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January 16, 2022

Quiz: You know you’re a good Notary when you…

Filed under: Best Humorous Posts,Humorous Posts,Popular on Linked In,Popular Overall — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 9:54 am

What type of Notary are you? A good one or a bad one? I’m not sure who created the questions for, “You know you’re a redneck if you…”
So, I’ll create my own version of this satirical banter, and come up with my own version for Notaries that will have some technical merit.

You know you’re a bad Notary when you…

(1) Do you fail to call the borrower to confirm the appointment that signing company set, and just show up?
If you don’t call and make sure that all parties involved (watch out for spousal signatures) will be there and on time, with a current ID with matching names — you might be in for some wasted time. If you don’t get the documents signed, you might not get paid. You might waste two hours for nothing because you don’t think you “need” to call the borrowers, or because you were asked not to. It is your appointment and your responsibility!

(2) Do you send loose certificates in the mail?
Lenders and Title companies are notorious for asking notaries to break the law and send loose certiifcates. In some states it is a Misdemeanor if you ask a Notary to do something illegal. Report all illegal requests to your State Notary Division immediately. No second chances!

(3) Do you fail to get certified by all agencies that you purchase “effective” advertising from? Or do you say, I don’t “need” your certification because I’m already “certified” without even disclosing the name of the organization who certified you? There is no such thing as just being “certified” as notary certification is not regulated by any government.

(4) Do you say, “I have my Notary” when you really mean you have your Notary Commission?

(5) Do you fail to use a Notary Journal or Seal simply because your state doesn’t require it? What happens if an investigator asks about a potentially fraudulent transaction you were involved in and you have no evidence for the court? The court case might be really long and you might get in really big trouble.

(6) Do you fail to keep thumbprints of signers in your journal because your state doesn’t require it?
Guess what? You might end up in court if you don’t take thumbprints, especially on transactions affecting high dollar figures such as properties.

(7) Do you fail to administer Oaths to credible witnesses or for Jurats because you are not well enough trained to know how, or even to know that you are required? Or, perhaps you don’t even know what a credible witness even is. Better look this up in your state Notary handbook.

You know you’re a good Notary when…

(1) The hair on your neck stand up straight when you see someone try to sign with a middle initial that doesn’t exist on their identification.

(2) You use an inked seal and an embosser with a raised non-inked seal to make it detectable if pages are swapped or photocopied.

(3) You take copious notes in your journal about the signers, what went on in the signing, and the building / neighborhood where the signing took place to job your memory should you ever be summoned into court.

(4) You sell your car, and buy a few top spots on 123notary.com!

There are many other technical points and best practices that we could address, but for this hopefully entertaining blog entry — that’s all folks!

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January 1, 2022

Who is the authority at a Notary Loan Signing?

Filed under: Loan Signing 101 — Tags: , , — admin @ 10:13 pm

Originally published several years ago.

Notary Public Authority

We often ask questions about authority to signing agents, and the results are horrifying. Most Notaries do not know who is in charge of what. So, this article will sum it up clearly.

Notary Public
A Notary Public is a state appointed state official who is paid by customers, but whose “boss” or authority is the state Notary division. Many Notaries Public seem to be confused as to who their boss is, the one paying them or the one commissioning them. The problem is further complicated by the fact that the ones paying them often pay them for more than just Notary services as travel, pick up, drop off, and supervision of non-notarized signatures and packages seem to be part of the deal if you are a Signing Agent.

The Notary is the sole authority regarding what goes in a Notary certificate such as an Acknowledgment, Jurat, etc., what goes in the journal, what is allowed or not allowed, and how a notarization should be done.

It is common that Notaries have questions during a loan signing and direct those questions to the Lender or Title representative. This is okay for Title or Lending questions, but not for Notary questions where the Notary may only turn for help to their state Notary division, official Notary handbook, or perhaps the NNA hotline.

Notaries should NOT ask the Lender for Notary advice because:
1. The Lender is probably not a Notary
2. If the Lender is a Notary they might be in a different state
3. If the Lender is a Notary and in the same state they might not be knowledgeable.
4. If the Lender is a Notary, in the same state, and knowledgeable, they might (are likely to) give you advice that would make the job go more smoothly for them, yet have tremendous liability for you.
5. You are the one appointed to the job, so even if the person you are asking for advice is a Notary, they are not the one whose commission number gets put on the certificate, and you are the one going to jail if something goes wrong. Therefor, you have to know your laws and what you can and cannot do, etc.

