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February 7, 2017

Notary Wording

Filed under: Technical & Legal — Tags: Acknowledgment, Affirmation, Boiler Plate Wording, Jurat, Notarial Verbiage, Notarial Wording, Notary Act, Notary Verbiage, notary wording, Oath, Venue — admin @ 12:32 am

Notary Wording Varies from State to State
There is no official American Notary wording. Notary verbiage differs from state to state, and varies based on what type of Notary act you are having done. There are various common types of notarizations such as Acknowledged signatures, Jurats, Oaths and Affirmations. The vast majority of notarizations are Acknowledgments whose wording states that the signer appeared before the Notary, was positively identified, and signed the document.

Notary Certificates — what type of wording is included.
Your typical Acknowledgment or Jurat Certificate will include several sections with wording.

1. Venue
The venue states the state and county where the notarization is taking place. Please note that the Notary is not always commissioned in the county where the notarization is taking place. So, if you are in Orange county, but the Notary is from San Diego, please make sure they put the venue county based on where the notarization is taking place, and not where they live.

2. Boiler Plate Wording
The main body of the text could be worded in an infinite variety of ways, but normally state the date of the signing, name of the signer, the name of the Notary, the fact that the signer appeared before the Notary, the fact that the signer signed the document, and if an Oath was included (Jurats by definition have Oaths) then the fact that the signer swore before the Notary. The verbiage “subscribed and sworn to before me this (date)” is commonly used in many states especially in New York where the cabbies enjoy the swearing part more than any other part of the Notarization.

3. The Signature Section
The bottom of the notary wording or notary verbiage has room for the Notary’s seal which might mean their signature or their official notary stamp. In most states the Notary signs and stamps, or might even emboss with a non-inked embosser as a secondary form of stamp.

Types of Acknowledgments
Normally, when people want to be Notarized, they ask the Notary if they can notarize a Jurat for them. In actuality, most Notarizations are for Acknowlegments. Normally people can use an All Purpose Acknowledgment, but in Ohio, there is such thing as a Corporate Acknowledgment and Attorney in Fact Acknowledgment.

Where Can You Find Your State’s Wording?
If you visit our find a notary page, you can click on your state and find current notary wording for your state. Or Google your states notary wording. Example: “California Acknowledgment Wording.”

Sample California Jurat Verbiage

State of California
County of Lake

Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on this 5th day of January, 2017, by Jedadiah Goldminer, proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) who appeared before me.

(Seal)

Signature_______________________

Loose Certificates
Many documents have preprinted notary wording on them. However, it is legal to attach a loose certificate form using a staple. NNA is a great source for Notary certificate pads such as Acknowledgment Certificates, Jurat Certificates, and even Copy Certification by Document Custodian if you want to get fancy.

Filling out the Forms
It is common on Notary certificate forms to have sections where there is he/she/they or signature(s). You have to cross out the non-applicable word(s). If you are Notarizing a woman, cross out the he and the they and the (s). If you are notarizing a man and a woman in the same notary act, cross out the he and the she, but keep the (s). If you are notarizing a man who used to be a women — your guess is as good as mine — good luck, you’ll need it.

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Notary Boiler Plate Wording
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2432

Notary Certificates, Notary Wording & Notary Verbiage
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We caught a bunch of frauds using Notary Verbiage
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Comments (1)

February 1, 2017

How does the 123notary points system work & why should you care?

Filed under: Marketing Articles,Popular Overall — admin @ 7:01 am

123notary has an algorithm to assign a point value to each Notary listed with us. Why do we do this? Isn’t the fact that you paid us whatever subscription fee enough? No. First of all, the majority of our listings are free listings which appear at the bottom of the list.

Free Listings
We assign various placement levels via p#’s to free listings. The best free listings get a p#6 in their home area while the worst get a p#2. For free listings, your point score determines your placement and the score results are evaluated every month or so. If a free listing gets below a particular point score, they might be taken offline for good. Additionally, if a free listing doesn’t get enough clicks per month, we might remove them as well even if their points are good just because it looks like they are out of business or not doing much business if they are not getting many clicks.

