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November 1, 2020

Names for Notary businesses that can get you in trouble

Filed under: Advertising,Popular on Linked In,Popular Overall — admin @ 7:25 am

Origionally published March 29, 2017.

In general, we recommend certain types of names for Notary businesses.

Geo-Keywords
The name can include a geographical keyword such as the name of your city, state, or region such as Los Angeles Notary Services or Koreatown Mobile Notary.

Professional Keywords
It can also be more professional oriented such as Karen’s Signing Services, or Notary Pro to Go. One successful Notary used the name After Hours Notary, At Your Service Mobile Notary, Notary at your Door, etc.

But, what if you got yourself in trouble picking the wrong name?
Many Notaries use generic business names that nobody will associate with the profession like LMT Services. I would not want to hire them to be my Notary because their name doesn’t gel with the profession. You need what I call anchor keywords to tie in your business with the work being done and/or the area it is being done.

Names that might get you in trouble!
You could also name your business First American Notary and probably get sued by one of our nation’s largest title companies. If you used the same name a signing company used, that causes trouble too. Many companies pick names that are very similar to other company names and get mistaken for each other. National Signers, National Signing Solutions, National Notary Service, Signing National, etc. You can see. So, if you pick a name, try to avoid using words that other services use. Be unique, classy, and relevant to your profession and perhaps to your area. You could use a hotel-like strategy for naming your business like Comfort Notary, Quality Notary, or Holiday Notary. I don’t think those names would serve you well, but who knows. Then there is USA Notary which is too generic and national and not specific to a particular area. Canada Notary would be in the wrong country. Inuit Notary would be good in Alaska, but not anywhere else. Hopi Notary might be good in Arizona, but the tribal leaders might object — just make sure they don’t put a curse on you! Star Notary Service is too generic, but what about Celebrity Notary Service? Royal Notary doesn’t make sense because we have no royalty in America.

Here are some names of Notary businesses our Notaries have:

A1 Notary Services — Will get you up high in the yellow pages. But, might get you confused with steak sauce.
Bay Area Notary — Great name, and has been in business for over a decade.
SOMA Mobile Notary — What does SOMA stand for?
Golden Gate Mobile Notary & Apostille — Sounds like they definitely go to Marin County.
Affordable Notary — Will they be classy enough for my needs?
The Notary To Call — This one has 33 reviews. Sounds like they really are the Notary to Call.
TheBestNotary.Net — He did well with his business.
Arden Mobile Notary Service — It’s a name, but not flashy.
Diamond Star Notaries — Okay
Sunshine Notary Service — Warm and inviting, but do they do late night service?
Dash Notary — Sounds like a good bet if you are in a hurry.
CA Notary Services — They did well in business, but California is a huge state. I prefer a more pinpointed regional name.
One-Call Closing Services, LLC — Exciting. You just call them once and the job is as good as done.
On Call Closing Services — They are waiting for you. Sounds like they take their phone to bed with them.
Denver Metro Notary — A geographically informative name. I know their coverage areas just by the name alone.
Signed-N-Sealed — Very professional sounding.
I & S Notary and Wedding Services, LLC — I’d prefer IB + SD Notary & Wedding; sounds more romantic.
D & D Document — Easy to remember and gets to the point.
1-2-3 Spanish Notary — I prefer 1-2-3 Notary en Espanol if you want to appeal to the prospective clients.
Mobile Notary Services — Very generic; bad name! Probably not even registered with the county clerk.
The S and S Group — Sounds like they don’t do notary work as their main forte.
Indiana Mobile Closers — Statewide coverage? Cool
Notary Mobile Plus — Gets the idea across.
C & S Mobile Closers — Sounds like a generic name like JB Trucking.
Drive by Notary — Sounds like they do notary jobs but do drive by shootings on the side.
DJ Mobile Notary — Someone’s initials at use here.
Emily The Notary — Classy and charming.

So, what are my favorite names?
Emily The Notary — This is a personal and easy to remember name that connects you with the person’s name and what they do. It is simple for the brain to process too.
Dash Notary — This name captures the character of our industry. We live on the edge, always ready to rush off to a signing at the last minute. It is not so different from the term Minute Man which is popular in Massachusetts where we used to have Minute Men.
Golden Gate Mobile Notary & Apostille — This name incorporates a world-class local geographical icon with the notary business. Very classy and relevant to our profession, but with a $6 toll going South (ouch.)

What are your favorite names? Feel free to comment!

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Choosing a name for a business license
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When did Notary Cafe become decaffeinated?
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April 2, 2020

How Much Can I charge for a mobile notary assignment and be sure that I will get the job?

