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November 23, 2019

Trump Rallies the Notary-publicans

Filed under: Andy Cowan — admin @ 5:53 am

Trump Rallies the Notary-publicans

President Trump took his reelection campaign to the heart of notary country today to try to rally his base.

DJT: Look at this crowd of notaries! This is an even bigger crowd than the crowd who showed up for my Inaugural. There must be dozens and dozens of you. Whoever booked me for this time waster, as in my old job… “You’re fired.”

I’ve gotten more done for notaries in my first two and a half years than Presidents Obama and Bush put together. The numbers of jobs for notaries witnessing the signings of executive orders putting immigrant kids in cages is through the roof, am I right? And it’s a beautiful, fantastic roof. Almost as beautiful as the wall I’m pretending to build I pretended Mexico would pay for.

I see a lot of credible witnesses in the crowd. I’m talking about a third person who personally knows the document signer and verifies the signer’s identity. And look, there’s the anything but credible witness, Don Junior. Chin up, Don. Oh, it’s already up? I couldn’t see it – it’s a very weak chin. Takes after one of my ex-wives, not me. Except for the “anything but credible” part. There he’s a chip off the old block.

We’re gonna have fantastic Errors and Omissions insurance for all you notaries. That’s because I want to protect a notary from any mistake that causes a financial loss to a client, so you won’t be sued for recovery, okay? I know all about being sued. You know who needs Errors and Omissions insurance? The fake news. I see you out there. CNN. MSNBC. They omit things all the time. Like how unbelievable fantastic I am. They make errors all the time. Like that footage of me walking up to Air Force One with toilet paper stuck on my shoe. It wasn’t toilet paper!

It was the Constitution. By the time I got done trampling over it, it looked like toilet paper, okay? And there was no collusion. No obstruction. That last one was a lie but I throw you so many, who can keep up?

And the Dems want to impeach me, because they’re bad, bad, disgusting, horrible people. And I’ll never resign. Whereas if you notaries resign your commission, you have to notify the Secretary of State’s office within 30 days. And not Secretary of State Crooked Hillary. That’s right…“Lock her up!” “Lock her up!” Wait, you’re not chanting it right. It’s “her,” not “him.” Stop chanting “Lock him up!” I’m not rooming with that mouth breather Michael Cohen! Forget it. Or Manafort. Do you know he dyes his hair?

You might also like:

Trump’s trade war affected Notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20497

Will the next election help our notary industry?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22267

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October 13, 2019

Seven Tips for Choosing a Lawyer in a Personal Injury Case

Filed under: Other Guest Bloggers — admin @ 10:43 am

Seven Tips for Choosing a Lawyer in a Personal Injury Case
When choosing a personal injury lawyer for your case, there are many things that you need to take into consideration. If you have been injured and want the compensation that you are entitled to, you need to find a lawyer that knows exactly how to win your case and has experience in similar cases. Here are seven tips for choosing a lawyer for your personal injury case.

Location
Before you focus on anything else, you need to make sure that the lawyer you want can practice within your area. For those who live in Pennsylvania, you need to find a trustworthy Lehigh Valley personal injury lawyer such as those who work at Trapani Law Firm.

Track History
If you want to know the likelihood of a lawyer winning your case, you need to check their track history and see how many cases they have won, as well as what these cases entailed. Finding a personal injury lawyer who wins the cases they take on is essential, but you should also be aware that some lawyers only decide to take on the cases they know they will win, meaning this is just one thing that you need to consider.

Relevant Experience
Experience provides you with a sense of stability and allows clients to check the track history and understand more about how a lawyer works. While all lawyers need to start somewhere, when dealing with a personal injury case it is best to stick to a lawyer with relevant experience.

Disciplinary Record
A disciplinary record is essentially what it says on the tin. This record can inform you of any complaints that the lawyer may have received and can also provide information such as if the lawyer has ever been disbarred or suspended. If you have already met with the lawyer and they are ticking the right boxes, it may be worth discussing with them what happened with a complaint they received and how they dealt with it. Unfortunately, clients can sometimes file a complaint even when the lawyer has done everything within their power to assist them, so it is best to determine the root cause of the complaint before ruling a lawyer out completely. You can find information regarding a disciplinary record about any lawyer online.