Paid Listings
Paid listings are guaranteed a particular level on 123notary.com. If you have low points, you are still listed. However, many paid members want to upgrade. Your price for upgrading is determined based on the pricing in your area as well as your points score. If you have low points, you have to pay more for an upgrade as we want to encourage only our best members to elevate themselves to the top of the list.

Points Change
Please keep in mind that your points score is based on fourteen different factors and your point score can change. If you act grossly unprofessional, and get marked as such, that can stay on your record forever. But, your phone answering rate changes every time we call you. If you never answered your phone in 2013, but always answer in 2016, your old phone stats would get phased out and replaced by newer numbers. If you got a lot of reviews recently, your points would go up. If you pass our certification test, your points go far up. So, if your points are low, there are many things you can do about it. You can start by adding more to your notes section as keep track of the last time you fixed up your notes.

If you don’t login regularly
If you have really low stats and don’t login for 120 days, we reserve the right to remove your listing form 123notary until we hear from you. If you have high stats, we also have the right to remove you, but normally would give you a handful of courtesy calls first. If you give us the courtesy of maintaining a top notch listing, we will grace you with the courtesy of a few courtesy calls. If someone with high stats cannot be reached with courtesy calls, we normally still keep them online as they are valuable to our site to keep.

What can you do?
It pays to have good stats on 123notary. You can keep a free listing longer, get cheap upgrades, and not get removed for failing to upgrade. Update your notes, get reviews, pass our certification test, answer your phone, and announce your name when you answer your phone. Those are some of the best ways to get good points with us — and it’s so simple too. So, get lots of points and benefit us both — today!

Comments (5)

January 31, 2017

Can a Notary be an officiate at a Wedding or marriage?

Filed under: Technical & Legal — Tags: Can a notary perform a marriage?, Marriage Licenses, Wedding, Wedding Licenses, Wedding Officiant — admin @ 12:23 am

Can a Notary perform a marriage or be a wedding officiant? There are four states that currently allow Notaries to perform weddings. A Notary can solemnize a marriage if they are commissioned in:

Florida
South Carolina
Nevada
Maine

However, there are some additional qualifications, requirements and authorizations needed from your state. Please contact your state notary division to see how you can qualify to officiate at weddings. It is common for states to accept you as a wedding officiant if you are a Priest, Rabbi, Ordained Minister, Imam, etc.

Many Notaries add being a Wedding Officiant to their list of services. It is easy to make $100 to $250 for each wedding. Just don’t show up late, your you’ll create a bad memory that the married couple will keep with them for life! Many Notaries market their wedding services on websites, web directories such as 123notary.com, or by networking. We even met one Notary who specialized in gay marriages (who ran into trouble when he tried to get a wedding cake made in Indiana.)

The Notary needs to check wedding licenses, official name changes which often accompany the marriage, and then fill out a bunch of forms, get them notarized, and then send them in the mail, or preferably by Fedex. Loan signings typically end at the Fedex box, but that is where Marriages begin!

You can Google the term, “How to become ordained” to learn more about becoming a Minister in your state. Becoming ordained is normally non-denominational, but check with your church just to see if that will affect your relationship with them.

Joke:
A Priest, a Rabbi, and Imam, and a non-denominational Ordained Minister walk into a bar. The bar tender says, “So, what will you be having?” The Imam says, “A ginger ale on the rocks. Drinking alcohol is against my religion.” The Rabbi says, “I’ll have half a glass of Manichevitz Concord Grape if you’ve got it. I can do a blessing on your stock of it at no cost either — this week only.” The Priest says, “Yes brother, I’ll have white wine and a piece of bread.” The bar tender was confused and thought it should be red wine to symbolize the blood on the cross. The Priest explained, “It needs to be white wine to symbolize the color of drapes my wife forced me to buy that I can’t stand.”

So, the Bar Tender asked what they were all doing there.
The Ordained Minister said, “We’re here to perform a marriage — I guess they double booked.”
The Imam said, “Double booked? Quadruple booked! This couple is crazy. But, this ginger ale is excellent, must be one of those boutique brands!”

Q&A
Can a Florida Notary perform a wedding?
Yes, if they have the proper license.

Can a South Carolina Notary perform a wedding?
Yes, if they have the proper license.

Can a Maine Notary perform a wedding?
Yes, if they have the proper license.

Can a Nevada Notary perform a wedding?
Yes, if they have the proper license.