Filed under: Other Guest Bloggers — admin @ 8:48 am

There is no easy or definite answer but based on my experience over many years, I have the following suggestions.

First and foremost, don’t immediately say YES when you are asked if you are available to do a notary signing.

The first question should never be, “how much are you paying”? Instead ask informative questions.

When (day and time) do they need it, what type of signing is it (Loan, refinance, POA etc), where is it and how many signatures are being notarized?

If you are comfortable with the answers you get on the above questions even if you don’t get all of the answers, then proceed with getting further details.

Who has the documents? If they are going to email them to you, when is the latest you can get it? Do you need to print one or 2 sets? Do they want you to fax or scan & email them back or drop it at a FeDex or UPS office? I always tell them to email the borrower a copy of the loan documents so they can review them ahead of time and not waste your time reading all of it and ask you questions when you get there for the signing.

After going through your questions, now is a good time to ask them how much they pay for the notary signing and for you to negotiate. You know the distance, date, time and hopefully number of signatures to be notarized. You need to know how much your time is worth and is it worth driving 1 hour for $75 or $150. Be prepared to let them know your reasons for your fee. In Los Angeles, the traffic can set you back 2 to 3 hours depending on where and what time you are traveling. What revenue are you giving up during the travel time otherwise known as Opportunity Cost?

I was recently blindsided when I accepted a notary signing for $250/-. On the surface it seems like more money than the average signing. The two critical mistakes that I made are not finding out definitively if the loan signing is for California or out of state and total number of signatures to be notarized. Out of state loan documents especially New York require more notarizations which require that you prepare California Acknowledgments or Jurats. Never assume that the number of signatures notarized are generally the same at around 4 or 5 for loan signings. The number of signatures I notarized was 30, not including numerous signatures and initials. Without the traveling fee alone, I could have charged up to $450/-. The signers wanted me at their house on the west side of Los Angeles at exactly 6 p.m. because it was convenient for them. That is rush hour and I spent an hour and one half on the freeway and only got there at 6:30 p.m. and offered my apologies to the signers.

As I drove back at 8:30 p.m., I reflected on how I can avoid repeating my mistakes. Although I asked for the number of signatures to be notarized, they told me that they did not know. Going forward, if I was told that they did not know the number of notarizations, then I would confirm via email that the mobile fee is good for up to 6 signatures and anything more they will be charged an additional $15/signature notarized. Next, I will not accept any assignment that will force me to drive during rush hour. If they insist, I will charge an additional fee depending on how long I expect to be stuck in traffic. If they don’t want to pay, that is fine. They can find another notary but at least I am valuing my time and they will know it.

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March 24, 2020

Good business names vs. Bad and which names get clicks…

Filed under: Advertising — admin @ 8:35 am

Some of the Notaries on our site have registered business names that they do business under. We recommend going to the county clerk and registering a well thought out business name. However, the name you pick for your business can affect the quantity of clicks you get on directories. Some types of names get the business while others just collect dust. The day you register your business has astrological implications as well, but that is a topic for a different day.

After a quick analysis of business names, I have come to the conclusion that the debate is more than just between good and bad sounding names, but between different types of names. There are specific local geographic names, larger geographical area names such as the name of a state, personal names mixed with notary terms, unusual names, and generic or not so good sounding names. It is a little difficult for me in my opinionated state of mind to decide which business name is better than another, so I will rely on clicks to decide.

Please note that clicks vary widely based on what area you are in, how many reviews you have, how good your notes section is, and how well known and popular you are as most people who hire you from a directory already know you.

1. Large Geographical Areas: 2.5 clicks per day average for first three entries. The other two have unusual considerations. Please keep in mind that CA Notary Services has an incoming link from one of its sites to one of its listings, so the stats will be affected based on that link. New York Mobile Notary Services is an organization with several people working for them and they have been around for a long time, and their geographic area is known for getting disproportional amounts of clicks.

The click average for these five entries is 3.28 if you do not take into consideration the abnormalities of the sample data. The average would be 2.5 clicks per day without the two listings that are “statistical anomalies.” I personally do not like business names that use the name of a state simply because the notary can only offer service to a particular part of that state. However, the clicks indicate that this type of name gets clicked on a lot. Jeremy says one thumb up but the clicks say two.

Mobile American Notary & Apostilles
AZ Notary Services
Illinois Public Notary Services
CA Notary Services
New York Mobile Notary Services

2. Personal Names + Notary or Business Terms: 1.9 clicks per day average I think that this type of business name is not bad. However, I prefer catchy unique names that grab your attention and are easier to remember. One thumb up for this type of business name.

