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November 5, 2020

Spousal States List

Which states are spousal states for Notary Loan Signing?
Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Tennessee
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming

Note
If you are a married homeowner in a Spousal State, your spouse is required to sign certain documents to attest that he or she is aware of the new loan.

Typically, the spouse will need to sign the Deed of Trust, the Right to Cancel, the Truth-In-Lending (TIL), and a few other title and settlement documents.

Your spouse is not financially responsible for the mortgage transaction by signing these documents as long as they are not on the note (the note is the legal-binding document that defines the terms of the loan and who is responsible). They are just acknowledging that a new mortgage is being taken out against the property.

It’s also important to mention that anyone on the deed to your home must also sign the spousal documents, whether you live in a spousal state or not. All owners of the home must acknowledge that you are borrowing against the home.

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You might also like:

Spousal States List on the Forum
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4329

The 30 point course – a free loan signing course on our blog
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14233

Signing Agent Best Practices
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4315

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November 17, 2020

“Oh, just shut up and do you job!”

Filed under: Carmen Towles — admin @ 8:37 am

Originally published in 2019

As a notary public myself, I can not tell you how many times I have heard, “Just shut up and do your job”. Other notaries over the years have expressed hearing the same. Usually, this will come form an uninformed loan officer or realtor. Or just someone that wants you to break the rules for them with little regard of the consequences for the notary. But what is more disheartening is when one notary says it to another.

I recently got a call from a notary friend who had such an experience. This notary was asked by a lender to notarize a document in a spousal state that the other spouse was instructed by the lender that they didn’t need to sign. My notary friend knew this was not legal and since she was aware of the law she refused to complete the assignment. The notary then reached out to one of her other notary friends, who told her to just ‘shut up’ and notarize the documents and also added for good measure; “Who do you think you are?”, ‘“You are just a notary?”. This upset my friend greatly, hence the call to me. I let her know immediately IMHO as far as I am concerned she had done the right thing.

Listen, we are government officials and IMHO, if we know something to be illegal (or unethical) you cannot in good conscience continue with the process of notarizing. We are supposed to be protecting the public. Not aiding and abedding folks trying to pull a fast one. And sadly, we eventually all come to realize, the mortgage industry is riddled with deceit and fraud. So, my rule of thumb is to think about how would I answer and defend my actions, if I were ever called to court and had to get on the stand and a judge asked me, if i knew something to be illegal, or unethical, how would I defend my actions?

And for another notary to insult another because they did what she/he thought or felt was right IMO was not fair. We are all responsible for our own actions. We all have to do what we feel is right and must be able to defend our actions if comes down to that. And for me the bottom line will be if I can live with what I have done and can I sleep at night.

I would love to hear with some of the rest of you feel about this.

You might also like:

Carmen’s guide to the Signature Name Affidavit
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22541

Show me the money
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22537

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August 30, 2013

Alabama Notary Acknowledgment Verbiage

To become an Alabama notary, you must be at least 18 years old and a state resident who can read, write, and understand English. Your record must be free of felony convictions unless you were pardoned and had your civil and political rights restored. The Alabama notary commission is valid for four years. A sample application to become an Alabama notary can be found here: http://jeffconline.jccal.org/probatecourt/docs/NotaryApplication.pdf An interesting fact is that, while notaries may administer oaths and take acknowledgments, they are not authorized to execute jurats or affidavits. [I do not understand this at all.]

Notary wording for an Acknowledgment in Alabama: (Alabama Acknowledgment Wording)

Acknowledgment for Individual

THE STATE OF ALABAMA
______________________COUNTY

I, a Notary Public, hereby certify that _______________________________________ whose name is signed to the foregoing instrument or conveyance, and who is known to me, acknowledged before me on this day that, being informed of the contents of the conveyance, he/she/they executed the same voluntarily on the day the same bears date.

Given under my hand this _____________ day of _____________, A. D. 20____.
____________________________________

Notary Public
Print Name __________________________
My commission expires:
__________________

REFERENCE:

(Code 1852, §1279; Code 1867, §1548; Code 1876, §2158; Code 1886, §1802; Code 1896, §996; Code 1907, §3361; Code 1923, §6845; Code 1940, T. 47, §30; Acts 1951, No. 85, p. 301.)