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Can a Notary perform a wedding or marriage?
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Comments (1)

January 28, 2017

WFG National Title Insurance Company

Filed under: Popular on Facebook (some),Signing Company Gossip — Tags: WFG, WFG National Title Insurance Company — admin @ 9:31 pm

Here is a condensed version of the more interesting comments about this company on our forum.

(1) Penny
“I have not received payment since my assignment and invoice to WFG on November 28. Despite numerous emails saying it’s in the mail, or will be in the mail, zero.
Penny 1-17-17”

(2) Joan
“WFG in Westlake Village, CA is giving me the run around with my fee being received. Completed signing on 9-30-16, it is now 11-29-16. Unacceptable. They claim they are going through a transitional period since Michael Crowder is no longer with them. What has that got to do with A/P getting my money to me?”

(3) DanNotary
“May not be dealing with them again. Huge packages, lots of work, difficult to get through to anyone and get a response. They pay $125 but if I do anything again its going to be $150.”

(4) 29993
“I have noticed that the loan packages are getting very large…so I have begun to notify, particularly WFG whose files average 170 copies…that my minimum fee is increased by another $20.00..As I mentioned before I have had no problems getting paid and have asked each time if the file is larger than 120 pages to add in another $20…but I’ve had to followup to make sure that it was…..so this week I am sending out notifications to most of the companies I work for to increase my minimum fee to include the $20. Whenever I accept a signing…they will need to include it in the order or I will return the assignment right there and then………We all have to begin to hold the line on our fees or if you accept less then you only have yourself to blame….Good Luck!”

(5) Garyw148
“I agreed to perform a signing for WFG for 10:30am the next day. At 8am I had yet to receive any documents. WFG did not answer any of the 4 phone numbers I called. Nor did they respond to the emails I sent to 3 different people. My last email was that I was going to call the borrower and let them know the signing was cancelled. Moments later (10am) I received a response not to call the borrower that the documents were coming. Then I got an email stating the day would be changed. I called the borrower and basically said to stand by. I requested to be paid via PayPal. I got a call from Mike stating they never pay via PayPal and he would remove me from there list of notaries. I said fine. Be carful here folks. Read the other reviews.”

You might also like:

See our string on WFG on the forum
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5117

See our string on NEW signing companies
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=new

National Preferred Notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16669

Are you a Yes-tary or a No-tary?
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Comments (5)

January 24, 2017

Quit Claim Deed

Filed under: (4) Documents,Popular on Twitter — Tags: Grant Deed, How do I get a quitclaim deed notarized?, How do I notarize a quitclaim deed?, Notarized Quitclaim Deed, Quit Claim Deed, Quitclaim Deed, Warranty Deed — admin @ 12:22 am

A Quitclaim Deed is a legal instrument used to transfer interest (ownership) in real property. The Grantor is the entity who is transferring its interest to the Grantee who is the recipient. The owner or Grantor quits or terminates any right or claim to the property by signing this form.

No Title Covenant
The Quitcliam Deed includes no title covenant and offers no warranty as to the status of the property’s title. The Grantee is entitled only to whatever interest the Grantor has in the property — if any. As a result, the Grantee has no legal recourse should the Grantor not be the legitimate owner on title, or if their share of the property is less than expected.

Warranty Deeds
Warrantee Deeds on the other hand often contain warranties from the Grantor that the title is clear and that there is no encumbrance against the title.

Common Uses
Quitclaim Deeds are most commonly used to transfer property from one family member to another or to take one family member’s name off title for the sake of a notarized loan signing. Quitclaim Deeds are not usually used to to transfer property from a buyer to a seller as Grant Deeds are a much more common form of official property transfer instrument.

How do I notarize a Quitclaim Deed? How do I get a Quitclaim Deed Notarized?
If you need a notarized Quitclaim Deed, find a Notary on 123notary.com. Any commissioned notary public can notarize this document in less than three minutes assuming you have current ID and a complete document.