Kalation’s Business Services
Roger’s Notary Service
Ellen The Notary
Saul Mobile Notary
Arlene Mobile Notary

3. Names I thought were weak in appeal: 1.35 clicks / day.
My gut reaction to these names matched their overall click appeal or lack of it thereby. Attributes combined with a notary term just don’t work. Putting two initials together with an & symbol did okay with D & D, but we don’t have enough evidence to get any idea of whether it is a good idea to use such a type of business name. Once again, I prefer a catchy unique business name. Two thumbs down for these names (sorry).

925 Notary
Reliable Notary
Prestige Mobile Notaries
Pro Bix Notary
Notary Pro Today
I &S Notary & Wedding
D & D Document
Mobi Notary

4. Unusual Business Names: 1.3 clicks per day.
These names are very unusual, but lack any type of kick to them. Half a thumb up.

All things named notary services.
Sevendocs Mobile Notary

5. Local Business names: 1.9 clicks / day average.
This type of business name is good because it lets the client know that you focus on their area. However, it is a bit generic and not very interesting. One thumb up for this type of business name.

Bakersfield Mobile Notary
Manhattan Mobile Notary & Apostille
Bronx Mobile Notary Service

6. Business names that Jeremy likes most: 2.3 clicks per day.
First of all, I wish there were more business names on our site. I cannot go through the entire site every time I write an article. I only go through the big cities. These are some interesting names in this category. Golden Gate Notary lets you know they cover San Francisco and surrounding areas without blatantly saying it. It is like poetry to my ears. Bay Area Notary does the same thing but has a larger implied coverage area. Neighborly Notary has a warm feel to it. No hassle is a really cool name that speaks to one’s emotional tribulations. A1 is a bit cliche, but gets the most clicks in this category and sounds good if you need a filet mignon notarized. Five Star is a great name and I’m surprised that nobody else used it. The Notary to Call is an awesome name because it says it all, is relatable, but yet unique and catchy. I love these names and hope that people can think of more catchy names. Two thumbs up for the names in this category, and the clicks agree with my opinion in this case.

Golden Gate Notary
Bay Area Notary
Neighborly Notary NYC
No Hassle Notary Public
A1 Notary Services
Five Star Mobile Notary
The Notary to Call

CONCLUSION
I recommend having a business name and spending lots of time brainstorming your options and consulting different people about this major decision. Unique and catchy names win the game, but business names that incorporate geographical terms, especially wider geographical terms seem to be successful as well.

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February 16, 2020

2013 compilation of best blog posts

Filed under: Compilations — admin @ 9:53 am

Here are my favorite blog posts from 2013

MARKETING

Companies that will hire NEW signers!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7059

We should be setting the fees, not the other way around!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3249

From 3 jobs per week to 3 jobs per day
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3940

$10,000 per month on a bad month
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3891

10 changes to your notes that double your calls!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4499

123notary elite certification, what is it all about?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8531

STORIES

The war between men and women notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3693

Mistakes notaries make with title companies
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4412

A detailed look at the ninja course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4621

7 ways to use Facebook to market your notary services
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=5396

Getting what is due, a clever plan
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3221

Interview with a Title company
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3724

Notary quotes of the day
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4011

Interview with Title Course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6553

Notary Jokes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8471

TECHNICAL

Signing Agent best practices 63 points
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4315

How to write a notes section if you have no experience
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4173

Signature name affidavit: Not a substitute for an ID
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3823

Notary journals from A to Z
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8348

Notary Seal information from A to Z
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8337

What tasks can I do worth $1000 per minute?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4113

Identification requirements for being notarized
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4299

Why notaries don’t last
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4087

When is it legal to notarize a document twice
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4305

How to get something notarized that doesn’t have a signature
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4695

How to explain the APR to a non-borrowing spouse?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4455

Why do I have to sign with our middle initial?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4452

What is a notary public?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6498

Optional information on an Acknowledgment certificate
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4407

Industry standards in the notary business
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4370

How to get something notarized if you don’t have ID
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4692

Notary fines and notary penalties
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6903

Can you notarize someone’s initials
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8269

Who are the parties involved in a Power of Attorney?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6738

Does Real Estate experience help as a notary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4563

Common mistakes with the 1003, Crossing out the RTC, TIL & APR
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4553

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October 7, 2019

How often do you do a clean up job because Notary #1 botched the signing?

Filed under: Business Tips — admin @ 11:21 pm

Most of the more experienced Notaries out there have done clean up signings. It is amazing to see what types of errors the initial Notaries made. Forgetting to have borrowers sign, forgetting to have acknowledgment wording, or forgetting to cross out the pronouns. Sometimes it is missing initials, or missing pages. Many Notaries do not know how to date a Right to Rescind, and I find this out when I test them.

