written instructions from an Attorney!

Notaries can not notarize vital records such as Birth Certificates or Marriage Certificates.

A Notary Public can notarize Real Estate or Mortgage documents or loan documents except in certain Attorney states such as Massachusetts or Georgia where there are restrictions. Common loan documents that might be notarized could include Deeds of Trust, Signature Affidavits, Grant Deeds, Quit Claim Deeds, Occupancy Affidavits, and many more!

Where can I find a notary?
123notary has thousands of mobile notaries distributed throughout the United States that you can find on our Find a Notary page. They typically charge a travel fee and specialize in loan documents. To find a stationary notary, please consult your local yellow pages, or call pack & ship places in your area.

How can I become a notary?
Each state has a Secretary of State or Notary Division that appoints notaries. Please visit our state contact page, and contact your state’s notary division for details. Typically, you need to be 18 years old, not have a felony on your criminal record, be a citizen (some states require this), or in many states be legally residing in the United States. Most states have a Notary Public Application Form, and a Notary Public handbook for you to study from. You are normally required to pay an Application fee for becoming a notary, and there could be other fees for recording your Notary Oath of Office as well as the fee for your Stamp, Journal, and other related fees.

Is it worth it to become a notary?
It can be very rewarding to be a notary. You can make a lot of extra money in your spare time if you have a way to attract clients. You can meet new people, and learn new things. Mobile notaries who are good at what they do can make a full time living driving around doing loan signings. You can get a job more easily if the boss knows you are a notary, as that is a skill in high demand at many offices.

Tweets:
(1) A notary is a state appointed public official authorized to conduct certain types of official acts such as Jurats …
(2) A notary public can execute Acknowledgments, Jurats, Protests, Oaths, Affirmations…
(3) A quick guide to being a notary including: journals, seals, identification, witnesses, jurats, oaths & more…

I want to learn more!
Visit our GLOSSARY of notary and mortgage terms, and read more articles in our blog!

.

You might also like:

Notary Public Information 2018 Edition
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20075

Notary Public 101 Real Life Scenarios
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19681

Notary Public 101 Quick Review Pointers
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19679

10 Risks to being a Mobile Notary Public
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19459

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April 20, 2013

A detailed look at the NINJA course

Filed under: Ninja Theme Articles — Tags: , , — admin @ 8:00 am

We have a new Elite certification textbook that accompanies the elite test. We will soon be using a 30 point test to evaluate the skills of our higher level notaries. But, what is this new textbook like? The ORDER of the information is subject to change as we re-edit the course and add content later on.

119 pages of riveting information!

This course integrates ancient Zen Buddhist philosophy, Ninjutsu strategy, and exciting stories with higher level notary & signing agent knowledge for the refined notary public! Here are some of the topics covered in the course.

(1) Presentation
Learn the art of interacting with prospective clients. Learn what to say and what not to say. How to answer questions gracefully, and how to stand your ground. Show your knowledge without seeming like you are trying to. Operate like a professional and negotiate like a professional.

(2) Strategy
Learn which type of advertising pays off and which should be avoided. Which certifications to get and which to skip. How to craft your advertising for maximum results; Which additional services to offer such as Apostilles and Livescan; How to choose your clients well; Picking company names; Contracts. E&O insurance; Getting paid; Handling difficult companies; Hiring other notaries to expand your empire; Handling low-ballers with ease; Marketing with Facebook and Web Sites; Researching companies; When to say no;

Scheduling strategies: Learn about the

Timed appointment strategy
The spring-it-on-ya strategy
The no surprises strategy
Business models that influence scheduling strategy
Dealing with late e-documents
End of the month scheduling strategies
Beginning of the month scheduling strategies
Tight scheduling strategies
High-brow scheduling strategies

(3) Business analysis
Advertising allows you to pick and choose; Analyzing where your calls are coming from; Assessing the companies you work for; Late Documents; Dealing with cancellations; Dealing with late payers; Managing contacts; Optimizing your client base; What do the statistics that 123notary keeps really mean?; How well do you communicate and how does that translate into clicks?