Who can initial and where?
Any initials on a Notary certificate are done exclusively by the Notary Public. It looks like tampering if the borrower or anyone else makes marks on a Notary certificate. The borrower may initial documents, but not the Notary certificate or Notary section in or attached to a notarized document

The Lender
The Lender is the “boss” of what happens with loan documents. If the Lender authorizes a change, initialing, cross outs, etc., on an actual loan document that is NOT in the notary section, that is up to them and they are the authority on that matter, not the Notary. The minute the issue becomes with a Notary certificate, then the authority swings over to the Notary (even if the Notary doesn’t have a clue what to do.)

The Title Officer
The appointed Title company might be a good source of information about how to handle any issues that might come up with Title documents or recorded documents. You can ask them if you have questions, but don’t let them answer Notary questions.

Issues of Preference can be asked to the Lender
Sometimes there is more than one legal way to handle a situation. If there is an error on a preprinted Acknowledgment, and your state allows a choice of crossing out & initialing vs. using a fresh Acknowledgment form, you have a choice. The Notary has the right to make that choice on his/her own and choose the option that he/she feels is more prudent or ask the Lender. However, this is a situation where the Notary can ask the Lender not for advice, but for preference. If the Lender would prefer a loose Acknowledgment stapled on to the document rather than crossing out & initialing the original form, the Notary can proceed accordingly.

The Borrower
The borrower has the right to sign, not sign, tell you where to park and more. Their preferences matter as well.

Your State
Your state Notary division decides what the laws are in your state, how they are explained or document in your official Notary handbook, etc. They are your boss, so you do whatever they say. Additionally, if you are weak on your Notary knowledge, that can lead to ending up in court as a witness, having your commission revoked, suspended or terminated. Additionally, it is possible to be convicted of a crime if you are thought to be involved in property related fraud, or if you filled out a form stating that an Oath was taken when in fact it was never taken which is a daily fraud that most Notaries engage in that is unacceptable.
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August 12, 2021

If Vivaldi wrote a piece for Notaries, what would it be called?

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 6:44 am

Vivaldi wrote one of the most famous pieces of music ever written called “The Four Seasons.” In California, we only have two seasons and in India they have three. Looks like Antonio Vivaldi didn’t travel enough. But, what if he wrote for Notaries?

Here are my ideas.

The Four Signatures
The Four Notaries
The Four Brothers who were Notaries
The Four Italian Notaries.
Notarizing in Legato
Andante con moto Notario!

Personally, I never liked Vivaldi. I love Bach, Rameau, and some of the German Baroque composers. But the other French and Italian Baroque composers I didn’t care for.

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July 14, 2021

How valuable are the various types of notary knowledge?

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 3:19 am

Notaries these days who invest in Notary education study all types of topics. Some study Notary basics, others study TRID, Reverse Mortgages, Helocs, situational knowledge, elite knowledge, or just plain signing agent knowledge. Marketing skills are also taught by many agencies. So, which skills are the most valuable?

As a signing agent, companies typically babysit you unless you are very advanced and work purely for title companies. If you make mistakes, that is very unprofessional, but they generally catch you before it is too late due to the scan backs and fax backs. Notaries do not get complaints about errors on our site these days. When they do get complaints it is because they are rude or don’t show up, don’t return phone calls, or don’t get documents back on time.

So, let me make a pecking order of Notary skills in an order that makes logical sense to me.

Notary knowledge
If you don’t know how to be a solid Notary, you are endangering the public as well as yourself and leaving yourself open to legal liability. A mistake identifying someone, or filling out your journal can lead to a lawsuit, or lack of evidence in a legal proceeding. That is very serious and can ruin not only you, but all who are involved in a transaction with you. Failing to properly administer an Oath (when required) can lead to the termination of your commission if you ever get caught and is considered Perjury which is a Federal crime! If you don’t fill out forms properly or follow Notary law and procedure, you can ruin your life. So, Notary knowledge is the highest priority as a Notary Signing Agent and THAT is why we teach the finer points at no cost in Notary Public 101 on the blog.

Signing Agent knowledge
Knowing how to initial, date a right to cancel, and understanding the basic documents in a home-owner Refinances are skills that you will need to use a lot. You can ruin a signing if you miss signatures or initials, or put wrong dates on documents. Signing Agent skills seems to be a definite #2 in the pecking order of what you should study.

Marketing
If you know your basics, but don’t know how to attract work, you might get a few jobs here and there, but won’t have a side career of any scope. Learning Notary marketing is easy because there are good teachers everywhere. 123notary and LSS do a nice job teaching notary marketing. Some of the knowledge is available in our loan signing course and a lot more is on the blog in the marketing category on the right.