No wonder so many companies want you to fax every page to them. There are so many careless and sloppy Notaries out there. Notaries used to do better on my testing 15 years ago. Things have gone downhill and so have fees. This gives more work for people I call, “The cleaners” — sounds mafia.

What are the sloppiest errors you have seen while doing a clean up job?

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July 8, 2019

Looking Beyond the Notary Section – A case Example

Filed under: Ken Edelstein — Tags: , — admin @ 3:01 am

The classic examples
We are often told not to notarize a document that contains blank areas. Of course in reality we do exactly that in every loan package. Take a look at the 1003 (the computer version of the loan application). Lots of blank areas there and nary a single N/A. Once I was put on standby for many hours; to notarize the sale of a super tanker. The neatly bound document was thicker than the Manhattan phone book (alas no longer issued). It was about 1500 pages. I did not turn each page in a desperate attempt to find a wayward and un-entered fill in. After about 6 hours of waiting time, I notarized the (approx from recollection) two dozen affiants at the end.

What happened today
The document was an amendment to an incorporation agreement. There were to be eight affiants; even with the nicely preprinted notary sections it totaled four pages. Simple? Well there was an issue. Just prior to naming the trustees, there was the statement that the names and addresses of the trustees would follow. The names were there but not the addresses. I normally don’t read the documents, but wanted to be sure the list of names matched the notary sections. I mentioned the discrepancy to the person managing the signing. I was asked how this should be handled. I covered the I’m not a lawyer issue. They came up with three possible courses of action.

The first would be to simply write in the addresses. Second, would be to redact “and addresses”. The last was to simply ignore the matter. They choose option 2. So, when the “and addresses” had a line drawn thru (not at my suggestion), I felt compelled to raise the issue of the requirement to initial hand written changes.

The first two affiants had left the session after being properly notarized and were not present to initial the change. The other 5 initialed. Hmmmm, 8-2=5? Sorry, but one of the planned 8 could not attend and would be notarized at a later date, and also initial that redaction.

In all probability the infamous “fix it fairy” would provide initials for the two who left early; of course I did not suggest that. But, as unfair as it sounds to me; some were unhappy that I mentioned the discrepancy between the stated text and the data entered. In other words; it seemed to some that I “created a problem” – just by stating the obvious (to me) flaw.

In all probability I goofed In hindsight, as I peck away at the keyboard; away from the seven affiants who want me to resolve the “issue I created” – I shudda kept my big mouth shut. My biggest blunder was to agree on the 3 possible solutions. Perhaps the address is an absolute requirement for acceptance of the document. I truly don’t know. And, the only reason that I sailed into that blunder was by mentioning the issue.

Resolved: At least for me – if it’s not in the notary section, don’t read it, don’t comment on it. And absolutely say nothing about how they should proceed. It’s OK to mention initialing changes, but take no “legal opinion” about “course of action” when modifications are being considered.

You might also like:

Index of posts about Notary certificates
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A guide to notarizing documents with blanks or multiple signatures
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20252

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May 16, 2019

Notary Quiz of the day

Filed under: Humorous Posts — admin @ 11:30 am

Notaries hate being tested, but love reading Notary tests on blog entries for some reason. I’ll have to ask my psychic why that is. Maybe it is because they are not on the spot with this. Here is a fun quiz of the day.

1. Notaries notarize
(a) Documents
(b) People
(c) Signatures
(d) Signatures on Documents
(e) People’s signatures on documents.

2. Initials. If you initial a change on a loan document, where should the initial go?
(a) To the right of the crossed out text
(b) To the left of the crossed out test
(c) Above the crossed out text
(d) Anywhere around the crossed out text
(e) Below the crossed out text to the right.

The processor I used to work for did not want me to cross out the text, but initial below the text and below the right end of the text. The processing dept. would do the rest according to good old Emily. I wonder how she is.

3. What is the difference between a conflict of interest, interest, financial interest, and beneficial interest? This reminds me of the joke about the Mortgage Broker who left the industry in 2008 because he lost interest.

4. A Notary was asked to notarize a document with no signature line. What should the notary do?
(a) Ask the borrower to write in a signature line.
(b) Tell the borrower that he cannot notarize the document without a signature and signature line.
(c) Write in the signature line himself.
(d) Refuse to notarize the document.
(e) Call Carmen at 123notary and ask for help.