(4) Mastering the ancient art of the notes section
Which adjectives help, and which hurt? Does mentioning years of experience help? Which quick facts will win you clients and which are a waste of time? Overall recommended structure of a notes section; Analyzing your best selling features; What not to put at the top of your notes section; Expressing your personal style of doing business; 19 examples of great personal information used in notes sections; Specialties expressed in detail; How to use bullet points for your additional information; Where do you write about coverage areas, and how detailed do you get? Radius verses counties? Closing statements — call me whenever you are ready! Spelling and mistakes; Example of a bad notes section; Example of a nearly perfect notes section; Commentary on 16 notes sections; Selling features compared in detail;

(5) Miscellaneous points
Smelling good; How to dress; Calling people back; Professional answering machines; Company names; Complaining; Asking too many questions; Call back etiquette; Asking about specifications before price; Negotiating with people who won’t meet your fee; Evolutionary path to success; Charge less to get experience; The close job strategy; MOBILE OFFICES; Don’t call until the e-documents are ready; FULL-TIME or PART-TIME; 123notary’s 30 point test; Last minute appointments; The A list strategy; Precautions; Embossing; Journal thumbprints; Answering the phone at signings; Refining your notes; Dual state commissions; How many certifications; Does Facebook help; How do you let people know you are a notary; Can you afford to be expensive; Get reviews or perish; Are you available enough; Do you keep all of your paperwork; Emergencies are where you shine; Errors with bad seals; Showing up late; Complaints; Wrongful complaints; Rebutting complaints; Being selective about working for companies with potential.

(6) Zen and the art of teaching others to be on your team
Master the ancient art of: Selection, training, scrutinization, and comparison.
Choose people with the right: Attitude, pre-existing skills, ability to learn, reliability, and personability

Where do you start training? Scrutinizing the work of your new notaries. Comparing them to your other trainees.

(7) Comparing notaries
People change over time; Examining your local list of notaries to see the differences in each service provider; Elite certification; Skills verses presentation; Online presentation verses life presentation; Thinking about comparisons while you are working; What did you forget to think about?

(8) Impressions, dreams and nightmares
Where the money really is; How long does it take to do each type of signing; How do you analyze traffic; Should you charge by the minute; How much ROI do you need on your advertisement; Making an impression; The borrower comes first; Meeting at a nearby cafe; Cancelling nightmares before you get involved; What to know about a culture so you don’t get in trouble; Fedex and drop boxes.

(9) Following directions
When to call the loan officer; Sample questions; When not to coerce the borrower into signing; When to continue the signing; Listening exercises, communication exercises, following orders without a fuss.

(10) Notary knowledge revisited
Acknowledgments discussed in detail; Jurats; Official wording and cross-outs; Loose certificates; Backdating; Document dates verses notarization dates; County recorders & recorded documents; Copies of a document; The names must match; Credible witnesses; Errors on the Acknowledgment; Oath wording; Signature by X; Journals; What the OPTIONAL information section is for in Acknowledgments & deterring fraud; Embossers; Thumbprints; Seals; 10 Grant Deeds in a single session; Notary Fraud; Notarizing the elderly; Notarizing a dead person; The 4 parts of an Acknowledgment certificate; Misdemeanors.

(11) Signing Agent knowledge revisited
Understanding: The 1003, The 4506; Apostilles, Attorney States; Changing a name on Title; Checks in packages; Cross-outs; The Deed of Trust; Elizors; Identity Affidavits; The HUD-1; Initials go where? Letter of instructions; The legals; Maiden names; Prepayment penalties; The Right to Cancel; Rescinding; The security instrument; Signature Affidavit; Spousal signatures; The Subordination Agreement; Thumbprints revisited; The three magical phone numbers; Signature variations; Witness states; When to call the loan officer; Witness closings; Documents that are typically notarized.

(12) The APR & First payments
Yes, an entire chapter about the APR in detail. Learn typical incomplete descriptions of the APR that even the most experienced Loan Processors, Title Agents, and notaries use on a regular basis. Learn a professional definition and learn all of the components that go into computing the APR one by one. Show the world how knowledgeable you really are!
When is my first payment due.

