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March 1, 2015

Point (8) 1003 (9) Compliance Agreement; Marcy’s Problem w/the 1003

Filed under: (2) Technical and Legal — Tags: , , , — admin @ 10:25 pm

Marcy was on her way to another Notary assignment. She had been studying a little harder now, and knew her materials a little better. But, she got stuck on the signing with the Jennings. The loan signing went well, but there was a snag.

MARCY: Hi, I’m Marcy and I’ll be your Notary Signing Agent today.

Mr. JENNINGS: Is that like being a Private Notary, like the Tina Turner song?

MARCY: I’m your private Notary, Notary for money, do what you want me to do (within reason)
I’m your private Notary, Notary for money, any old loan docs will do…

Mrs. JENNINGS: How did we get on this topic? Aren’t you supposed to be a Public Notary?

MARCY: Well, yes, but for the purposes of the song, and the appointment, I’m temporarily private — at least during the signing.

Mr. JENNINGS: And this is the most fun you’ll have with your stamps on. (laughs) Oh, love that one.

Mrs. JENNINGS: What’s love got to do, got to do with it?

MARCY: It’s okay. There is nothing wrong with a little humor, so long as the wife is around. Just make sure he doesn’t make these jokes when you disappear to the kitchen to get coffee.

Mr. JENNINGS: Yeah, otherwise you’ll have to wear that T-shirt that says, “I’m not your husband’s mistress, I’m the Notary!”

MARCY: There he goes again! I actually saw 80 year old Mrs. Appleby wearing that T-shirt with her walker. I almost died laughing.

(20 minutes later)

Mr. JENNINGS: In any case, we seem to have gotten through most of the loan. But, let’s take a look at this 1003 Universal Residential Loan Application. Didn’t we already apply? Oh my God. It has my college wrong, and my age too. I want to talk to my Lender right away!

MARCY: Oh no. I just called him, but he won’t answer. I’ll leave him a message. Any chance we’ll get this loan signed in the meantime?

Mr. Jennings: Not on your life! I’m not signing anything until I hear from my Lender.

Poor Marcy ruined yet another loan through lack of training. Little did she know that the 1003 is notoriously riddled with errors, and that the information in that document is not binding for the loan. It is just backup misinformation as the case may be. It is so common and inconsequential for the 1003 to have endless information that is just wrong that you don’t even need to talk to the Lender about it most of the time. SPOILER ALERT: The question of whether or not you should cross out wrong information in this particular document will be addressed in a later chapter.

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Point (8) The 1003 Uniform Residential Loan Application

This form can be irritating because it often contains incorrect information about how old people are, where they work, how much they are borrowing, etc. Some borrowers insist on making changes to the 1003 because they are offended that the lender, for example, believes that they were born on 1-01-95 and have 3 months experience at their job when they are sixty years old and have 20 years experience. However: the information on the 1003 is not final.

Please note that often times this document must be initialed, but the location of the required initials can vary depending on the format. Additionally, there is often a blank page in this document which some people like to cross out.

For final numbers, see the Note, Deed of Trust, Truth in Lending (TIL) and Settlement Statement. Loan amounts are often misquoted by several thousand dollars in the 1003. Refer them to one of the “Final” documents like the note if they are concerned. . If the borrower remains upset, just have them write down each mistake on a piece of paper and have them talk to the lender on the following day.

Backdating. Sometimes the 1003 is backdated or the lender will leave instructions not to date it at all. Why? Because the borrower, most likely, has submitted a more user-friendly form to the borrower, which contains the same information that the 1003 does. At a closing you are often pretending that you are signing the 1003 when the borrower filled out the user-friendly application several weeks prior to the signing. As a Notary, just don’t backdate Notary documents. But don’t worry, this one is not a Notary document, and you aren’t backdating, the borrower is.

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Point (9) Compliance Agreement Errors and Omissions

There are various names for variations on this document which include:

Compliance Agreements, Errors & Omissions, and the Correction Agreement Limited Power of Attorney.
These documents all deal with the same issue. Some loan packages will have a Compliance Agreement and a Correction Agreement. There are many variations to these documents, but they have universal purpose: Mistakes happen on documents all the time, and the lender needs to make sure that they get fixed faster than a celebrity’s nose. These documents allow them to make clerical corrections, basic changes, to the loan package. Please note that the difference between the various types of Compliance Agreement and the Correction Agreement Limited Power of Attorney is that the Compliance Agreement requires the borrower to “cooperate” when clerical changes need to be made while the Correction Agreement Power of Attorney allows the lender to make the changes on their own.