5. A Notary does a job for an old lady at a hospital notarizing a document. The notary asked the lady if she understood the document and she said yes. Two months later all parties were in court because the lady did not understand what she had signed. What should the notary have done?
(a) Ask the lady to paraphrase the document.
(b) Tell the lady how he went to the white house to visit President Johnson and see how she reacts.
(c) Stick to jail signings — they might be criminals, but at least they are in their right mind (whatever that means.)
(d) Start a conversation about current events to do a “reality test.”

6. A Notary was asked to notarize at the peace process. The Palestinians said you can’t have peace without a process. The Israelis said you can’t have peace without security. The Notary said you can’t have a notarization without a signature. After a long discussion, the Palestinians wanted to be acknowledged twice for one signature, Since the Israelis wouldn’t acknowledge the existence of their people, at least a Notary could acknowledge their signature twice to compensate. What is wrong with this picture?

(a) The Palestinians wanted to trade one Israeli signatures they had captive for two hundred Palestinian signatures as a peace initiative.
(b) The signer is the only one who can acknowledge a signature, not a Notary.
(c) An Israeli Notary will not acknowledge a Palestinian signature until they acknowledge the State of Israel’s signature.
(d) Yes, a single signature can be acknowledged multiple times, but it is the signer who does the acknowledging.

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Notary Public 101 quiz questions
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Quiz – you know you’re a good notary when you…
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14912

30 point quiz – Jeopardy
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14557

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January 17, 2019

Notary Etiquette 104 — Humorous Edition

Filed under: Etiquette — Tags: , — admin @ 10:11 am

Here is a humorous version of our etiquette course for your laughing pleasure.
Return to Table of Contents for – Notary Etiquette 104

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1. Dress for success
Wearing a smile on your face, but if you are also wearing a polyester jacket from the 70’s with super wide lapels, you might be the only one smiling.

Ladies, if you’re dressed in such a way that on the way to the signing cars pull up to you and ask how much you charge and you say, “$50 for a signing and an extra $25 if it includes eDocuments. I don’t do oral Notary acts like Affirmations though.” — you might need a new wardrobe.

If you wear flip-flips to the signing, you might be able to flip through a lot of documents, but your business will eventually flop.

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2. Arrive on time
It’s okay to be fashionably late if you are going to a cocktail party, but not to a signing.

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3. Animals at the signing
If there is a parrot in the room that says, “Stop forging his signature — bock!” you might want to get out of there. You should avoid doing Oaths for dogs, they prefer to receive Affirmations (or wuffermations). Cats prefer to take a nap on the documents.

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4. Leaving a business card.
When you give clients your business card, if you crossed out the phone number and wrote in a new number in handwriting — it’s time to print out some newly designed cards. If the email address on your business card ends in “aol.com” it might be time to consider retiring.

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5. Answering the phone during a signing
Its’ a bad idea to have phone calls during the signing. It’s an even worse idea to have them hear your heavy breathing. It’s even worse if the phone call is from your borrower’s ex-girlfriend or mistress.

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6. Don’t discuss religion at the signing.
If you start the signing with, “Those damn Quakers, they’re not as friendly as they claim to be, and grey went ou in the 70’s.” — you might be in the wrong profession and should probably convert from Quakerism to Catholicism.

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7. If your signer’s mother tongue isn’t English
It is generally a bad idea to mimic your signer’s accent at a signing. Wait until after the signing. Unless you have a document that is going to the Russian Consulate… then read it with thick Russian accent comrade!

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8. Confirming the signing
When confirming the signing it is a good idea to ask, “Are you high? Are you going to be high at the signing? Can I have some, man?” But, only do that if you are in a state where marijuana is legal otherwise you might be sorry. If you are going over their ID over the phone ask, “Do you look high in your ID photo?”

9. Middle initials
If the signer doesn’t want to sign with their middle initial, give them the finger… the middle finger! Just kidding. Just explain why they need to sign with their middle initial, and then after you are leaving the house, then give them the finger. There is a proper order to these things.

10. Don’t give opinions about the loan.
When you are at a signing, don’t comment about their interest rate such as, “Wow man, that’s a great rate… My brother just got a loan and his rate was way higher than yours. I’m so bummed out about that. I wish we could have gotten 4.5%. I’m going to call my brother right now and tell him what a loser he is.” It’s also not a good idea to say, “Wow, look at those terms, you’re getting ripped off dude, totally ripped off.”

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January 15, 2019

Notary Etiquette 104 — Confirming the Signing & At the Signing

CONFIRMING THE SIGNING & AT THE SIGNING
Return to Table of Contents for – Notary Etiquette 104

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1. Call to confirm the signing.
First introduce yourself on the confirmation call. Then go over all pertinent points. Make sure the ID proves the name on the documents and that all the signers will be there. You should also verify that there is a clean table to sign on. You should go over how long the signing should take, if there is anything going back to the document custodian and if they have used morphine or Jack Daniels within several hours of the signing. Nothing beats a sober signer or a well-organized Notary Public.