(13) Interviews with our finest notaries and title companies
We get amazing points of views and endless new information by getting input from others in the industry. And then we share it with you on the forum, blog, and in our courses! We interviews many title companies. Many of these companies will be working with us on crafting and endorsing some very relevant signing agent questions. Notaries often ask why it is important for them to learn particular facts. But, if a title company who hires notaries and pays well tells you that you better learn it, then there is no excuse not to learn it,right?

We have some information from Title companies as of April 2013. We will be adding more information every month including statements about things that notaries did wrong that caused a lot of trouble. We will also be adding multiple choice questions endorsed by specific Title companies over time.

The interviews with the notaries this time were about topics of concerned to regular notaries. How do you handle low-ballers? How do you handle people who don’t meet your fee? What is your best attribute as a notary? What made you become a notary? Could you describe your evolution in business and how you became successful? Hoe do you introduce the documents and do your loan signing presentation.

The answers given by the top notch notaries interviewed were truly inspiring, unique, and fascinating. You will love this section the most of all the sections partly due to the great information, and partly because it is the most light hearted section of the course.

(14) The 30 point test
This section goes over the 30 point test. Notaries who pass this grueling and difficult test can elect to have their scores published on their listing. Test topics will include not only notary and signing agent competency, but other areas as well. We learned that following directions and communicating are huge problem areas even for the most experienced notaries, so we will be focusing on those during the test. The test will be timed and might be over the phone or online — or both! Retesting will be allowed, but we do not know what the retesting fee will be. Purchasing the Ninja course / Elite certification gives you one chance at the test providing you take it within (60) days of your purchase date. Good luck!

(15) Apostilles and Loan Types
Learn what our best notaries have to say about Apostilles, Authentications, FHA, HELOCS, Investment loans, Loan modifications, Purchases, Reverse Mortgages, VA loans, and more!

Thanks for your interest and ENJOY our Ninja course!

You might also like:

Notary Public 101 – a free notary course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19493

Unique phrases from the Ninja course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14690

Elite certification will benefit you for the rest of your life
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20770

Signing Agent Best Practices: a 63 point guide to being the safest and most thorough notary.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4315

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May 8, 2012

California notaries with complaints

Filed under: California_Notary,Popular on Twitter 2012,Popular Overall 2012,Ultra-Popular — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 11:59 am

Notary Public California – complaints against local notaries 

It is easy to hire a notary public in California that you found online. But, how do you know they are reputable, or any good?  You don’t.  You take your chances. However, some notaries on 123notary.com have reviews about them.  You can read who has good reviews or bad reviews.  It is not always safe picking a random notary. As far as horror cases go, we have only had a handful of serious nightmarish notaries over the last decade, and we remove them once we have determined that they are a source of endless trouble!
 
The Kinko’s story
We had a California notary public fail to print out documents and have the borrower’s pick her up, drive her to Kinko’s where she could print the documents and then driver her to their home.  Borrowers are not chauffers, and this notary got dropped off once the borrowers got a hold of the lender.  A year later — the drama continues.  The California notary public in question is operating under a business name, and hiring other notaries to do tasks for her such as obtaining apostilles in Sacramento.  The problem is, that when checks come, they all have an elastic characteristic.  Notaries have complained on the forum about this company several times, and this particular California notary is one of the worst notary nightmares we have ever experienced and goes down in history as a legend.
 
Stories of notaries that fail and what they did wrong – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=143
 
Affordable Notary Service – http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4880
 
24 hour service?
Another California notary public advertised 24 hour service.  An individual calls them at 6am with an emergency.  The notary hangs up on the individual claiming that it is “too early”.  If you are not offering 24 hour service, don’t CLAIM that you do.  It is a requirement that if you want the 24 hour icon, you have to be willing to answer the phone after midnight whether you feel like it or not.
 
The white out story
A notary in California goes to a signing. She forgets to have the wife sign the Mortgage (oops), and then uses white out to change some information in the loan documents.  The worst possible thing you can do during a loan signing is to use white out which voids the usability of the document.  It gets better — then, the notary blames the Title company for not hilighting the signature areas in the documents where the wife was supposed to sign.  When she was requested to return to the borrower’s house to finish the incomplete signing, the notary recommended that they find someone else.  The notary replied to this complaint against her by stating that she used the mother-in-law as a required witness to the signing. Then, the Title company asked her to use someone else at which point she used white out to remove the mother-in-law’s signature and go and get a neighbor. 
 