Ala. Code § 35-4-23 (1975) Effect of Witness Compliance

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You might also like:

How many years is a notary term of office good for?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22082

Spousal States list
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21396

Acknowledgment FAQ
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21331

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January 5, 2011

The Five Food Groups of Notary Knowledge

I read Ann Handley’s blog about the five food groups of marketing blogging. But, what I didn’t realize is that the world of Notary knowledge also has several food groups. I’m just not sure if there are five…

Vegetables
Most notaries are like adolescent children. They hate taking tests, and hate eating their vegetables. But, vegetables are good for you say Jeremy and Carmen. Technical knowledge is the Notary equivalent of eating your vegetables. Learning about credible witnesses, spousal states, filling in the additional information sections on Acknowledgment forms, learning proper Oath verbiage — these are all nitpicky and very necessary forms of notary knowledge. Yet, most notaries are severely lacking on this type of knowlege. They can do the easy notarizations, but what happens when the going gets rough? Every Tuesday we publish blogs with technical knowledge for the benefit of the notaries. They get a free and valuable education. Unfortunately, notaries don’t want to read the technical blogs that much. They want to read about signing companies and some of our funny posts.

Meat & Poultry (vermin in the case of some)
We write posts about signing companies. Knowing which signing company is which, which have good reviews or bad, and how to get paid might constitute the meat of the notary business. Without this knowledge you won’t get fed, so you need it. Notaries love reading the dirt on signing companies, and it is not a waste of time at all. My advice is to learn to be quick at querying information on the web about signing companies on your i-phone in case one of them calls you up. You need to be able to find the informationin a snap, so you can know whether to work for them or not. Or, you can keep a handbook in your car and home of the various companies and keep notes that you update regularly about each company. That way you know if you should work for them. The vermin wise crack is a reference to signing companies who don’t pay up by the way!

Bread & Carbs
For me, marketing articles constitute bread and carbs. You need lots of marketing to give your business energy. Meat will make you strong, but Bread will give you long term energy the same way marketing gives you long term clients. We publish a Notary marketing article every Monday (Marketing Monday) for your educational purposes. Some of the articles are quite fun to read as well.

Milk & Dairy
I am not sure what type of notary knowledge can be represented by dairy products. Milk sounds like something that comes from a mother figure, so perhaps being mentored by a senior notary, or reading about the experience of a veteran Notary could approximate the equivalent of milk. We do not write many dairy oriented Notary articles, but perhaps we should! Ken writes the most in this category as he is the smartest notary I know!

Desserts
We write funny articles every Friday. Our Notaries love them. The total clicks for funny articles is nowhere near that for the ones about signing companies or articles showing who is making the most money and why. But, people always write in to us to thank us for the funny articles. They don’t generate the most clicks, but they generate the most smiles, and that is what counts on what we call Funny Friday over here at 123notary.

Condiments
Habanero peach aioli, mustard and Jalapeno honey dip might constitute condiments. Highly opinionated and controversial posts are good on a blog to raise people’s emotions and make them remember you. Once in a while we will post something opinionated or crazy, or tell a story about a notary who did something amazingly rude or illegal.

Summary
We hope you like the five food groups. Let us know if you have any suggestions. I’ll try to do more in the dairy department. I’m glad I wrote this little article because it reminded me to do so. Gotta go — dinner time!

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You might also like:

How good if your technical knowledge, should you learn more?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16683

30 point test synopsis
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14233

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March 28, 2010

2019 TWEETS

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 7:44 am

MARCH 2019 TWEETS

Snapdocs — racially disproportionate
Have you noticed that in a country that is 12% black, that Snapdocs is more than 20% or down south more like 80% black? Ooops, I meant to say, “African-American.”

Snapdocs… racially disproportionate

Bostonians visit Los Angeles and describe their visit
If you think mimicking a Boston accent is hard, try typing it and omitting all of the r’s.

Bostonians visit Los Angeles and describe their visit

A testimonial about 123notary from Marcie

A testimonial about us from Marcie

What makes a p#10 preferential listing do well on 123notary?

What makes a p#10 preferential listing do well on 123notary?