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2. Introduce yourself at the door.
It is good to mention that you are Joe the signing agent and that it is your job to facilitate the signing. Mention that they can address all of your questions to you, but that you cannot answer specific questions about their loan, but only general questions about loan documents and Notary procedure.

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3. Small talk is good.
People like a friendly Notary who can talk about small talk. But, avoid any topics that could be controversial such as gender issues, sex, guns, and how born-again Christians should have a second birth certificate for when they were born the second time.

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4. Don’t discuss guns and religion.
Unless you are notarizing the Obamas, don’t bring up Joe the plumber, or religion. But, if you are notarizing the head of the NRA then you might reconsider guns. If you ask him to shoot you an email, don’t be surprised if he asks what you want him to shoot it with! Yee-haw!!!

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5. Don’t park in the driveway.
The driveway is for the residents to park in, not you. You are their humble servant who parks on the street (sorry).

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6. Call if you’re going to be late.
If you are going to be late, call and let them know ahead of time rather than keeping people hanging.

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7. Don’t rush the borrowers.
On the other hand, if you have another appointment to go to, let them know when you have to depart. If you are under a time crunch, you can discuss their right to rescind if applicable and remind them that they have borrower copies.

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8. No drinks on the table
Drinks can spill, so unless you want your Deed of Trust drenched, keep the drinks on a chair or a separate table — no exceptions.

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9. Know when to call the Lender.
If the borrower asks questions, you need to know in advance which questions you can answer and which questions to refer to the Lender. You should have the phone numbers for Title, the lender, and any other relevant party. You can answer questions about what information is where in the documents as well as Notary questions. You should not answer questions specific to their loan.

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10. Middle initials
If the signer doesn’t want to sign with their middle initial, politely tell them that they need to sign the way their name reads on title otherwise their loan might not fund.

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11. How long to wait for return calls
If you try to reach one of the contact people for the loan such as Title, Loan Officer, Lender, etc., and they do not answer, try to give them a reasonable amount of time to respond. Twenty minutes to an hour seems reasonable.

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12. Dress for success.
People get very put off if you do not dress like a business professional. Business casual or business formal is fine. Avoid jeans and definitely don’t wear flip flops, shorts, bathing suits, heavy makeup, short skirts, or night club apparel. Signers get in trouble all the time for not dressing for success.

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13. Don’t bring your kids.
Believe it or not, some Notaries will bring their family to the signing. This is very intrusive and rude. Either keep your family at home, or in the car, but don’t bring them to the signing.

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14. Don’t complain.
Don’t tell the customers how bad certain signing companies are or who didn’t pay you. Keep your personal business personal. It makes a terrible impression if you talk about this stuff.

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15. Don’t give opinions about the loan.
The worst thing a Notary can do is to give an opinion, especially a negative opinion about a loan. You can get fired, blacklisted or even sued because of this. Some borrowers might cancel their loan because you told them they were getting ripped off.

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16. Following instructions
If you were asked to sign in blue, then sign in blue. If you were asked to start at page four, just do it, don’t explain or make excuses, just follow instructions. If you are asked to fax back page 1 to 28, don’t complain, just do it.

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17. If you make a mistake
If you make a mistake as a Notary, you might have to go back out there and fix the mistake. So, don’t keep people waiting. Go back out there and clean up after yourself.

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18. The grace period
As a Notary, you might be asked to answer emails after a job is done. There might be a problem, error, or just an inquiry. If you don’t answer your email or phone because you are on vacation or just don’t feel like it, that can cause a big problem.

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May 1, 2018

Letter to California Notary Division

Filed under: California_Notary,Popular on Facebook (very) — Tags: — admin @ 10:46 am

Dear California Notary Division,
I am someone who runs a Notary directory and is acutely aware of the deficiencies in Notary knowledge throughout the state and the nation. California Notaries are better than those in other states on average due to the excellent training, but the training does not cover practical aspects of the Notary profession. Additionally, there are issues with fees that need to be addressed.

PRETRAINING
As there are so many ethical violations out there among California Notaries, and misunderstanding of Notary law, it is clear that a longer and more comprehensive notary training is necessary. However, I also think that due to the incompetence out there, a few other pre-measures should be taken.

1. A IQ test should be administer to applicants. It can be a ten minute quiz. Notaries with low intelligence often bungle and misinterpret Notary laws which can lead to illegal activity and wrongful explanations to clients of what can and cannot be legally done.