123notary’s opinion: There is no crime in having an additional witness.  The problem is using white out, and cross outs also look unprofessional in a loan signing and can cause a loan not to fund. Additionally, a witness should be a party who doesn’t have a beneficial interest in the transaction — they should be uninvolved like a neighbor or stranger.
 
The four hour rule
Another California notary accepts a job for a signing.  Then she cancels at the last minute because she learns that the company who hired her doesn’t pay their bills.  There were a few forum posts about the company stating that the company didn’t pay their notaries.  In any case, the notary could have researched the company simultaneously while talking to them by using www.123notary.com/s and would have learned that they didn’t pay BEFORE accepting a job from them. Or, the notary could have researched them soon after the phone call and then cancelled.  The last minute cancellations cause a lot of grief to many parties and are not acceptable. The Lender emails me stating that the notary cancelled 2 hours after the signing and said that she was, “not able to help”.  Then, the notary replies to me stating that she EMAILED the borrower 45 minutes before the signing (that is considerably sooner than 2 hours after like the lender stated).  The notary claimed they called the borrowers but couldn’t get an answer or a voice mail. I’m not sure I believe all of this story, do you?  How many people do you know who don’t have an answering machine or a disfunctional one?  I think that the notary should have given four hours notice in a case like this and should have kept trying the borrowers every 30 minutes until she got them. You can’t just leave people high and dry!

Tweets:
(1) A notary had the borrowers pick her up, take her to Kinkos where she printed the docs & made them pay for it!
(2) 1 Notary claimed 24 hour service & hung up on a client who called at 6am saying it was “too early”
(3) The Notary forgot that the wife had to sign & then used white out to modify the documents!
(4) A Notary accepted a job, then cancelled right before the signing when she learned the signing co. had a bad payment record.

You might also like:

Penalties for Notary misconduct and fraud
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21315

Common complaints we get about notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19399

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May 4, 2012

Notarizing your foreign language document!

Filed under: Ken Edelstein,Legal Issues,Popular on Twitter 2012,Technical & Legal — Tags: , , — admin @ 5:35 am

Notarizing your Foreign Language Document

“The bank refused to notarize the document because it is written in Hungarian”, said the exasperated client to me. “No Problem” for http://kenneth-a-edelstein.com was my reply. There is no requirement for the New York notary to be able to read the document, none whatsoever. Consider a 765 page document regarding the sale of a Supertanker – do you think the notary will read it prior to notarizing the signature on the last page? Well, if they are not going to read all pages of all documents – why would they want to be able to read some pages of some documents? I doubt if I will ever know.

There are some interesting considerations regarding languages involved in the notarization process. But none have anything to do with the actual document. The main language requirements in New York are related to the required oath given by the notary. The notary must be able to give the oath directly (no interpreter allowed) to the person whose signature will be notarized. The person signing must be able to read the document in order to swear/affirm that the document is truthful/correct. That is the relevant language consideration – the document could be in Braille or Latvian – it does not matter to me.

Part of some NYC notaries’ refusal to handle this situation is their employer’s desire to avoid the possibility of being involved in a lawsuit. Some Manhattan banks will not notarize a Power of Attorney, some refuse a Bill of Sale – the reasons are the same; avoiding being involved in
litigation. If the notary can’t read any of the document it “might” be a prohibited (by “bank” policy) – thus all “unreadable” documents are often refused. At http://newyorkmobilenotarypublic.com that is never the case.

It is a “best practice” to prepare foreign language documents in both languages. Most times this is done by formatting the document into two columns with English on one side and the other language on the other. One advantage of doing this is that it allows the affiant to sign twice. The signature on the English side will be compared to their ID – the other language is not. Thus, it is the English signature that is being notarized – and most ID documents in this country have English signatures.

Tweets:
(1) No problem – there is no requirement for the notary to be able to read the document (written in Hungarian)
(2) The notary must be able to give an Oath w/direct communication w/affiant (no interpreter allowed)

You might also like:

Where can I find a Chinese speaking notary?