Feast or famine in the notary industry
On Notary Cafe, a small minority of the Notaries get 90% of the work. Hmm. Why is it that way?

Feast or famine in the Notary industry

A list of things you probably forgot to put in your notes.
How thoroughly did you document your experience? Did you mention a catchy phrase? How about special skills?

A list of things you probably forgot to put in your notes section

So, the mobile notary well has gone dry.
Did another well or go find a new place.

So the Mobile Notary Well has gone Dry

To do well with a high placed listing, you need 6000 loans signed.
If you lack experience, go get some. You won’t rake in the bucks unless you have knowledge, reviews, and experience and can prove it too.

To do well with a high placed listing, you need 6000 loans signed

Which analytics get you more clicks and why? A change in the 123notary analytics system. We’re giving reviews more weight, but communication skills take the cake.

Which analytics get you more clicks and why? A change in the 123notary analytics system.

A tour of Notary cafe reveals that business is slow based on job stats.

A tour of Notary Cafe reveals that business is slow based on job stats

High placed listings — which ones get more clicks and why?
Which is worse, arguing with Jeremy or interrupting you. The click stats reveal an intriguing answer or interpretation.

High placed listings – which ones get more clicks and why?

Is it a Federal crime to make a photocopy of a military ID card?

Is it a Federal crime to make a photocopy of a military ID card?

Marriage therapy for Notaries
She always nags me about my signature. How does his signature make you feel?

Marriage therapy for Notaries

How do I find a German speaking Notary Public?

How do I find a German speaking Notary Public?

Wells Fargo Power of Attorney Form

Wells Fargo Power of Attorney Form

Dr. Phil moderates dispute: Notaries vs. Signing Companies
The Notaries are tired of low-ball fees. But, the signing companies want better Notaries.

Dr. Phil moderates dispute: Notaries vs. Signing Companies

Blog topics on customer feedback.
When to report someone to the FBI, SOS, or KGB. And also what to do with Notaries who don’t administer Oaths when legally required.

Blog topics based on customer feedback…

Tips for people in Native American reservations to prosper
Farming, solar power, marketing, manufacturing and more. Having lots of cheap land can be used to your advantage.

Tips for people in Native American reservations to prosper

Will and Grace – the mini notary seal
Jack wants to get an outfit, but an outfit for his little dog or his seal? He wants to be a notary so he can meet cute guys.

Will & Grace — the mini notary seal

Why you shouldn’t use an online Notary.
It is less secure and opens up more opportunities for fraud or identity theft. Why expose yourself?

Why You Shouldn’t Use an Online Notary

Snapdocs: When the texts stop

Snapdocs: When the texts stop

Jeremy’s trip to Texas (yee-haw)
Yes, I drove from Los Angeles to Houston and met all kinds of people in Chinatown, experienced other people’s road range and then headed to Dallas for Dim Sum and then had many other adventures.

Jeremy’s trip to Texas (yee-haw)

How do you get something notarized if you don’t have ID?
Some states allow credible witnesses. But in the long run you need ID.

How do you get something notarized if you don’t have ID?

Bikers on boats; Notaries heisting signatures.
Hand over your signatures — this is a heist. But we have no signatures? Then start signing mates!

Bikers on boats; Notaries heisting signatures

Can a Notary sign on a different day?
There is a transaction date, signature date, rescission date, notarization date, (sorry, no lunch dates in this article).

Can a notary sign on a different day?

How long is a notary term of office good for (state by state)

How many years is a notary term of office good for?

Can we turn the industry around?
Carmen and I are trying to make our influence, but you guys need to help out too!

Can we turn the industry around?

A Notary can get a job at a bank more easily.

A Notary can get a job in a bank more easily

FEB 2019

Notary Services Near Me

Notary Services Near Me

Where can I find Notary services near me
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=notary-services-near-me

Notary Public Journal
If someone forges your seal, and you don’t keep a journal, it is hard to prove that you were not the person who did the alleged notarization. Learn proper journal entry procedures in this article.

Notary Public Journal

Notary Public Seal
Learn all the components of a notary seal including vocabulary words such as “serrated.”

Notary Public Seal

Notary Public Education
Where to get resources for Notary education. BTW, start with your state handbook.