Specialty Skills
It is always good to learn more. Being TRID trained, or trained in reverse signings is great. But, that is the last step in my opinion. It impresses clients when you go above and beyond in your training. It shows motivation and effort and makes them more likely to hire you. But, learn the other stuff first as that is a lot more critical for basic survival.

How many certifications should I get?
The more the merrier. If you advertise with us, you should consider ours. If you are a paid member, we sometimes offer to test you by phone at no cost if you study from Notary Public 101, but we get very few takers. Our test is the hardest in the industry and our teaching materials are the most practical — and NOT the most expensive. We have the least expensive certification compared to the big players!

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July 12, 2021

1 Million E&O is common as of Dec, 2020

Filed under: Business Tips — admin @ 3:17 am

Every week I do my welcome calls to some of the new Notaries. I no longer have time to call them all, but I call many. More and more are getting 1 Million Errors & Omissions or 2 Million in E&O Insurance. It is a shock to my system.

I joked that one day there would be a 6 million dollar Notary that would be called — The Bionic Notary would could notarize twenty documents in three minutes flat including journal signatures and then jump over fences.

It is a lot less expensive to get high E&O limits these days and that is why it has become more popular. So, I might suggest upping your E&O if you have signed at least 1000 loans so the title companies will consider you more.

Just wanted to share the news.

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June 10, 2021

Comments on good journal entry procedure

Filed under: Journals — admin @ 3:09 am

I have written thorough information on journal keeping in other articles. But, here is a summary of some of the more critical points.

1. KEEP A JOURNAL – or else. Even if your state does not require you to keep a journal, it is your only evidence if investigated by the FBI or if summoned to appear before a Judge. This happens more than you think to Notaries so be prepared and keep records in a journal.

2. Don’t forget to enter the type of NOTARY ACT that you are performing in the journal. This is generally a Jurat, Acknowledgment, Oath or Affirmation. Copy Certification might be considered a Jurat in some states, but you could put both names to be thorough.

3. Obviously enter the ID INFORMATION in your journal unless you live in a state that forbids that. Otherwise you have no evidence that you looked at their ID. Make sure the photo looks like them and that the signature on the ID matches the one in the journal and the document. If you want to get cute, ask them their sign and see if it matches their birthday.

4. THUMBPRINTS are almost foolproof. ID’s can be faked, but all thumbprints in the planet are unique to a particular individual. To deter fraud and help the FBI catch very very bad people (and yes we have stories from 123notary members about exactly this.) then keep a thumbprint for all notarized documents in your journal. NNA sells a nice journal with room for thumbprints and you need an inkless thumbprint pad too which is not expensive.

5. DOCUMENT DATES
Most people don’t know what a document date is or what it means. It is an arbitrary date inscribed within the document which normally corresponds to the date the document was drafted or signed. It is yet another indication of which document you are dealing with, just in case you notarize two documents from the same signer with the same document name.

6. SIGNATURES
Signers must sign all journal entries that pertain to documents that they are being notarized on.

7. PRICES. The price you are charging the signers should be indicated in the journal. If you are charging a travel fee, or a flat fee for a mobile signing, indicate this somehow in your records, perhaps on the top entry of a particular signing.

8. ADDITIONAL NOTES? The NNA journal has a section for additional notes. If you have credible witnesses, they sign there. If you notice anything unusual about the signing, write it down as that could jog your memory when you are in court several years after the fact. It is hard to remember all of your signings and roughly 15% of our full-time Notaries who have been around for several years have been to court due to Notary related reasons.

9. STORAGE. Keep your used journals in a safe and dry place. You might get a query for an old journal entry and you need to be able to find them. Your Notary division might want your journals if you quit your commission or you expire, so keep them where you can find them where nobody will steal them.

That’s all for today!

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April 18, 2021

Ooops! Errors that Notaries make that courses don’t cover

Filed under: Technical & Legal — admin @ 8:06 am

Here are a few dumb mistakes Notaries make that courses might not address.

1. Missing signatures, dates or initials.

2. Sending the package back to the wrong Mortgage company.

3. Forgetting to send the package and finding it in your trunk three days after the fact only to find out that the borrower lost their lock as a result.