You might also like:

Index of information about documents

Index of information about documents

See our string on all different types of documents (completely up to date)
http://blog.123notary.com/?cat=2074

TRID information courtesy of Carmen
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18932

Good Deed Bad Deed — Ken’s guide to every type of Deed
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16285

Comments (0)

January 19, 2017

Geographic Notary Business Names

Filed under: Advertising — admin @ 7:23 am

The classiest business names I have seen Notaries do involve some referencing to geographic icons. Here are some ideas I had, or existing business names. I’ll mix them together. If you choose a business name, make sure to check with your county clerk to make sure the name is not already in use!

Golden Gate Mobile Notary
Bay Area Mobile Notary
Golden Coast Mobile Notary
Hollywood Sign Mobile Notary
Sunset Strip Mobile Notary
Gaslamp District Mobile Notary
Puget Sound Mobile Notary
Columbia River Mobile Notary
Rocky Mountain Notary
Yellowstone Mobile Notary
Grizzly Bear Mobile Notary
American Eagle Mobile Notary
Lakota Notary Services — you might get in trouble with the tribe for jacking their name!
Everglades Mobile Notary
The Alamo Mobile Notary
Saguaro Mobile Notary
Grand Canyon Mobile Notary
Hoover Dam Mobile Notary
Salt Lake Mobile Notary
Windy City Mobile Notary
Iroquois Mobile Notary
Vacation State Mobile Notary
White Mountains Mobile Notary
Blue Hills Mobile Notary
Smokey Mountains Mobile Notary
Beacon Hill Mobile Notary
Harvard Square Mobile Notary – Geographically limiting
Sequoia Mobile Notary
Minuteman Mobile Notary — Good in Massachusetts
Plymouth Rock Mobile Notary

I’m having a brain freeze, so I’ll end the list here. Not all of these would make good business names, but it gets you thinking at least.

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Comments (3)

January 18, 2017

Snapdocs grew tremendously in 2016, but NotaryRotary shrank!

Filed under: Advertising — Tags: Snapdocs — admin @ 7:21 am

I took a look at the stats of Snapdocs, NotaryRotary, and 123notary over the last few months. Here is what I noticed.

1. Snapdocs got increasing amounts of traffic during 2016 while 123notary & NotaryRotary lost traffic. My stats indicate that this December I got about 17% less visits to 123notary than last December for example. Alexa.com showed a huge increase in site rank in Snapdocs while showing a small decline in 123notary’s and NotaryRotary’s site rank which is based on overall traffic.

2. In September 2016, based on similarweb.com 123notary experienced a huge surge in traffic while Snapdocs & NotaryRotary experienced a huge decline. My Google Analytics showed a surge in traffic on 123notary, but in August, not September. So, perhaps similarweb.com is a little bit off (or completely off) in its reporting.

My personal stats show that 123notary lost 8% of traffic in 2016 as a whole compared to 2015 as a whole. Part of that is due to Snapdocs. But, Snapdocs traffic grew a lot over 2016 which means that we lost more during the last few months of the year. According to one stats site, Snapdocs traffic was double what 123notary’s was. However, their traffic is low-ball where 123notary gets a lot more high quality traffic.

On the other hand, Alexa.com shows that 123notary’s rank is roughly equal to Snapdocs. So, which source of information is the most reliable? In my experience Google Analytics is the most reliable and detailed source of web stats information. Unfofortunately, I do not have Google analytics on my competitors’ stats.

New Profiles
I’m trying to make sense of what is happening, but it is so complicated. 123notary added several hundred new profiles in August which could have lead to a rise in stats for us in September. But, our stats show that our spike was in August, not September which leads me to feel that there is a lag in the reporting on the other stats site

Social Media
Our social media took a huge dive in clicks starting around August and our Facebook performance affects our general web traffic.

What to do?
I am looking at this information completely baffled. I work hard every day to ensure the best quality search experience on 123notary. We get traffic that pays notaries well on 123notary. But, the total clicks matter to me as well, and clicks are far down. Do I add more profiles? Do I do more on social media? Do I create a better mobile site experience? Should we try to get more reviews? Or should I emphasize different information than I do now? I think the answer is all of the above!