Notary Public Education

Can you become a notary if you have a felony conviction?

Can you become a Notary if you have a felony conviction?

Trusted enrollment agent
What are they and what do they do. If they are Japanese would they be a Green TEA?

TEA — Trusted Enrollment Agent

Apostille – general information

Apostille – General Information

How many years is a notary commission good for?

How many years is a Notary commission good for?

Notarizing multi-page documents.
How do you deter page swapping? Read my secret techniques.

Notarizing Multi-Page Documents

Beneficial Interest
What is the difference between beneficial interest, financial interest and conflict of interest? Three different types of interest rates!

Beneficial Interest

Notary Oath of Office information
Don’t forget to file your Oath & Bond with the county clerk!

Notary Oath of Office Information

Can a notary get into trouble?

Can a Notary get in trouble?

Notaries who fail the California notary exam

Notaries who fail the California Notary exam

Notarizing confidential marriage licenses

Notarizing confidential marriage licenses

How do you notarize a copy of a passport?

How do you notarize a copy of a passport?

Parties involved in a Power of Attorney.
Do you know what a grantor, grantee, agent, attorney in fact, custodian and principle are? Better learn otherwise you will appear ignorant.

Parties involved in a Power of Attorney

Certifying a Power of Attorney

Certifying a Power of Attorney

Proof of Execution.
The Notary act where the signer doesn’t have to show up. Really? Next thing you’re going to tell me is that the signer doesn’t have to sign.

Proof of Execution

Mission Impossible — Notary Version
The deranged high school drop out doesn’t want the family to move, but Tom Cruise, jumps off a tall building with a paraglider, chases people down a narrow street, and reads a bumper sticker that says, “Honk if you hate Scientology.” and then saves the day!

Mission Impossible — Notary Version

Compilation of best blog posts from 2010
These are the absolute best posts of all time. Hope you like them.

Compilation – Best blog posts from 2010

Credible Witness Notary — information & resources

Credible Witness Notary — information & resources

Banks need Notaries to be on staff

Banks need Notaries to be on staff

The me too movement affects Notaries in the workplace at a bank.
A female employee complains about sexual harassment because a male co-worker compliments her on her seal.

The Me Too Movement affects Notaries in the workplace at a bank

JAN 2019

My health regimin left me without my favorite foods
No more pakora, fried chicken or large portions of meat…

My new health regimen left me without my favorite foods

How I succeeded creating an online business.
Creating a product that is easy to use with well refined search results isn’t easy, but made me some big bucks.

How I succeeded creating an online business

Can a notary go to jail for notary fraud?
Notaries do a lot of illegal things out of ignorance and negligence. But, sometimes they steal property using their commissions as well.

Can a Notary go to jail for Notary fraud?

Can a Notary act as a witness?
Notaries can witness Wills, acknowledged signatures, capacity, or be a credible witness. What about witnessing a crime?

Can a Notary Act as a Witness?

Witnessing a will
Some people prefer to hire a notary to witness a will since they are professional at witnessing signatures in general.

Witnessing a Will

Find a 24 hour Notary
Last minute okay. Hospital, jail and office visits okay too.

24 Hour Notary

Notary Hyatt Regency
Do I sign the journal based on when I made the reservation or the date I check in? But, can you get notarized in the hot tub? Find out!

Notary Hyatt Regency

California Acknowledgment
Learn all of the components of the new acknowledgment

California Acknowledgment

What are mobile notary fees?
It should depend on experience, time of day, type of job, distance, and waiting time. But, what do you think?

What are Mobile Notary Fees?

Notarized Letter
A detailed Q&A all about how to draft, notarize, and file a notarized letter.

Notarized Letter

A Notary discusses costs with Jeremy.
The notary wants to spend 30 minutes talking about suing someone for $1.96 instead of making some real money.

A Notary discusses costs with Jeremy

Notary Etiquette 104 – contents
Learn about handling initial calls, confirming the signing, general etiquette, answering questions, and see our best links on the topic as well.

Notary Etiquette 104 – Contents

Notary Etiquette 104 – humorous edition
Avoid polyester jackets from the 70’s, don’t be fashionably late, don’t do Oaths for dogs, and it may be time to retire if your email address says “aol.com” as a suffix!