4. Forgetting to confirm the appointment and finding nobody home when you get to the destination.

5. Not making sure all signing parties are there only to find out that the wife is at work an hour away.

6. Not printing out the whole package.

7. Not having the correct printing or downloading software downloaded.

8. Telling the signer you will be there in 10 minutes and then showing up two hours later with some lame excuse

9. Answering all questions with a snow job trying to cover up the fact that you are new and know almost nothing. This just makes you look annoying in addition to being new. At least you could be a straight forward new person with dignity.

10. Not reading the directions sheet (if there is one) at the top of the package. You could get fired for that.

Common mistakes the borrowers make include letting their cat or dog scratch you or bite you. when they put their dog on the other side of a closed door, have you ever noticed that door always seems to open several minutes later only to create a scene? Some borrowers also read forever and didn’t go over the critical facts with their lenders. Other borrowers don’t have a table to sign on — and that is a serious issue.

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April 14, 2021

Signing Agent questions answered

Filed under: Best Practices — admin @ 7:42 am

Here are some basic questions that people have with quick answers.

1. Should I start a notary website?
Quick Answer: No!
Commentary: It’s very expensive and time consuming. Probably not unless you’re really serious.

2. Should I sign up on Notary directories?
Quick Answer: Yes!
123notary, NotaryRotary, Snapdocs, and NotaryCafe are the best, but they are all different and attract very different clientele and varying amounts of business. 123notary gets more title work, while Snapdocs gets a high quantity of low ballers.

3. Do I need to understand the documents I notarize
Quick Answer: No!
Commentary: Your job is to fill out forms correctly and identify people correctly. The document doesn’t need to even be in English in most states. But, the signer should understand it.

4. Does 123notary have quizzes with yes/no answers
Quick Answer: No!
Commentary: We prefer multiple choice or open ended questions

5. Should I get certified?
Quick Answer: Yes!
Commentary: Notary2Pro has the best teaching. 123notary’s has the highest testing standards. LSS is the most up to date as to the current market conditions. NNA is the most widespread but their graduates do the worst on my test. We like the NNA in most ways, but not in terms of their testing standards.

6. Should I backdate?
Quick Answer: No!

7. Should I read Notary Blogs?
Quick Answer: Yes!
Commentary: Read your state notary manual and take some courses as well.

8. Should I put care into maintaining my notary profile?
Quick Answer: Yes!

9. Should I sell my van and buy an expensive high spot on 123notary?
Quick Answer: Yes!
Commentary: We prefer to wait until you have signed at least 500 loans, have a good notes section and a few reviews or 123notary certification before you invest big bucks in a high placed listing. That way you will be likely to get a good ROI and be happy with our service.

10. Can I notarize a photograph?
Quick Answer: No
Commentary: Notaries notarize signatures on documents. Even if a photo had a signature, there is no document making any type of statement.

A final note — you also cannot notarize your cat unless it is an oral statement of meao!

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February 18, 2021

Notarizing Fauci

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 4:09 am

A Notary went to notarize Dr. Fauci. Fauci said that the only way he could be notarized would be by looking at the numbers.

The notary said he wanted $15 per signature and if there were two signatures then $30. The notary assured Fauci that the rising quantity of signatures do not translate directly into an increase in hospitalizations.

But, Fauci said he could not consent to being notarized until the numbers went down and that he bases his decision on “the numbers” and “the science.”

So, the Notary said, “Okay, I’ll lower my price to $14 for the first signature or $23 for two.” Fauci said, “Deal.”

Then the Notary asked if he would have to wear a facemask or if Fauci would, or both of them — or would it depend on “the numbers?” Fauci said that both of them would and that they would have to sterilize the pen, stamp, and documents as well.

A bystander stated — the human immune system is strengthened by getting sunshine, happiness and by being exposed to viruses so it can build up its strength and genetic knowledge of viruses to be able to effectively fight future new viruses. By locking yourself in your house, depriving yourself of sunshine, social interaction that leads to happiness, and virus exposure which strengthen the immune system — you are leaving yourself in a vulnerable state for when you finally come out of hiding and will be a lot more susceptible to future viruses.

Then the Notary said, “Yes, but you can’t say that because that isn’t consistent with the narrative.” The bystander said, “Good point — carry on.”

The Notary went so far as to get a plexiglass divider between himself and Fauci that he hauled in his car to the site of the signing just to add to the insanity and inhumanity of the situation.

My question is — why is it that everywhere I go I see paranoia, plexiglass, facemasks and insanity, when only 1 in 1 million people is dying per day of Covid19 in California and those numbers are vastly inflated to meet a BS narrative.