You might also like:

See our string on Snapdocs posts
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=snapdocs

Which directories get the high paying signings?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19201

Comments (8)

January 17, 2017

Notary vs. Signing Agent

Filed under: Popular on Linked In,Popular on Twitter,Technical & Legal — Tags: Notary, Signing Agent — admin @ 12:21 am

We write about this topic every so often. It is so basic and so critical that all new Notaries should understand. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans become Notaries. As Notaries they can perform tasks such as Acknowledging signatures, performing Jurats, administering Oaths, and other tasks which might be state specific. Notaries can hold their heads up high as their function is to identify signers, keep good records (in most states at least) and deter or prevent fraud. But, that is only if they are doing their job correctly — and most states do not vet their Notaries well enough to know the difference.

What is a Notary?
(1) A Notary Public is a state appointed official that is authorized to perform particular Notary functions. All states allow Notaries to perform Acknowledgments, Jurats, and Oaths, while some states allow Notaries to act as an official witness, safety box opener, proof of execution, protests, take Depositions, and more.

(2) A Notary receives a formal certificate of commission from their state, and a commission number.

(3) Many states require a Notary to have an official notary seal that has the Notary’s name, commission number, expiration date, state andcounty.

(4) Many states require the Notary to keep a bound and sequential official journal of notarial acts.

To be short, a Notary can perform certain basic Notary functions that their state allows them to function. Their state offers them a formal certificate of commission, and normally allows them to get one or two official Notary seals with their name, commission number, expiration date, city and state, etc. Notaries use prescribed state specific wording for particular Notary acts and that wording can be used on loose certificates that they can purchase from businesses who sell Notary supplies. A Notary is a public official, although most Notaries don’t understand that on an emotional level. They are appointed by their state as an official who will uphold (or at least are supposed to) the laws of their state at all costs.

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

10 rules for negotiating notary fees
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Comments (1)

January 16, 2017

Notary Notes Makeover…

Filed under: Popular on Twitter,Your Notes Section — Tags: Notary Makeover, Notary Notes — admin @ 12:10 am

BEFORE
With over thirteen years of experience as a certified notary signing agent, exceptional customer service, attention to detail, reliability and professionalism are what you can expect. With thousands of loans signed, I guarantee a flawless mortgage loan closing from start to finish. Conveniently based in Long Beach, I cover both Los Angeles and Orange Counties. I have extensive experience with both commercial and residential loans in the areas of e-documents, purchases, refinances, helocs, second mortgages, piggybacks, and reverse mortgages. All notarizations for living trusts, apostilles, medical records, title transfers, foreign adoptions, prenuptial agreements, and power of attorney documents will be completed promptly and efficiently. I am fully GLBA compliant and background screened. For premier mobile notary services, give me a call to get started!

AFTER
13 years signing agent experience; 1000+ loans signed;

I have extensive experience with both commercial and residential loans in the areas of e-documents, purchases, refinances, helocs, second mortgages, piggybacks, and reverse mortgages.

All notarizations for living trusts, apostilles, medical records, title transfers, foreign adoptions, prenuptial agreements, and power of attorney documents will be completed promptly and efficiently.

I guarantee a flawless mortgage loan closing from start to finish. Excellent customer service, attention to detail, reliability and profesionalism are what you can expect. For premier mobile notary services, give me a call to get started!

NNA Certified
NNA Background Screened
High Speed 3-Tray Printer (65 pages / minute)

I cover Los Angeles & Orange Counties with an emphasis on the Long Beach area.
Thanks for visiting my listing on 123notary!

NOTE
The way I normally try to organize notes has a particular structure. First of all, information is separated into paragraphs. The top has punch points which are quick points that have a strong selling feature. An unusual service like Weddings, or a high amount of loans signed, jail or hospital signings might go on top. Last minute signings or a wide radius are also good and quick pieces of information to put on top.

After that, I like to talk about experience. Many Notaries bury their valuable experience under inexpensive claims of how “reliable” and “professional” they are. The least professional Notaries stress how professional they are, so why cheapen yourself by emphasizing what makes you look like a chump? A list of loan types, document types, or who you are on the white glove list with really helps a lot. That way people know what you are capable of.

Next, a note about your personal style or what is unique to you is good. This is where you talk about how you put the customers at ease and triple check your work.

Bullet points come next with certifications, equipment, the fact you have an MBA, etc. Bullet points should be two to six words long otherwise they won’t look good as bullet points.

Coverage area comes near the bottom and try to make it easy to read without too much rambling. Try to avoid a long list of zip codes. A final note can come at the bottom .

Comments (1)