Notary Etiquette 104 — Humorous Edition

Answering questions the way they were asked.
Do you beat around the bush or get straight to the point. In space, nobody can hear you scream and at signings, nobody wants to hear you ramble.

Notary Etiquette 104 — Answering Questions the Way They Were Asked

What to talk about at the signing.
Small talk is good, but talking about guns might backfire… learn the ins and outs of the art of conversation.

Notary Etiquette 104 — Confirming the Signing & At the Signing

Merit, pay grade & answering emails

Merit, Pay Grade & Answering Emails

Mobile Notary Near Me
Where can I find out. Try our directory and you’ll find thousands of good ones.

Mobile Notary Near Me

Public Notary Near Me

Public Notary Near Me

Find a Notary Public

Find a Notary Public

Where to get something notarized?

Where to get something notarized?

Is 123notary tearing down notaries or building them up?
By having some new and higher standards, we are helping notaries learn, but some just feel insulted. Hmm

Is 123notary tearing notaries down or building them up?

Spousal states list
Want to know which states are spousal states for loan signings? Here’s a list!

Spousal States List

The reason why 123notary scrutinizes its notaries

The reason why 123notary scrutinizes its Notaries

A forged notary seal ends someone up with a prison sentence
A man from Glendale involved in a 5.4 million dollar mortgage fraud scheme got caught. Read the details.

A forged Notary seal ends someone up with a prison sentence

An American Notary dates Chinese Notary using an app.
They used a translate app, but the app didn’t translate all of the subtle nuances of the communication.

An American Notary dates Chinese Notary using an app.

One Notary on NR wants to be treated like a professional.
She doesn’t think she needs to be retested. But, if she knows her stuff, being retested would be no big deal, right?

One Notary on NR wants to be treated like a professional

Fake Notary Seals
How can you know if a Notary seal is fake?

Fake Notary Seals

eNotary — electronic notary & electronic notarizations
How to become one, and what they do and what states can they practice…

eNotary — Electronic Notary & Electronic Notarizations

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January 16, 2022

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

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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You might also like:

You know you’re a Notary Public when… (36 examples)
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16038

Honey, you can kiss my app!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14902

Notary aptitude test
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15853

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January 3, 2021

How do you define “pandemic?”

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 12:08 am

What is a pandemic, and how do you know you are in one.

LADY: How can you go to work when we are in the middle of a pandemic?
GUY: How do you define pandemic?
LADY: Lots of people are dying. It’s an emergency!!!

There are several facts one should know about pandemics, particularly the “fakedemic” we are in now.

1. Covid19 is real, but only has a high death rate for people over 70, and a few very vulnerable people younger than that.

2. Hospitals get paid several thousand extra per death if they record the death as a Covid19 death. This could be considered bribery, or an invitation to corruption.

3. There are no definitive standards for what constitutes a Covid19 death. Many (roughly 25%) of the Covid deaths happened without the dead party being proven positive for Covid19.

4. The remaining 75% of Covid19 deaths consist of:
People who had Covid before , got over it, and died of something else
People who had Covid, but got hit by a bus, had a motorcycle accident, etc.
Those who had Covid but died of another lung complication such as the flu, or pneumonia
People who died solely of Covid which account for roughly 1-3% of the grand total of Covid19 Deaths.

5. The real total of people who died solely of Covid might be around 20,000, and those who died primarily of Covid might be about 40,000 to 80,000, but not whatever the total is these days which is coming up to 300,000 in the USA.

6. According to Judaism, a Pandemic is defined as an infectious disease that kills 3 in 500 people per day. In California Covid19 kills less than 2 people per Million per day. We would need 4000x the quantity of deaths (not cases) to qualify as a pandemic according to Judaism.

7. According to common sense, a Pandemic would be a situation where all hospitals are overflowing, the military is there, constant sirens, ambulances, helicopters moving the sick to where they could be cared for and moving the dead around. During the worst of the “pandemic” in NYC they did have bodies stacked up in the morgue, and overflowing hospitals. But, they did not use military hospitals. The rest of the country did not have such a drastic or desperate situation.