The Compliance Agreement
The Compliance Agreement states that the borrower will cooperate in the correcting of information if the situation arises. “The errors and omissions” is sometimes a phrase that comes in the beginning of the document like Errors and Omissions / Compliance Agreement. An omission is a piece of information that someone has left out of the document.

The Correction Agreement Limited Power of Attorney
This document makes some borrowers worry. This document transfers power to the lender to make changes to their loan documents. It is only to correct clerical and typographical errors, like misspellings and other simple errors. It doesn’t affect the numbers or terms in the loan at all. Make sure to comfort the borrowers with a similar explanation if they are alarmed. They are not really signing their life away.

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You might also like:

30 Point Course Table of Contents
http://blog.123notary.com/?cat=3442

30 Point Course (10) The Signature Affidavit
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14356

Notarizing a compliance agreement (discussion)
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3913

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January 12, 2014

I go over the HUD-1 first

Filed under: Loan Signing 101,Popular on Facebook (A little),Signing Tips — Tags: , — admin @ 8:59 am

I go over the HUD-1 First

Some notaries public start the loan at the beginning and go in the order that the documents are in. Ninja notaries call this following the order of the universe. But, other notaries public start with the HUD-1 Settlement Statement first. It is sometimes helpful to go over the most critical figures in the loan. That way if there is a problem, you will know at the very beginning.

On the other hand, you could call the borrower up before you leave your home and go over the numbers. That way you can stop a bad signing right before it even starts! That is sort of like reading the weather report online before you drive two hours to the beach. After all, do you want to go to the beach while it is raining?

One of our notaries public likes to go over the bottom of the 3rd page of the HUD and get to the really critical information first. To each their own. Just remember — either follow the order of the universe or follow your own inner order (if you have one). Good luck!

Think ahead — go over the HUD-1 Settlement Statement

Tweets:
(1) Some notaries start the loan at the beginning and go in the order the docs are in.
(2) You could call the borrower up before you leave your home & go over the numbers
(3) One of our notaries likes to go over the bottom of the 3rd page of the HUD & get to the critical info 1st.

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April 5, 2013

Fake it until you make it with your number of signings.

Filed under: Reviews,Your Notes Section — Tags: , — admin @ 9:06 am

We have many notaries on 123notary. Some are honest, others are clueless, a few are motivated, but most just want an easy ride. Recently, I have become aware, unpleasantly, that there is a small percentage of fakers.

We had one lady who claimed to have signed 2000 loans. When I asked her what type of loans she signed, she drew a blank. I immediately sensed that she didn’t know anything and was a fake signing agent. We had another who had signed 200 loans — allegedly who couldn’t name even a single loan type. I had to drag it out of him what the names of the documents were that he had notarized — and the answer sounded like he was reading a list from a journal, and not by memory. A sign of inexperience. We had a third gentleman who had signed 100 loans who didn’t know that the figure most commonly used to compare loans was the APR. How can he not know that?

The think you need to realize is that people who fake their number of signings do not get jobs. People who call them immediately sense that they are incompetent as notaries and shouldn’t be hired. 123notary is expert at presenting notaries to the public. But, if your presentation doesn’t match up to your oral skills, you will be standing in the unemployement line. Yes — present yourself well, but don’t fake it until you make it. You ruin your credibility and ours as well.

Rather than being dishonest, just evade the topic of how many signings you have done (if there are not that many) and talk about what you have done in terms of specifics. List loan types, or specific companies you have worked for. List documents you are intimate with. Specifics sell a lot more than generalities like “Lots of experience”, or “Professional and reliable”. People want real information, not unverifiable claims.

So, as Martin Lawrence used to say

Keep it real!!!

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# of loans signed or number of years using “since”
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19270

Everything you need to know about writing a great notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16074

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September 12, 2012

Tips for notaries

Filed under: Notary Mistakes,Popular on Linked In,Technical & Legal — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 10:35 am

People are making too many mistakes
One experienced Washington, DC notary asserts that, throughout the country, “Some of the people just coming into the profession are not literate and make too many mistakes… I get a few calls a week from titlecompanies where the closing was not done correctly, and they ask me to re-do the work… If we want to be professionals, we have to keep ahead, follow the law, and continue to act in the best interests of all.”