Practice Years
Those who have been in the profession for a long time will have great experience and will understand a personal injury case better than anyone. If your case is especially complex, finding a lawyer with many years of experience is even more important to enable you to win your case and gain the compensation that you deserve.

Reputation
Finding a personal injury lawyer with a good reputation means that you are more likely to trust them with your case. You can check reviews on most law firm websites and you may also be able to find reviews online. A personal injury lawyer who has a good reputation within the state may be able to get your case solved more quickly as they are known throughout the courts. Finding positive reviews from previous clients can enable you to feel more at ease as it can be hard to judge someone on a first meeting. You may also want to ask the personal injury lawyer upon your first meeting if they have any client testimonials for you to read through.

Focus
Personal injury cases are all unique, and so you may want to find a lawyer that has a special focus on your personal injury case. It may be that you were involved in a slip and fall accident and so finding a lawyer that has focused on similar cases is ideal. You can usually find this out on their website or by speaking to the lawyer directly.

Following these seven tips you can find a personal injury lawyer that is perfect for your needs and your case.

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October 3, 2019

Help!…getting a divorced but husband has my stamp!

Filed under: Carmen Towles — admin @ 11:19 pm

Got a call form a frantic notary that is in the mist of a seemingly nasty divorce. She has a question and it is obvious right away that she is clueless as to what her notary laws are. She states that she may be calling the wrong place but her husband has her seal. She also wants to know if she is still an active notary? I’m thinking; “Oh boy”. I told her first off lets address the fact that you should know that your seal an journali (if required or not to keep one) is to remain with YOU at ALL TIMES in a secure locked location and secondly, you should be fully aware whether your commission is active or not. I mean if she doesn’t know (besides the SOS who would know) And, I am sure they will think it odd of her to be asking. I can’t for the life of me understand why folks are so lax and nonchalant with their seals. The power of the seal is enormous. It can create havoc on peoples lives and cause many financial problems.

In my humble opinion, it seems to me that if you are going to take on such a responsibility being a notary public that you would try at the very least to learn everything you can about being a notary public for your state. There are what I call the ‘rules of engagement’ and one should do their best to know them. Once you become a notary public you are considered a government official and you need to know what you ‘can and cannot do’. There are rules to be followed and you should know them.

It really terrifies me that we have thousands of notaries throughout the county that have no clue of what they are doing. They just tell me that they want to make a quick buck, or its just a side hustle or I just what to do loans. There is way more to being a notary then making a fast buck, etc. There can be financial devastation to you and/or others if you don’t know what you are doing. If you mess up someones paperwork it will be on you. And if you leave your stamp just laying around ‘willy nilly and it is used for fraud god forbid that to, will be on you. So for her to leave her stamp with her soon to be ex-husband was IMO gross negligence and I told her so. I recommended that she contact her husband immediately and secure her seal and journal (if he had that as well).

Please folks read your handbooks and learn all you can. It’s WAY more to being a notary than making a fast buck or side money….

You might also like:

My stolen identity and fraudulent notary seal
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20753

Notary Public Seal
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21411

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September 21, 2019

Notary Tips from Carmen

Filed under: Carmen Towles — admin @ 10:31 pm

Do your research FIRST before you buy anything.
Know the ends and outs of the notary business that you are trying to undertake.
know the difference between a notary and a signing agent. These are 2 different hats that can conflict with each other
Know what is expected of you.
Know how many notaries in your area.
Try to find out if they are busy.

Find answers to the following questions:

Is there any work in your area?
How do I get the work?
How much money will it cost me to get started?
What supplies and hardware do I need?
What license or insurance do I need?
How long will it take me to make a profit?

You cannot listen to folks who are selling classes. They have one objective-sell you their course. They will tell you what you what to hear. Keep in mind it takes quite a white to build a successful notary business. You need to market, market and market some more.

2. Make sure you know YOUR states notary laws; cold. This is of the utmost important. This knowledge is what will keep you out of
trouble. And it is far more important than loan signing. If you are a great notary you will be an exceptional signing agent.