8. I see a pandemic of insanity, madness, and a lack of common sense. People believe everything the biased lamestream media tells them without scrutinizing the information or comparing it to other sources. We have fake pandemics, fake elections, fake news, fake impeachments, fake genders, and fake food. We seek to solve our pandemic with a man-made fake solution, namely a vaccine.

9. This plandemic is more like a horror movie where the evil scientist with a German accent creates a deadly virus, and has the cure for it locked up in a freezer compartment looking forward to selling it at a huge margin. But, in the end of such movies, the mad scientist gets locked up and the resilient people recover. In our case, the mad scientists are in China and backed by God knows who. I don’t see them going to jail.

10. Due to this plandemic, America has forgotten the hundreds of thousands of brave souls who fought so that we could have freedom, a constitution, and rule of law. Now, we are living under tyranny. States are putting respectable businesses in the food and entertainment industry permanently out of business all in the name of “safety.” The bigger problem is that the system of checks and balances doesn’t seem to be functioning. The courts let governors act as emperors and the people do not complain too loudly, even in gun toting redneck states (yee-haw).

Summary
Unless the people wake up and decide that yes, the constitution, liberty, freedom from tyranny, and a good economy matter (just as much as black lives matter), then we will either not have a country much longer, become Marxist, or have a broken economy, political system, and everything else. We are moving fast in that direction .But, why? Because of a pandemic of irrational thinking, a lack of common sense, and a hundred-fold overreaction to Covid Covid, oh my God Covid!

According to Judaism, the spiritual root of infections diseases are:
1. Improper use of speech such as slander, lying, jealousy, abusive speech and others.
2. Improper sexual behavior such as premarital sex, homosexual behavior, etc.
3. Violent behavior. In America there is a lot of spousal abuse, child trafficking, gang violence, etc.

A vaccine can save you from this current pandemic (maybe), but will not save you from God. If God feels you go around lying, cheating, slandering, and bearing false witness against your neighbor which has been huge, especially in politics since 2014 (much huger than normal in my opinion) then he will get you some other way. You can hide fro Covid, but you cannot hide from God

The contents of this article are some high quality, analytical, back to reality and solid spiritual principles which even atheists can get at least on a moral level. Only 20% of Americans (rough estimate) are thinking logically, the others are completely impossible to reason with and let their fear and emotions dictate their opinions. I do not feel it is safe to have your life run by a majority of insane lunatics. Think deeply about what I just said.

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April 5, 2015

Point (15) Technical Points; Marcy Attaches a Certificate

Filed under: (2) Technical and Legal — Tags: — admin @ 10:57 am

By now, Marcy had decided to really study her text book well. In this last signing, she narrowly avoided two disasters.

MARCY: Hi, I’m Marcy and I’ll be your signing agent this evening.

RUTH: Thanks for coming Marcy. I’m all ready.

MARCY: The Lender asked me to make sure we include a cashier’s check for $2500 in the package. Do you have the check?

RUTH: Oh, he didn’t remind me. But, I have it somewhere.

MARCY: Let’s take care of the check first, otherwise we’ll forget all about it and you’ll lose your lock.

RUTH: That bad?

MARCY: It’s happened before. I read about it in my course and I’m not making any careless mistakes.

RUTH: Here it is.

MARCY: Okay, the course says to staple it to an eight and a half by eleven paper and put it on the top of the stack of documents in the FedEx so the first person to open the package will immediately see it and hand it over to the correct person… Done! I’m putting it in the package, but at a 90 degree angle so I’ll see it. That way I won’t forget to make sure it’s first in line after we add all of the other documents we’re signing tonight.

RUTH: Boy, aren’t you careful?

MARCY: Well, you’d understand if you knew how many mistakes notaries often make in this industry.

(10 minutes later)

RUTH: Okay, I’ve initialed all of the pages of this Deed of Trust. Now, you need to notarize it, right?

MARCY: Correct… (stamps the document) Oooh! That came out smudgy. I better do it again.

RUTH: It looks fine. I wouldn’t worry about it.