Don’t backdate
“Besides being careful and meticulous,” he adds, “do not backdate documents or signatures, ever! No matter how many times you are asked to backdate documents– supposedly to benefit the borrowers– DO NOT do it. It is illegal. Knowingly putting a different date on a document is fraud and you could go to jail. I have heard of many young notaries who are willing to experiment with backdating. They say ‘What’s the big deal? I was asked to do this.’ As a Washington DC notary, I know I am a state official, and I take this seriously. There is even another notary site where someone claims ‘everyone does this’. NOT everyone does it, and in DC, I personally know several notaries who are now out of work because they got caught. And when your documents are rejected, you will also have legal hassles. Not worth it–if you want to last in this profession. And just as notaries talk–companies talk. Do not risk getting a reputation as an ‘easy’ and inexperienced notary.”

Understand the documents, but don’t advise.
Our Washington, DC notary continues, “READ through all the documents carefully, so you know what the borrowers are and are not being asked to do. The most called-upon notaries and notary signing agents are the ones who know exactly what a document is saying and can confirm that if a borrower asks. If you are a new notary signing agent, read through some sample papers to be able to understand the language and the fees the borrower is agreeing to. Of course, some notaries feel that giving a brief summary of a section could be construed as giving ‘legal advice,’ which is prohibited…so you need to reiterate that you are not giving ‘advice.’ Many borrowers have many questions, and really do not understand a document well enough to sign it; in that case, you must call the loan officer and have him or her speak to the borrower. You can summarize… but you can’t give advice. The better you do your job, the more you will be in demand. This means explaining clearly and in a reassuring way what something says–without giving ‘legal advice.’ ”

Title Producer License
For this reason–the fact that some notaries have given “legal advice”–some states, notably Indiana and Maryland, as well as DC–require a notary signing agent to have a title insurance producer’s license in order to handle loan signings. A North Carolina notary told us that, despite the recent ruling that notary signing agents may continue to do closings, “There is a ‘movement’ in the state to make NC an ‘attorney only’ state.” In Connecticut, attorneys generally handle real estate signings anyway. But Delaware, Georgia, Massachusetts (except if the notary works for the lender), South Carolina, West Virginia, and Vermont require an attorney to be involved in the signing…and Texas requires that any HELOC loan be done in the office of a lender, attorney, or title company (but could be done by a notary!). Says our North Carolina notary, “South Dakota is not clear on this issue, and seems to say that an attorney usually handles a loan signing…but attorneys often send their notaries to do it! Honest! The point? This preference for having an attorney supervise a signing is becoming a trend, and you should check with your state and get any necessary certifications that will assist you.”

Taking the trouble to get a new certification
A few notaries have reported that they do not want to go to the trouble of getting a new license or certification of any sort…but it is one more tool to help you get the work you need. A title producer’s license (also called a title insurance producer’s license) just means that you will have taken 50-60 hours of special coursework and will have passed an exam and paid an extra fee. “This license may be one more certification you want to obtain if you want to stay ahead of the game,” our North Carolina notary asserts. “The more certifications you have, the more you will be ready to serve the public as a notary or notary signing agent.”

Have a business plan?
Finally, one of the best tips we’ve heard recently is to have a business plan. It is always surprising the number of people in the notary business who do not have a plan. A plan means knowing what the market is in your area, who your competitors are, how and where you will expand, how much to invest, and also what certifications and credentials you will have. This includes knowing your strengths–what people like about you– and good reviews from those you have done work for. Getting good reviews from people who value your work can give you–as well as others–a fresh idea of what your skills really are, how you look to others. And when others read the reviews of your work as a notary, they will choose you because they will feel your experience and way of doing things are most relevant to their needs.

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Notarization Dates, Document Dates & Signature Dates
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2421

Backdating from A to Z
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2424

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August 31, 2012

The chicken & egg: Birth certificate problem solved

Filed under: Ken Edelstein — Tags: , , — admin @ 12:31 am

How to get a Birth Certificate with no Photo ID

I frequently get calls from people who need a document notarized because they have no ID. They are trying to get a copy of their birth certificate to rebuild a lost/stolen set of identification papers. But, the classic problem of needing ID to get ID comes into play. They want something notarized to apply for the key document – the certified copy of their birth certificate.