A California Notary Acknowledgment Goes to Taiwan!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6981

How do I get a foreign language document notarized?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18788

Where can I find a Spanish speaking Notary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18824

Apostille Information
http://blog.123notary.com/?s=apostille

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December 2, 2011

Contact information for state notary divisions 2011 & 2012

Filed under: (5) State specific — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 6:21 am

Contact information for state notary divisions.
 
We already have a page on 123notary.com with contact information for all notary divisions in all states plus Washington DC. However, we noticed that the information keeps changing, and it is hard to keep up with my webmasters to keep the changes up to date.  So, the beauty of blogging is that I can edit information when I want, or create a new list altogether!  So, here is my late 2011 list of notary divisions with current web addresses, etc.
 
Alabama Secretary of State
http://www.sos.state.al.us/adminservices/notarypublic.aspx
334-242-7200
State Capitol Building – Suite S-105
600 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36103

Alaska Lieutenant Governor
http://ltgov.alaska.gov/treadwell/notaries.html
907-465-3509
There is no training or testing at this time – however a training course is recommended.
notary@alaska.gov
 
Arizona Department of State – Office of the Secretary of State
http://azsos.gov/business_Services/notary/
(602) 542-4285
Capitol Executive Tower, 7th Floor
1700 West Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007-2888
 
Arkansas Secretary of State Notary Public Division
http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/BCS/Pages/notaryPublic.aspx
501-682-1010
State Capitol, RM 256
Little Rock, AR 72201

California Secretary of State Notary Division
http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/notary/
(916) 653-3595
1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814

Colorado Secretary of State
http://www.sos.state.co.us/
303-894-2200 & press 2
Colorado Department of State
1700 Broadway
Denver, CO 80290
 
Connecticut Secretary of the State
http://www.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3184&q=392266
860-509-6003
860-509-6002
30 Trinity Street, Hartford, CT 06106

Delaware – State of Delaware Notary Public
http://notary.delaware.gov/
302-739-4111
notary@delaware.gov
 
District of Columbia: Office of the Secretary
Washington DC Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications
http://os.dc.gov/os/cwp/view,a,1207,q,522462,osNav,%7C31374%7C.asp
(202) 727-3117
441 4th Street, NW
Room 810S
Washington, DC 20001
 
Florida Department of State Division of Corporations Apostille Certification
http://notaries.dos.state.fl.us/
(850) 488-7146
P.O. Box 6800
Tallahassee, FL 32314-6800
 
Georgia Secretary of State Notary Public & Document Certification
http://www.sos.ga.gov/administration/notary.htm
(404) 327-6023
1875 Century Boulevard
Suite 100
Atlanta, Georgia 30345

Hawaii Department of the Attorney General: Notaries Public
http://hawaii.gov/ag/notary/
(808) 586-1218
425 Queen Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Hours of Operation: 7:45am to 12:00pm Monday to Friday
 
Idaho Secretary of State: Notaries, Apostilles and Authentications
http://www.sos.idaho.gov/notary/npindex.htm
(208) 332-2810
dfarnsworth@sos.idaho.gov
Secretary of State
PO Box 83720
450 N 4th Street
Boise ID 83720-0080
 
Illinois Secretary of State Notary Division
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/index/notary/home.html
1-800 252-8980
213 State Capitol
Springfield, IL 62756
 
Indiana Secretary of State Business Services Division: Notary
http://www.in.gov/sos/business/2378.htm
317-232-6581
302 W. Washington Street Room E018
Indianapolis, IN 46204
 
Iowa Secretary of State
http://www.sos.state.ia.us/notaries/index.html
515-281-8993
sos@sos.state.ia.us
1007 East Grand Avenue
Room 105, State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319

Kansas: State of Kansas Office of the Secretary of State
http://www.kssos.org/business/business_notary.html
(785) 296-4564
Kansas Secretary of State
Memorial Hall, 1st Floor
120 SW 10th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66612-1594

Kentucky Secretary of State Administrative Services: Overview of Notaries
http://www.sos.ky.gov/adminservices/notaries/
(502) 564-3490
Office of the Secretary of State
Notary Branch
PO Box 821
700 Capital Avenue, Suite 158
Frankfort, KY  40601
 