MARCY: The Deed of Trust is a recorded document, and that means that it goes to the county clerk’s office. Some of the clerks are picky, and they have the right to reject a smudgy seal which might cause the loan to not go through on time. So, I need to attach a loose certificate and make sure my stamp comes out clearly… Perfect.

RUTH: You certainly dot your i’s and cross your t’s!

MARCY: If I didn’t, you would lose your loan.

(a day later)

LENDER: Marcy, I noticed you crossed out your Notary seal on the Deed of Trust. Why did you do that? That looks very sloppy.

MARCY: Quite to the contrary, the seal was smudged, and the county recorder would be unlikely to record such a document which is why I attached a lose certificate.

LENDER: But, did you have to staple it on? It is very difficult to disconnect — and messy.

MARCY: Legally I am required to attach the certificate. Completing loose certificates that are stamped is illegal because they can easily be used for fraud by being attached to a different document; So by un-stapling my work, you are leaving yourself open to looking very questionable.

LENDER: But, we always do that.

MARCY: Well, you are at liberty to do what you like, but I am not at liberty to break my state Notary laws! If the Lender had the certificate wording on a separate piece of paper without a page number, it would be removable so that nobody would have to see the cross out should there be an error, and once in a while there are stamping errors. Notary seals are not always clear the first time.

LENDER: Isn’t there a better way to do this?

MARCY: If you want your loan to go through, and for it to go through legally, then no — there is no other way to do this.

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Point (15) A handful of technical points
These technical points fall into the category of signing agent knowledge and are generally above and beyond purely Notary knowledge. Being an expert at these points will make you a much more impressive signer.

Checks in Packages
If you are sending a cashier’s check in a package, please note that these get lost much more frequently than you might think and the borrower’s loan will be delayed if this happens. These checks are for high dollar values, so make sure they don’t get lost between all of the many hands that will touch this loan package.

Staple the check to a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, and put this paper at the front of the loan package so that whomever opens it (generally a secretary) will see it immediately and notify the person in charge of the loan. If you put the check in the middle of the documents, the check will not get seen right away, and there could be a delay. If you don’t staple the check, it will likely get lost in the shuffle.

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County Recorder Rejections
If you make a mistake on a recorded document, the county recorder can reject the document which could slow down the loan processing time. The borrower might even lose their lock which would be very costly. Take extra care when notarizing recorded documents. Which documents are recorded?

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Dates
What is the difference between a Document Date, Signature Date, Transaction Date, Rescission Date and a Notarization Date?
The document date is a random arbitrarily picked date that is often subscribed in the document. It is often the same date the document is signed, or perhaps drafted. The signature date is the date a document is signed. Of course, if there is more than one signer, there would be more than one signature dates. A Notarization date is the date a document was notarized. Legally, a document can be Acknolwedged more than once though! A transaction date is the date that a document is signed. A Rescission date is the last day to rescind. There, you have five dates to remember!

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eDocuments, eSignings, and eNotarizations
eDocuments are documents sent by email to the Notary to be printed out. eSignings are signings done on a laptop with the borrower doing digital signatures on a signature pad — but, with hardcopy regular notarizations using a paper journal. eNotarization are Notarizations where the notarization uses a digital seal and digital journal.

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The Prepayment Penalty
The Prepayment Penalty could be mentioned in any of these four documents, or perhaps even more. The Truth in Lending says you will, won’t or may have a prepayment penalty. The HUD may reference the prepayment penalty as well. But, the two documents that offer the most thorough information on the prepayment penalty are The Note (which every loan has) and the Prepayment Rider which is only included in a handful of loans that have complicated prepenalty agreements.

Most Notaries we talk to do not know the best place to look for thorough information on the prepayment penalty. They usually want to source the TIL, but this is wrong. Try to be a little more familiar with these very basic loan concepts as your borrowers will be more impressed with you if you do.

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Recorded Documents
Here are various types of recorded documents sorted into categories.

Deeds: Deed of Trust, Riders to Deed, Quit Claim Deed, Grant Deed, Inter-spousal Grant Deed, Warrantee Deed

Title Docs: Subordination Agreement, Mortgage

Legal Docs: Affidavit of Trustee, Power of Attorney (sometimes recorded), some states record the Note although most don’t.