Of course I cannot comply with their request, as they lack “government issued photo ID”; my standard for notarization. However, I do provide them with the solution to their problem; if they can obtain a replacement for their lost credit card. Or, if they have some other credit card. For this to work the credit card must be in their birth certificate name.

Their salvation is the on line web service called Vitalcheck.com. They can order their birth certificate over the internet. But how is this possible? Surely they can’t just order one of the most secured instruments (at least in New York State), with just a credit card? Well, the answer is that they can – assuming they have “knowledge in their head”. Stick with me and I will explain how this is both secure and convenient.

Vitalcheck.com is a front end for ordering on line many government issued forms. They handle birth, death, marriage and divorce papers. And they do it securely – and all the applicant needs to have is a credit card with a name that is on the document. They also need that all important “knowledge in their head”. I have used the service myself and can explain how it works.

Vitalcheck.com has access to MANY “public records”. During my on line application I was presented with a series of questions (multiple choice) that an imposter would not be able to answer correctly. Briefly, I lived in Florida. One of the questions was “At which of the following addresses did you live”. Another was which of the following cars did you own. Similar questions about events in my past, all found in searches of public records assured them that I was indeed http://kenneth-a-edelstein.com. My birth certificate order was accepted based upon the information I was able to provide – unlikely for an identity thief to provide correctly.

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Can a notary notarize a Birth Certificate?
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Must a thumbprint accompany a notarized document?
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July 17, 2012

Fees at the door MISUNDERSTOOD on Facebook

Filed under: Business Tips,Hospital & Jail Signings,Tips for Getting Paid — Tags: , , — admin @ 7:22 am

Fees at the door MISUNDERSTOOD on facebook 

Tisk tisk: notaries on Facebook.  You mostly misunderstood my discussion question about getting fees at the door for signings to prevent beneficial interest. this discussion took place in Jan 2012. I was NOT talking about loan signings.  At Loan signings they pay you three or four months AFTER the signing if you are lucky, not in cash at the signing. It is very obvious that I was talking about doing a traveling notary job for an individual person.  The problem is that most of you depend solely on loan signings for your living when there are many jobs for individuals which you either don’t know how to handle or reject because you are not familiar with it.
 

A typical botched jail notary job
Let’s say you drive 45 minutes to a jail to meet the girlfriend of a criminal.  You meet her in the parking lot or in the front door of the jail.  Let’s say you don’t collect your travel fee of $50 at the door.  Let’s say that hypothetically you walk to the guard, fill out the forms, but lo and behold, the prisoner has been moved to another jail 90 miles away.  Then you say, may I have my travel fee please.  The girlfriend says, “BUT YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING”.  And then you say, “Sure I did, I drove 45 minutes, talked to you on the phone, walked in here, and now I have to drive 45 minutes back home, and also go to the gas station which takes more time and money.  Pay up!!!  You will get stiffed, because they will feel that they do not owe you if you didn’t quote unquote DO ANYTHING. 
 

Yet another hospital notary job
Let’s say you drive an hour to a hospital at 3am to accommodate some desperate people.  You don’t get your travel fee at the door in cash like I recommend.  You go upstairs with the signer’s son in law only to find that the signer is on morphene, fast asleep, and in no position to sign anything or even sit up.  You ask for your travel fee for your 2 hour round trip, and the son in law says, “Sorry, but I’ll pay you when you come back next time, I didn’t realize that the nurse drugged Shelly’s dad”.  You just got stiffed again.
 
This isn’t rocket science. If you work with the public, they will leave you high and dry if you don’t protect yourself.
 
3rd example… beneficial interest
Lets say you go to a notary job.  You do NOT collect travel fees up front. Let’s say that the signer’s name on their ID doesn’t match the name on the document enough for you to legally or ethically notarize them.  They say, “Oh come on — you are being unreasonable”.  They say they won’t pay you a penny unless you notarize the signer. They have you by the balls because you didn’t think ahead.  If you have the travel fee up front, then you are in control and will not be persuaded under duress to break the law so you can get your lousy fee!
 