Louisiana Secretary of State: Louisiana Notary Division
http://www.sos.la.gov/tabid/70/Default.aspx
225.922.0507
8585 Archives Ave.
Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Maine Department of the Secretary of State Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions
http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/notary/
207-624-7736
cec.notaries@maine.gov
Burton Cross Building
111 Sewall St., 4th Floor
 
Maryland Office of the Secretary of State: Maryland Notary Division
http://www.sos.state.md.us/Notary/Notary.aspx
410-974-5521
16 Francis Street,
Annapolis, MD 21401
 
Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division: Notary Public Information
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/prenot/notidx.htm
617-725-4016
617-727-2832
pre@sec.state.ma.usSecretary of the Commonwealth
Public Records Division
McCormack Building, Room 1719
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108

Michigan Department of State: Notary & Document Certification
http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-15049-25634–,00.html
(888) 767-6424
Michigan Department of State,
Lansing, MI 48918
 
Minnesota Secretary of State Notary Division
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/
651-296-2803
60 Empire Drive, Suite 100
St Paul, MN  55103
 
Mississippi Secretary of State Business Services: Notary Public
http://www.sos.state.ms.us/busserv/notaries/NotaryFAQs.asp
Sorry, but there was no contact information on their site!
 
Missouri Secretary of State Business Services: Notary Public
http://www.sos.mo.gov/business/commissions/pubs/notary/
(573) 751-4936
600 West Main Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101
 
Montana Notary Division
http://sos.mt.gov/notary/Become_Notary.asp
(406) 444-5379
sosnotary@mt.gov
1236 6th Avenue
Helena, MT 59601

Nebraska Secretary of State Business Services: Notary Public
http://www.sos.ne.gov/business/notary/index.html
(402) 471-2558
State Capitol, Room 1301,
Lincoln, NE 68509

New Hampshire Secretary of State Notary Public Division
http://www.sos.nh.gov/notary.html
603-271-3242
State House Room 204, 
Concord, NH 03301
 
New Jersey Secretary of the Treasury: Notary Public
http://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/dcr/programs/notary.shtml
Division of Revenue, Notary Public Unit ,
PO Box 452,
Trenton, NJ 08646
 
New Mexico Secretary of State Notary Division
http://www.sos.state.nm.us/sos-notary.html
505)-827-3600
Secretary of State,
State Capitol North, Suite 300,
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

New York Department of State
http://www.dos.state.ny.us/licensing/
(518) 474-4429
Department of State, Albany Location:
One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12231-0001
 
North Carolina Notary Division
http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/notary/
919-807-2219
North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State
P.O. Box 29626
Raleigh, North Carolina 27626-0626

North Dakota Notary Division
http://www.nd.gov/sos/notaryserv/
701-328-2900
Secretary of State
State of North Dakota
600 E Boulevard Ave Dept 108, 1st Floor
Bismarck ND 58505-0500
 
Ohio Notary Division
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/recordsIndexes/Notary.aspx
614-644-4559
Ohio Secretary of State
180 E. Broad St., Suite 103
Columbus, OH 43215

Oklahoma Notary Division
https://www.sos.ok.gov/notary/default.aspx
405-521-2516
Notary Public services
Secretary of State
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd, Room 101
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4897
 
Oregon Notary Division
http://www.filinginoregon.com/pages/notary/
503-986-2200
Public Service Building 255 Capitol Street NE Suite 151
Salem, Oregon 
Pennsylvania
http://www.dgs.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/notaries/12609
717-787-5280
Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation
Division of Legislation and Notaries
210 North Office Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120

 
Rhode Island Notary Division
http://sos.ri.gov/business/notary/
401-222-3040
148 West River Street
Providence, RI 02904-2615
 
South Carolina Notary Division
http://www.scsos.com/notaries
1205 Pendleton Street Suite 525
Columbia, SC 29201
 
South Dakota Notary Division
http://apps.sd.gov/applications/ST12ODRS/aspx/frmNotaryViewList.aspx
605-773-3537
 
Tennessee Notary Division
http://www.tn.gov/sos/bus_svc/notary.htm
615-741-3699
Division of Business Services
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, Snodgrass Tower, 6th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243