Know what ID is acceptable in YOUR state. What to do if they don’t have acceptable ID. What if it is expired? Can you still use it?
Where to place your seal.
When can you use credible witnesses? and why would you use them?. What are they and how many do you need in your state?
Who’s sole responsibility is it to fix a notarial certificate?
When is it a must that you change the venue? Do you even know what a venue is?
Who’s responsibility is it to initial these changes?
Can you use another states notarial certificate? And if yes when?
When are you supposed to give an oath?

These two things seem to be the most the notaries argue about;

Notaries continue to argue about whether they can use another states acknowledgement or not.
They consiisting argue about making changes to the documents.

Who’s sole responsibility is it to fix a notarial certificate?
Who’s responsibility is it to initial certain changes on the notarial certificate?

You might also like:

Tips for Notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3360

How to fix mistakes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2231

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September 17, 2019

How a video game reminded me what a noble profession we have

Filed under: Other Guest Bloggers — admin @ 9:57 pm

So, you’re probably wondering why I’m even talking about a video game. After all, working as a notary is serious business and you wouldn’t be wrong in saying that it is a profession where errors are seriously frowned upon. Our experience in the profession varies, but the one thing that’s constant among all notaries is that there are professional standards that need to be met.

Some tasks are straightforward and simple, while others are more complex. Yet, no matter how simple the task may be, the smallest error can put others at risk. The game I’m referring to, called Papers, Please, offers is a similar — albeit virtual — experience.

First Off, What Exactly Is Papers, Please?

A recently released point and click game game, Papers, Please places the player in the shoes of a border inspector of a country called Arstotska. The player’s task is to screen each person who wants to enter the country and to try to adhere to standards set by the government. There are many other aspects of the game, but this is the aspect that I want to put a heavy emphasis on. In the game, making an error gets you a citation, and in the later stages an error means letting dangerous people through the border, which puts lives at risk. You essentially handle sensitive data, check it for accuracy and truthfulness, and decide whether you’d allow the person into the country or not.

It’s quite similar to how we check statements and decide if the facts hold up. In fact, most, if not all court proceedings rely heavily on notarized documents, especially during personal injury cases, according to the lawyers at tariolaw.com.

Why Should We Care About This Game?

Well, that’s where the error is. You assume that this is about the game. It’s not. What really struck me was how the tasks got more and more complicated as the game progressed. You have to assess various pieces of information and decide whether to stamp a traveller’s passport, allowing them access through the border.

This puts an air of risk in the game, even when all the player does is to look through papers and counter-check facts presented by a traveller. And the way that the travelers interact with the player in an attempt to appeal to the player’s kinder nature forces you to make hard decisions.

How Is It Related To The Profession?

It reminded me a lot of how we, as public notaries, are the front line of defense against any attempts to commit fraud. In the same way that the inspector in Papers, Please is the first line of defense against people who would do the country harm, we are the first line of defense against people who want to put falsehoods onto paper or when they try to twist the truth in their favor.

And it’s rather funny that I was unexpectedly reminded of this duty by a video game that I happened to stumble across whilst browsing my YouTube feed in my free time!

I mean, whether you’ve had 30 years of experience in the profession or you’re a rookie who’s learning the ropes, it can be draining to do the same thing over and over if you forget your purpose. I’ll say it again, ours is a profession that can’t have any mistakes, whether they’re big mistakes or common mistakes — we are all about accuracy and precision. And sometimes it can be quite draining, but always remember that the seal that we stamp has power and authority. People are depending on us to verify facts and to educate them on what they’re getting into by signing a document.

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Ken’s most popular oldies

Filed under: Ken Edelstein — admin @ 3:55 am

Here are some blog entries that I like to link to, but they tend to get buried.