Last example:  The law office.
You are called into a law office 10 minutes away. You are instructed to show up at 1pm for a signing. Your trip fee is $30 and your waiting time fee is $20 per half hour with the first ten minutes complementary.  Let’s say that you never collected your $30.  The attorney says they won’t be ready for another 10 minutes.  But, 10 becomes 20, and 20 becomes an hour, and then finally after 90 minutes, you finally do the signing, and then they pay you, but they won’t pay for the waiting time.  If you had gotten your $30 at the door, you could threaten to leave if they don’t pay the wait time up front for each 30 minute increment.  If you don’t have the trip fee, you have no leverage. This has happened half a dozen times to me in my notary career!

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Travel fees if nothing gets signed
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22578

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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)

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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 9, 2011

Affidavit of Citizenship

Filed under: Public Interest — Tags: , , , — admin @ 2:45 pm

Affidavit of Citizenship 

This is a commonly notarized document.  Sometimes a person will need a signed Affidavit of Citizenship to get an identification document created. There could be other purposes as well.  The problem is that the person who needs this document, never seems to know how to write it, and always turns to the notary.  It is unclear to me if this is considered a “legal document”, so it is unclear if it is giving legal advice when helping someone draft this type of document.  In Florida, a Florida notary shouldn’t assist anyone draft any document since rules are more stringent there about what is considered legal advice.  Below is wording that I typically used when I helped people draft these types of documents.
 
Sample wording for Affidavit of Citizenship
 
I  (name of affiant) solemnly swear that I am a citizen of the United States of America, so help me god.
 
 
—————————–
Signature of affiant
 
(attach jurat certificate wording or a loose jurat certificate here, or have this notary verbiage written on the loose jurat certificate if there is space provided)
 
If you feel that it would be giving legal advice to dictate how this verbiage should be spelled out, then you can assist the signer (affiant), but asking him/her this question.  What do you want this document to say? For example, “I solemnly swear that… what?…”.   Then they will give their answer.  Then you can vaguely say, “Then you might consider writing what you just said, although I can not advise you on this matter”. 
 
You might ask the signer to have this document typed out with a signature line BEFORE you go to the appointment if you are a mobile notary.  Once again, the Affidavit of Citizenship is a common document, and you should expect to see it regularly during your notary commission if you do notary work for the public.

Note: There is no such thing as an immigration notary, however, Affidavits of Citizenship might be related to the immigration process.

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Affidavit of Support & Direct Communication w/the Signer
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Affidavit of Citizenship 2016 Edition
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Notarized Affidavit Information
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April 3, 2011

Notarizing an arsonist who blew his fingers off

Filed under: Hospital & Jail Signings — Tags: , , , — admin @ 4:32 am

It was just another afternoon, when I got a call for a notary job from an attorney in downtown Los Angeles. I was to meet the attorney at “Twin Towers” which is our most famous local jail to do the job. When I arrived, he was there on time in the waiting room. The room was filled with Los Angeles’ finest looking women, who apparently won’t date you unless you are a criminal. We had to fill out a small form and give it to the lobby guard. We then went through security and I took out all of the contents of my pockets: cell phone, wallet, coins, jacket, bag, belt, shoes, etc. The guards and parking attendants all knew me because I was a regular. They always went through my bag and asked about all of my various stamps, staplers, staples ( which are considered to be deadly weapons in a prison ), etc. They took my stapler apart to inspect its interior. Luckily I wasn’t strip searched. The guards often missed the refill staples in my which could be dangerous if they got in the wrong hands. Staples can be used to pick locks, and can even be a deadly weapon. Even a small piece of paper can be made into an instrument of death by jailbirds — so I hear.

The hallway of doom
Then, after security, it was time to traverse the hallway of doom. Each step down that lifeless  foreboding hallway had an echo and the distant sounds of metal doors clanking shut pervaded this ominous stretch of endless corridor. It twisted and turned at forty-five degree angles for hundreds of feet. The walls were made of cement bricks and there is always a stark and desolate feeling. For those of you who have never done a jail job before, there is always an ominous long hallway. Every jail has one, or at least should have one just to set the mood. If you go often enough, you will no longer notice the feeling of dread, apprehension, or the echo that each footstep makes on your seemingly endless journey to the elevator. Think of what it feels like to go down that hallway all alone on your first visit!

The elevator
Then, after what seemed like an eternity, we finally got to the elevator. We used the intercom to get permission to visit the fifth floor. We waited for what seemed to the lawyer to be like an attorney-ty. I mean, an eternity. We finally got to the fifth floor. We had to ask the guard to get Gary so we could notarize his signature.