Texas Notary Division
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/statdoc/edinfo.shtml
512-463-5705
Secretary of State, Notary Public Unit, P.O. Box 13375,
Austin, Texas 78711-3375
 
Utah Notary Division
http://notary.utah.gov/
801-538-1041
Utah State Capitol, Notary Office, Suite 220,
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
 
Vermont Notary Division
http://vermont-archives.org/notary/
802-828-3287
Secretary’s Office
128 State Street
Montpelier, VT  05633-1101

Virginia Notary Division
http://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/Notary/notary.cfm?CFID=10410718&CFTOKEN=e9bab8f65217a483-C5004CEA-B189-F028-4D9FC1D229C03EBD
804-692-2536
Jennifer Crown, Notary Director
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
P.O. Box 1795
Richmond, Virginia 23218-1795

Washington State Notary Division
http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/notary/nrequirements.html
360-664-1550
405 Black Lake Blvd SW
Olympia, WA 98502

West Virginia Notary Division
http://www.sos.wv.gov/business-licensing/notaries/Pages/default.aspx
 
Wisconsin Notary Division
http://www.sos.state.wi.us/
608-266-8888, then press 3
The Office of the Secretary of State
P.O. Box 7848
Madison, WI 53707 – 7848

Wyoming Notary Division
http://soswy.state.wy.us/AdminServices/NotariesDuties.aspx
307-777-5335
State Capitol Building
200 West 24th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020

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November 25, 2011

Payment terms – set by the Buyer or Seller?

Filed under: Ken Edelstein — Tags: — admin @ 9:11 am

Payment terms – set by the Buyer or Seller?

As often discussed “in the old days” the “Closer” had “pickups” and earned a significantly higher fee than current signing agents. Sure they took risk, but the higher fee (often several hundred dollars) made up for the few that did not fund…..

Fast forward to today. Notaries are the “seller” of their “signing agent services” and the buyers are Signing Services, LO’s, Title companies, Escrow companies, etc.

In every other case that I know of – it is the SELLER who sets the payment terms. The seller / service provider sets how and when they are to be paid. Common sellers are Ebay merchants, Exxon, McDonalds, your dentist, even the babysitter. As the BUYER in almost every case – you make payment “up front” prior to getting the service or merchandise. There are exceptions; when you leave your car for service, you pay when you pick up the car. Or, you don’t get the car and a “mechanics lien” kicks in and the car is either taken or held till payment is made.

What baffles me is the supposed “industry standard” whereby notaries are expected to up front expenses, services, and professional time; in the “hope” of later payment. Some, actually as I read the various posts, many – are never paid.

As mentioned the high fee true “closer” was paid at closing, and “on the HUD” – paid according to law – on time, with other disbursements.

With the proliferation of, to phrase it gently, “problem receivables”; I just don’t understand why so many notaries do not require “up front” payment. Almost all of my individual (non-signing) work is received in advance. My standard answer as to “why in advance” is that it is dangerous for me to go from place to place adding cash – it’s much safer for me to be paid by credit card. “Why in advance?” – because many cards often fail clearance. I tell clients that they receive a nice receipt from PayPal – and I receive a scheduling notification. Simple, clean and effective.

I require the same of all but the highest rated signing related work. Unless they have the best of 123 AND Rotary feedback – it’s in advance or I decline the job. I would not be able to maintain this policy if it was costing me a big chunk of work – but it is NOT. With “pay in advance” I can accept work from the WORST “duds” that most would turn down due to their “no pay / slow pay” reviews. That’s not a problem when the money is already in the account. Why would they do such an about face – because they are desperate to farm out the job to keep THEIR client happy. Soooooo, don’t have a “won’t take work from dud list” – have a PayPal account – and insist the dud’s prepay!

I have brought this subject up in various postings. Again I urge all to open a PayPal account and request/require advance payment. It greatly helps to have a website that provides assurances about your integrity.

It is the seller not the buyer who establishes the terms of the sale. You are selling your services; “they” are buying them. Putting up with the various delays, deductions, and out and out ripoffs makes as much sense as pulling into an Exxon station and asking them to fill the tank and “invoice” you. BTW: using a credit/debit at Exxon is still paying Exxon in advance – just not with cash.