Dress British, Think Yiddish
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8643

The Signature Name Affidavit
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16298

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

Notarizing your foreign language document
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2768

A job declined
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19979

Ken’s list of things a notary might goof on
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19427

Split PDF’s into legal and letter
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8856

The Affidavit of Occupancy
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10193

The Compliance Agreement
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15828

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September 15, 2019

5 Undeniable Benefits of Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer

Filed under: Other Guest Bloggers — admin @ 11:24 pm

Accidents are inevitable no matter how careful you are. You get out of some encounters without a scratch while some can end your career and even life. Whichever is the case, experts recommend getting the assistance of a lawyer to deal with such scenarios. Olympia Injury Lawyers is one of the most successful law firms in Washington that offers free consultation to anyone who needs their help. You can also visit their website for counselling and take advantage of these benefits.

They Take Your Stress
If you just faced an accident, you wouldn’t be in the condition to deal with legal matters. People don’t easily give up where there is money involved. You will most probably have to fight in order to get your right from the insurance company. Many get overwhelmed by the stress and don’t proceed further. An injury lawyer will take your stress upon himself.

You Get Better Offer
Even when the company agrees to pay you, they will do everything they can to minimize that amount. Unless you know how to negotiate with them, you won’t get your due right. A professional injury attorney would know every trick and how to encounter them. They will ensure that the company can’t trick or distress you into taking a small amount. Not only that, they are likely to get you more than what you expect. It is a part of their job to condescend the opposing party and force them into the settlement of your desire.

No Legal Issues
One wrong word can cost you the entire case. There are many trivial legal matters one has to take into account when dealing with an insurance company to get a settlement. An attorney will make sure you complete all legal requirements and don’t say anything you’re not supposed to. He will plan everything from the start and prepare you for the worst. He will be there to protect you from their tricks and stop you from getting overwhelmed.

Case May Go to Trial
Most injury cases are easily settled, but it doesn’t mean these cases never to go to trial. A layman tries his best to avoid a trial, especially when he doesn’t have a lawyer. The other party may take advantage of this fear and force you into agreeing to its terms. There won’t be such a case if you acquire the assistance of an injury lawyer in the beginning. The insurance company also wants to avoid trial and may offer a better settlement. If push comes to shove, you know you are more than ready to face trials with a professional lawyer by your side.

Save Your Time
You will find yourself surrounded by a lot of work when you file for a claim. You have a personal and professional life to maintain even with issues the accident may have caused. On top of that, having to deal with more paperwork and meetings could be too much for you. A personal injury lawyer will take care of everything giving you time for yourself and other matters.

Please also see:
Olympia Injury Lawyers

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September 14, 2019

The Role of Notaries After a Motor Vehicle Accident

Filed under: Other Guest Bloggers — admin @ 11:13 pm

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, then searching for a car accident lawyer is your top priority. They will help you deal with your claim and ensure that you get the best possible settlement when it comes to damages.

However, your lawyer, and the law firm they are associated with, cannot do anything related to your case without a notary doing their job.

In today’s article, we will talk about the role and importance of notaries after a motor vehicle accident.

Notarized Documents
As mentioned above, your car accident lawyer cannot start working on your case if the documents related to it are not first handled by a notary. This is because the court that will be judging your case will not accept any documents that haven’t been properly notarized.

Law firms usually have an employee that holds a notary license, making them capable of quickly notarizing the documents that are needed on a case that of their lawyers is working on.

However, some firms work with either freelancers or third-party notary services as well.

Failure to Notarize Documents
Before filing a personal injury claim, you must make sure that any of the documents that may be needed in court are properly notarized. If you fail to notarize some of those documents, you will lose both time and money.
Why?

Well, even if one single document is not notarized, you will have to file the entire case again. Moreover, depending on the state you live in and its jurisdiction, your case may end up being thrown out due to paperwork technicalities.
In short, it may take a very long time before you reach any settlement, simply because you or your law firm has failed to notarize a single document.

The Importance of Notaries and Notarized Documents
Given that you have just been injured in a motor vehicle accident, you won’t be keen on walking to a notary and getting your documents notarized. Therefore, you should always rely on a personal injury lawyer, as well as on a notary or two, to complete this process for you.

Moreover, keep in mind that you can get your documents notarized online as well, depending on the state you live in.