Meeting the inmate
I noticed that Gary had been in an accident. His face was cut up and he was missing parts of his fingers. He had a hobby of making explosives and he had accidentally blown up his apartment and lost one eye, and several fingertips in the process. Terrifying!  But, he was a very gentle soul, kind at heart. He had only nice things to say about the guards. Not surprisingly, I had a bit of trouble getting the required thumbprint. I took a fingerprint of an index finger instead of a thumbprint and made a notation in my journal of which finger on what hand I used.  Then we notarized one or two documents.  We left after that.  They attorney had Gary’s identification.

I went to see the same inmate two months later with the same attorney. The inmate was looking much better. The cuts and scratches were mostly healed. Unfortunately, his fingers hadn’t grown back.

Meeting the jurors by coincidence.
The real irony took place eight months later when I went to notarize two Asian-American residents of West Hollywood. I thought I was just going for a regular notary job. They said they needed documents notarized regarding a court case. They said the case was about a guy who blew up his apartment. I said, “His name wouldn’t happen to be Gary?”.

Their jaws dropped.

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A notary caught some frauds who stole credit info while at a hotel
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February 5, 2011

The Signing from Heaven

Filed under: Ken Edelstein,Ultra-Popular — Tags: , , — admin @ 8:10 am

The Signing from Heaven

The call comes in when you have nothing on your calendar. It’s for signing about 5 miles from your home. You notice that it’s from a very highly rated title company that you have been trying to link with for years. They are very exclusive about who they hire. They have several highly pro-notary policies. They always pay their notaries public in full, as long as you did not make any errors. It does not matter if it “closes” or not. If the borrower refuses to sign or rescinds; they consider only the work that you did. Their standard pay is $150 and the docs are always shipped to you at least 3 days prior to the signing date. The appointment is usually set 5 days prior.

When the docs arrive, (they ship them to you), you examine them closely. You notice that they took the time to accurately fill in the venue section with both the correct state and county where the signing will take place. There is no lengthy “Statement of Information”; only a request for a copy the signer’s IDs – and the borrowers are requested to sign the photocopy of their ID. The package is sent in a single PDF which includes the return airbill. The date of the signing has been set; however you are requested to arrange with the borrower a mutually convenient time for the actual signing. They respect and trust their notaries public and your check is included in the shipment.

You arrive at the signing location, with a nearby parking spot; to be greeted warmly. After introductions, they serve coffee and cookies on a spacious and well lighted table. They confirm that they have previously received and reviewed their “borrower copy” directly from the title company. They mention a mistake was found and provide you with a sealed FedEx envelope that they say contains, directly from title (the shipper’s address), a new HUD; to replace the one you brought. They inform you that you will also find in the envelope a note from the loan officer authorizing the document “swap”. You notice on the table the borrowers have prepared copies of their driver’s licenses and have placed the originals on top of the photocopies.

As you examine the IDs you notice that there are no sounds in the room. The TV is off, there are no children anywhere in sight; nor are any animals in the room. The borrowers tell you they have examined the entire package, and with the sole exception of needing a new HUD; they are ready to sign. Moreso, they request that you only present to them documents that need signatures, and that you “turn the page” on documents that do not need any signatures. When you reach the first page to be signed you notice that the spelling on the IDs exactly matches the spelling on the documents from the lending institution and title / escrow.

Processing the 87 page document set proceeds at a rapid pace. They sign using a neat clear full signature exactly as printed “under the line”. The borrowers have no questions, but do mention that they allocated a full hour to sign the documents. Half way thru the documents you are brought a refill of very excellent coffee, and a few more cookies. Towards the end of the document set the borrowers compliment you on your punctuality and mention their desire to send a complimentary letter on your behalf. After all the documents are signed, and the oath given; they mention a future need for a traveling notary and request your card. They notice the FedEx airbill/envelope and express appreciation that you will be handling the actual shipping of the package back for them.

Smiles and handshakes are followed by a last piece of cookie and final sip of that superb coffee.

Dear reader of this post regarding “The Signing from Heaven”;

The last line of this post can be found in a song by The “Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band” specifically, the song title is: “I’m The Urban Spaceman”. Please find the lyrics – you will have to do a bit of hunting, to find the last 3 words of my post regarding “The Signing from Heaven”; which are also the last 3 words of that song.

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