Lien Docs:Judgment Liens, Unsecured Tax Liens, Revenue & Recovery Liens

Other:Addendum, Condo Homeowners Approval, Tax Certificate, Affidavit of Continuous Marriage (state specific)

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Commonly Notarized Documents in Loan Packages
Most packages will have certain documents to be notarized such as a Deed of Trust or Mortgage in all loans. It is also common to notarize other documents such as a Signature Affidavit, Occupancy Affidavit, Correction Agreement Limited Power of Attorney, Subordination Agreements, Grant, Warranty or Quitclaim Deeds, certain Riders, Identity Affidavit, and more.

Spousal Signatures
If a spouse is not on the loan, the documents they sign might vary from state to state and lender to lender, but these documents are typical documents that they need to sign:.
(a) The Deed of Trust and accompanying Riders if any.
(b) Grant Deeds and/or Quit Claim Deeds if someone’s name is being removed from Title.
(c) The Right to Cancel if the spouse is residing in the property.

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Trusts
Notarizing Trusts is not brain surgery. However, when people sign with a capacity, it is common to sign their name, a comma, and then their capacity. Al Smith, as Attorney in Fact for Joe the Plumber. You are only notarizing Al Smith, but the additional information is sometimes helpful or critical. As a general rule, unless the document custodian wishes otherwise, You should have trustees sign as trustees: John Doe, as Trustee.

Then, there are Living Trusts which are instructions for what to do if a signer is incapacitated. These are usually long documents drafted by an Attorney that can be more than forty pages long in many cases. Living Trusts are quite different than regular Trust Documents and Wills.

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You might also like:

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

30 Point Course (16) Initialing
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14463

Don’t put the FedEx in the drop box if there is a check in the package
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2831

Spousal Signature Requirements
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=244

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May 18, 2013

How do you explain the APR to a non-borrowing spouse?

I was talking to a notary on the East Coast. I was going to ask him a loan signing question, but then he retorted back a question in my direction before I could ask my question.

How do you explain the APR to a non-borrowing spouse?, he asked.

I gave him my routine mathematical definition of the APR and he was impressed. When he asked the question, I was thinking that this is a great question. It sounded like a trick question, but it actually is a very reasonable question. It suddenly occurred to me that the non-borrowing spouse is the epitome of a lay-person, and doesn’t understand complicated terms such as “amortized” or “finance charges”. If you have an MBA in Finance, you might not be the best person to explain an APR to someone’s wife. So, part of the genius of this question is that it tells you to use layperson language without telling you directly.

The other great aspect of this question is that it gives the opportunity to tangent goers to go off on a tangent — and they take this opportunity. I ask this question to many people, and 20% of the people go off on a very long explanation of what documents the non-borrowing spouse has to sign. But, that has nothing to do with the question. They didn’t LISTEN. This is a good listening and tangent going question. You learn very quickly who listens, and who can talk as well.

People notoriously leave out 90% of the meat of the answer when describing this confusing and diabolical term.

“It includes the fees”

Trust me, it includes a lot more than the fees.

“It reflects the cost of the loan”

Trust me, it also includes your interest as well as whatever the cost is.

“It’s usually higher than the rate”

Boy, are we being vague.

“It includes interest and fees”

Better, but very uneducated sounding.

Most answers to this question are either missing the target, or miss the main point of the APR.

The APR is a RATIO that is based on the payments relative to the total amount financed after: some of the finance charges, perhaps points, perhaps loan origination fees, PMI, and perhaps other fees have been deducted — and is reflected on a compounded annual rate.

I am not a lender and don’t know the “Real” definition. But, how the APR is calculated can vary from state to state, and from lender to lender. So, there is no absolute definition, but only definitions that are approximate. Unfortunately, the definitions I am hearing from the notaries are overly simplistic and generally just plain wrong!

You might also like:

What traits do escrow officers look for in Notaries?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21050

The Right to Cancel Done Wrong
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10001

The 30 point course guide to the APR
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14483

Common mistakes with the APR
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4553

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April 20, 2013

A detailed look at the NINJA course

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

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

119 pages of riveting information!

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

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

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

Scheduling strategies: Learn about the

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for your interest and ENJOY our Ninja course!

You might also like:

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

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

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

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

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