2. A meticulousness test should be administered to Notaries to see if they can be orderly about conducting tasks which require multiple steps. Being a good Notary means filling out journals and forms correctly in their entirety, and a meticulous person is less likely to make errors. The majority of your Notaries are far from meticulous.

3. Following directions and ethics are some other problems that are common with California Notaries. How you test this is hard. You have to find a way to trick them into doing something right or wrong while they are being watched.

4. Preference to those with clerical, police, military, legal, mortgage, or settlement backgrounds might help attract better quality Notaries as those are professions that are normally high in terms of integrity, and clerical skills which are both critical in the Notary profession.

TRAINING
A single day course on Notary Public knowledge is not enough. California stresses theoretical knowledge and does not test on hands on aspects of being a Notary. When a Notary is out there in the field, they need to know how to handle various types if situations. Here are my detailed comments.

1. Oaths & Affirmations
Administer Oaths correctly and roughly half of Notaries in California do not administer Oaths at all, or not in a relevant and acceptable way. Here are some examples of irrelevant or wishy-washy Oaths.

(a) Many Notaries have the signer to swear to their personal identity rather than to the truthfulness of the document.
(b) Many Notaries make the signer swear they signed the document but not to the truthfulness of the document.
(c) It is common for Notaries use Affirm in an Oath when they should ideally use the verb swear.
(d) Many Notaries do not understand the term “administer” in the sentence “Administer an Oath to an Affiant.”
(e) Many Notaries use a court Oath for a witness asking if they swear to the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth when the document does not necessarily reflect a whole truth.
(f) It is common for Notaries not to mention the document being sworn to when administering an Oath, hence administering an Oath that is regarding thin air.
(g) Most Notaries do not know the difference between a court Oath for a witness, a document Oath and an Oath for a statement that has not been made yet.
(h) Notaries need to be taught asking “Oath questions,” such as, “Do you solemnly swear this document is true and correct?” or “Do you solemnly swear that the statement you are about to make is true and correct?” Many Notaries will ask the Oath question about the statement, get a yes, and then not have the Affiant make the actual statement. This is why an IQ test should be mandatory and a result of 95 or higher should be required. Most of the problems I have with Notaries arises from low IQ’s and bad attitudes.

The handbook makes it clear that an Affiant must swear to the truthfulness of a document. However, there is no prescribed wording or guidelines. My solution is to have prescribed components of Oaths, but no official verbiage just to keep life flexible. At a minimum, in an Oath, the Affiant must use the word “I”, and then the word “swear”, mention the foregoing document, and make reference to the fact that they feel the document is authentic or correct. Using “affirm” was asked to administer an Oath means that the Notary has overided the client’s request to have an Oath which means that the Notary chose the notary act instead of letting the entity who is paying or swearing.

2. Fill out their journal correctly
Many Notaries are unclear as to how many journal entries should be filled out if there are multiple signers signing multiple documents. The 2018 handbook does not make it clear HOW MANY journal entries are necessary if there are multiple documents per signer all using the same Notary act. This should be clarified as it is an area of common misunderstanding. One journal entry per person per document is how I was trained. Additionally, the use of arrows for repetitive information in appointments with multiple documents per signer are discouraged now from what I have heard, but the handbook does not mention this. There needs to be a SINGLE SOURCE of notary law information and that source should be the handbook and not some bulletin or blog article or other supplemental sources (although those can help teach the materials in the handbook.)

3. Understand the components of notary forms including the “Additional information” section of an Acknowledgment which might not be legally required, but deters fraud by making it very detectable if someone swaps an Acknowledgment and puts it on a different document than what was intended.

4. Many Notaries do not understand how to handle requests that are illegal or seem illegal. Many Notaries will accept illegal requests while declining acceptable requests. This is due to poor training. So, training needs to focus on handling questionable requests. Many Notaries feel it is illegal to EXPLAIN the various notary acts to clients while it is not. It is illegal to choose for them, but not to explain them as far as I know.

5. Foreign language signers are an area of misunderstanding as many Notaries are not aware that they are NOT required to understand the content of the document but ARE required to have direct communication with the signer/affiant.

6. Many Notaries are unaware that the ID does not have to exactly match the name on the document but must PROVE the name on the document. Many Notaries take liberties and will Notarize a signature that says John W Smith with an ID that says John Smith, etc. It is common for Notaries to refer to the “more than but not less than rule” which is a rule created for Title companies and not a law which states that the signer can over sign their name to include more middle initials or names, etc. However, the Notaries who remember this law often do not care if it is legal to notarize a name that is over signed. It is not clear whether you can notarized John W Smith as John Smith if the ID says only John Smith. This is another common occurrence that needs to be clarified.