Kenneth A Edelstein
Mobile Notary, Apostille / Legalization Processing & Fingerprinting
http://www.kenneth-a-edelstein.com

Please also see:

2018 Good Signing Companies – a thorough list
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21091

Bouncey Bouncey Paypal
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21046

Protecting yourself with a contract
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2593

How far do you go to push for payment terms?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22590

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August 19, 2011

Excerpts from Great Notes Sections

Filed under: Humorous Posts,Reviews,Your Notes Section — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 6:43 am

If you do my job, you will see hundreds and thousands of notes sections written by notaries.  Most are very dull and clunky sounding, but a few notaries have really out done themselves and written very classy and entertaining notes.  I have been meaining to write this for months, but there were so many other things to do!
 
Here is one I made up, but never published.
I am a notary public in Egg Harbor, NJ — and I moved here from Broome County, NY.  If my town ever gets hit by a hurricane, we’ll have to change the name to Omelette Harbor.  And Broome county will get swept off the map!
 
Here is one from a North Carolina Notary
I am a native New Yorker with Southern Charm.   When your closing is crucial, you can count on me to be there on time and conduct the signing just as you would, if you could.    (The notary who wrote this really is very patient and charming in real life. I have spoken with him on several occassions)
 
Here is an entertaining excerpt from a California notary
I have personally witnessed more than 4,500 “kitchen table” loan signings. My satisfied clients include individual borrowers, title companies, escrow companies, and nationwide notary signing services. You can rest assured that I have the know-how to seamlessly handle your important documents as well as your borrowers key questions professionally.
 
Here is one I pieced together
I am taking a sabbatical for the rest of the year.  Give me a call next year please! I’ll be available in October — just mark your calendar.

Here is a really professional sounding one from a California notary
Nine years as a notary and 25 years experience in mortgage banking as an Underwriter and Manager.  I am on the approved Notary list of several major Title companies, including First American and the Fidelity Family. Always on time and professional.
 
Here is an Illinois notary who doesn’t mess around
I have twelve years experience as an Illinois notary and signer doing refi’s, reverse, HELOC’s etc. Fees vary per job requirements, $65 to $250. Terms: Net 30 days, $25 late fee after 60 days, $50 collection fee after 90 days.
 
Very Impressive
I do Apostille Processing and I am a Fingerprinting expert, and a Notary / Certified Signing Agent. All of my work is 100% guaranteed – ReDo or Refund – Your Choice. A+ BBB rating. I offer twenty-four hour emergency service. My home is in Manhattan and can usually arrive within the hour. I’m Elite certified by 123notary.com and have E&O Insurance. My web site has genuinely useful information about Notary work, Apostille Processing, Embassy / Consular Legalization and Fingerprinting. I invite you to become one of my Key Clients.
 
Here is part of one from a Los Angeles Notary
For ten years I have served Los Angeles County notarizing: commercial and residential loans, reverse mortgages, first and second mortgages, refinances, helocs, medical records, foreign adoptions, power of attorney, and so on. Apostille, authentication and certification services are also available.
 
This one is a seasoned professional
Fidelity National Title & First American Approved Notary. Background Clearance updated annually. THE best of the best Notary Loan Signing Agents on the Central Coast of California for your client’s requirements, delivering professional, reliable, error free service to your valuable clients that guarantees an accurately signed loan, every time. Co-author “How to Become a Wildly Successful Loan Signing Agent”. * twenty-four hours seven days a week personal service. * Esigning certified; Emailed documents accepted for same day signing! Have laptop/aircard, will travel to your client. * Professional fully trained Signing Agent qualified in all types of loan closings, residential, commercial and reverse mortgage products. * Loan packages can be accepted in all formats. * Highly Competitive Rates. * Top Drawer Concierge Service! 25 years experience, trained to provide a white-glove service unsurpassed by any other mobile notary! I am a proud member of the California Mobile NSA Network!
 
Please also visit
 
Find a notary public in California 

Find a notary in Illinois

Paralysis Notary Service: Notary companies with funny names

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