Ending comments
Covid Covid Covid. Covid, oh my God Covid. What if I get Covid? Covid Covid Covid. Nothing else in the universe matters except for the dozen or so unarmed blacks who get killed by cops every year and Covid. The million who die per year of cancer and other who die of obesity, heart attacks, and suicide don’t matter even though their lives are also preventable because cancer isn’t contagious. The only thing that matters is – Covid, oh my god Covid. Covid Covid Covid. What if I get Covid? This is what a typical 20 year old in Los Angeles thinks who has a 1 in 10 million chance of dying from Covid, but a much higher chance of getting hit by a truck, but they never think about that because they are Covidiots. If you are elderly and have serious health problems then you have a legitimate right to worry about Covid. Every one else — does not! Why are educated humans so stupid that they voluntarily line up to get brainwashed by absolutely see through fake BS? I’m glad the universities are shut because they don’t learn anything except about neo-Marxism and they don’t even learn that correctly.

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February 13, 2021

Fighting tyranny my way

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 3:14 am

In order to fight the Marxismization of the USA, and tyranny, we must understand the power structure and how to apply pressure at the various levels of the chain of command.

TOP: Deep State & State Supreme Court Judges

MIDDLE: Governors

LOWER: Police & Sheriff & County Health Departments

LOWER(ER) Businesses subjected to unfair restrictions

LOWEST: We the people!!! (low, but dignified)

CHECK & BALANCE: Federal courts sometimes can help resolve local issues. I am not an Attorney and don’t know how that works. but, our checks and balances have been infiltrated by Marxists who oppose freedom of religion because it would be “suicide” according to a Federal circuit court in regards to a California case about freedom of assembly within religious buildings.

HOW I SEE IT

The deep state appears to be bribing judges and governors in many if not all states. Nobody quite knows who they are or how to stop them… for now. China might possibly be involved too. My psychic senses tell me the deep state is a bunch of rich board members who mostly live in Idaho who want power (but live off the grid so they have to generate their own power.) Unless you are a very good spy, it will be hard to figure out who the deep state is, but I think Trump is working on it.

The Supreme Court can shut down the power of a Governor to make executive orders, but they very rarely do, and when they do, they take forever. In California it took eight months for them to stop Newsom from making executive orders that contradict existing legislature. However, he still has orders that contradict with laws about discrimination against people with breathing disabilities via his face mask order.

The police in Los Angeles DO NOT enforce Covid related laws. They also do not protect us from discrimination as they see that as an issue for Attorneys.

The health department can shut down restaurants for disobeying orders that are arbitrary, tyrannical and unconstitutional that did not go through a system of checks and balances.

We the people in California sit and watch our rights being stripped from us by autocrats and oligarchies that do not function in an American system of checks and balances made by arbitrary orders that are not even laws and are far from constitutional as they normally violate our liberty and our freedom to assemble.

THE SOLUTION
California’s solution is to recall the governor, and we have gotten almost a million signatures. But, recalling takes time, and there is no guarantee that the next idiot in charge will be any better than the original as they are controlled by the same deep state and are not subjected to a system of checks and balances as the court system is limp and mainly dysfunctional.

I suggest a system of concerned citizens putting pressure on all levels of the system.

We should put daily pressure on the police and sheriffs to protect houses of worship from tyrannical shutdowns and allow businesses to function normally with full rights.

We the people should put pressure on the health department to not enforce covid-19 restrictions. The penalty for non-compliance with citizen demands would be severe harassment, protests and mass civil disobedience.

Restaurants, stores, churches, and other entities should stay open and defy oppressive attempts from authoritative organizations to suppress them. Fines for noncompliance should not be paid out of principle no matter what the consequence — even if it is jail time.

The supreme court judges or justices should be tried on charges of treason for failing in their duty to provide checks and balances and stop unconstitutional orders from being originated.

SUMMARY
The basic problem of the disaster of California is seen as a problem with a single human being — namely Gavin Newsom. He is a big problem, but I believe he is only responsible for less than 1% of California’s problems with unfair executive orders. The remaining percent of the problems are due to the fact that the courts allow him to do anything, law and health enforcement don’t stop him, and we the people sit and do nothing.

Covid-19 restrictions are not something temporary that will just go away. They are part of a larger undermining of American freedom and government that will strip us of our rights, money, freedom, government, culture, and anything that means anything to us. We will be completely destroyed if we don’t fight back. You cannot rely on Donald Trump alone to save you because he hasn’t saved anyone. Biden will sell us down the river. It is up to we the people to save America. Start putting pressure on the various levels of authority now!

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