7. Credible Witness law is a little bit complicated and perhaps should be simplified. Most Notaries are unaware that the handbook states that the credible witness is the entity who has to swear to the fact that he/she believes that the signer cannot easily obtain an ID. Since the Notary has OFTEN seen an ID with the wrong name on it, how can the Notary ACCEPT an Oath from a credible witness that the Notary knows to be based on false information or made fraudulently regarding how the signer cannot find an ID? This law about CW is convoluted and a source of a lot of trouble. Close to NONE of your Notaries would be able to recite these laws by memory. Therefor, I suggest simplifying it because most notaries cannot learn it properly and the CW rules are convoluted and make no sense. Here is my idea of a better set of rules.

(a) A Notary can use the Oaths of two credible witnesses to identify a signer.
(b) The credible witnesses must either be immediate family members or know the signer intimately enough so they know his/her middle names without being reminded. (The law for how well you have to know the signer to be a CW is convoluted, wishy-washy, and useless currently.)
(c) The Oath for the credible witness should be, “I solemnly swear that the signer in front of me is legally named _____.”
(d) A CW can be used regardless of whether the signer has ID or not as names on ID do not always reflect the whole, complete or current name of a signer.
(e) A journal thumbprint must accompany all Notary acts done involving credible witnesses.
(f) The CW must not have any beneficial or financial interest in the document being signed.

8. Acknowledgment confusion.
(a) Box at top of page
Many Notaries get confused by the information in the box at the top of an Acknowledgment. Many Notaries feel that the signer does not have to verify the validity of the document where it says clearly that the Notary does not have to. It is better to clarify this point as many Notaries are lacking the gift of logical thinking which can cause a lot of confusion.
(b) Perjury clause in Acknowledgments
Many Notaries feel that the signer is signing under the penalty of perjury in an Acknowledgment where it is clear that it is the Notary who is filling out the form correctly under the penalty of perjury. This point is widely misunderstood and needs to be elaborated since there are so many who cannot think logically about this point.
(c) Notaries are often unclear about whether the signer has to sign in their presence. Since the signer must personally appear, Notaries misinterpret this to mean that the signer must sign while they personally appear which is not true in California. The signer can sign ten years ago, but cannot be notarized until they appear.
(d) Notaries are often unclear about who is acknowledging what in an acknowledgment. Many thing that the Notary is acknowledging that a signature is correct. This is not true. The signer needs to acknowledge that they signed a document in the presence of the Notary. This point needs to be clarified for your notaries because there is too much confusion and misinterpretation going on out there.
(e) The additional optional information on NNA forms should be REQUIRED by law on loose certificates as it deters the fraudulent switching of acknowledgments to other documents by virtue that it identifies the name of the document, number of pages, document date, signers, and more…

9. Chain of Authority.
Many Notaries work with Title companies regularly and think of the Title companies as their boss. Wrong! The state is not exactly their boss, but is the entity they have to refer to if there is a legal question. It is common for Notaries to ask Lenders and Title what they can and cannot do as a Notary. This is wrong. They will get either a wrong answer or an answer that benefits the Lender or Title both of whom have beneficial and financial interest in the documents being Notaries. This point needs to be drummed into the Notaries heads. The State of California should ideally have a Notary hotline because there are so many times when Notaries have questions about what they can and cannot do, and often late at night when help is not available. The point of a Notary is to ensure the integrity of transactions done involving signed documents. If the Notary cannot find out what the law says, then the notarization will not have any integrity. This is a very serious issue.

10. Hands On Training
Notaries take a written exam, but this is not really as important as practical matters. What is important is to have someone do hands on training and testing to see if the Notary can fill out forms, journals, administer Oaths, take thumbprints, use credible witnesses, and decipher between legal and illegal requests. A written test cannot do this.

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SUMMARY

1. Notary training should be two, three or four days long for new Notaries with a refresher every year to keep everyone serious.

2. Notaries should be trained by hand to see if they can handle requests, explain terminology and fill out forms, etc.

3. Notaries need to be audited regularly. Not only journal auditing which you are already doing (super!!!) Auditing people by pretending to be customers and asking them to do Oaths, or asking them if such and such a notarization would be legal under particular circumstances will let you know which of your Notaries are acceptable and which are criminals. It takes work, but you are a prudent organization that values integrity and I believe you will do the work.

Thanks
Sincerely,
Jeremy Belmont
123notary manager

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You might also like:

Letter to Florida Notary Division
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19896

Logic errors can cost you as a notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20110

Letter to Trump about the sad condition of American Notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19403

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