As you will have to deal with medical expenses and other bills caused by the accident, it is important that you do everything right and on time, to make sure that you don’t waste a single second, and that you will receive your compensation as quickly as possible.

Concluding Remarks
In short, notaries and notarized documents are vital for the filing of a motor vehicle accident claim. You, your lawyer, as well as the court, won’t be able to do anything with your case if you fail to present them with properly notarized documents.

Still, if you choose to work with a professional lawyer and their law firm, they will most likely deal with this aspect of your claim so that you can focus on treating your injuries.

While a notary is essential for a motor vehicle accident, it is better to focus on working with the right car accident lawyer!

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August 18, 2019

Here is why you should keep a journal…

Filed under: Carmen Towles — admin @ 11:40 pm

I was speaking with one of my notary colleagues and I don’t know how the topic of journals came up but it did. This notary lives and works in Florida and they are not required to keep a journal but he does. He says that he always has since day one. He says that it has saved him on more than one occasion.

He shared with me a couple of incidents that he felt have saved him from wasted time, lawsuits and lawyer fees. After a 5 year old notarization, he received a call from an attorney that wanted to know if he remembered notarizing for a Haitian woman whom he had met with. Typically he doesn’t remember them after a few years but he did remember her. The lawyer went on to tell him that the woman had since passed and the son was contesting the POA he had notarized, He said that his mother would not have signed such a document. It seems she had given one of the other sibling POA and this angered him. So, the notary found the journal entry, made a copy and sent to the attorney and that was the end of it. He never heard from him again.

On another occasion he actually received a subpoena and had to actually appear in court. It seems this was around the time of option arm loans and subprime. In any case, the signers of the loan were claiming fraud on the lenders part. Because no-one is required in Florida to keep a journal he was not asked for a journal entry. However, on the day of his court appearance he brought along his journal. Upon taking the stand to be questioned, he mentioned to the judge that not only did they appear before him and indeed sign the loan documents, he had journal entries along with thumbprints to prove it. The judge looked at the journal and in annoyance banged his gavel and said case dismissed. Pay your bills he directed to the borrower/signers.

Now think about this; what if in both these occasions he had not had a journal to prove that these people had met with him. Both these cases had the potential to drag on for weeks perhaps even months.

So moral of the story, PLEASE keep a journal for your own (and others) protection. For most states this is not a requirement. And, if your are precluded/prohibited form keeping one (Texas comes to mind) then by all means follow the rules/laws of your state. But for the rest of you that have no such restriction please keep a journal. It is so worth the extra effort. The benefits for out weigh the expense (buying journals) and the extra time required too fill them out. A journal could save your life…..

You might also like:

Do you keep a journal to please the notary division, judges, or the FBI?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19483

Notary Public 101 – Journals
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19511

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August 17, 2019

The Signature Name Affidavit: what is it and its purpose…

I am posed with questions concerning this document quite often. So let me tell what it is and what it isn’t. For those of you that are unfamiliar; this document is one of the documents found in 95% of all of loan packages.

The signature name affidavit represent names that have appeared on an individuals credit report(s). When a person applies for a loan, the lender runs a persons credit using all 3 of the credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax). These reports will usually include all of the names an individual has used in their lifetime; examples would be; marriages, maiden and name given at birth. The signers are required by the lender to sign the form and the form typically needs to be notarized.

At other times there will be clerical errors consisting of misspelled names and occasionally where the names are quite different. Sometimes in the case of the latter the signers will have an objection to signing the form and one can hardly blame them. So, if the signers have an objection to signing a name that is not their own, I have them strike it and initial. To date that has been acceptable and I haven’t had a document returned because of this action. (I suggest however, that you always bring this to the attention the company (or person) that hired you while-at the signing table if it is an issue. Never take matters into your own hands. ALWAYS ask).

There will be other times when the ID doesn’t match the documents exactly; say for example, a middle name is missing or the maiden was used previously and now they are married but they have no ID with these variations, you may be asked to add this name variation to the signature name affidavit in lieu of having ID. This is a big NO.NO. We must have current government issued picture ID. (or credible witnesses if they are allowed in your state). You CANNOT add names to the signature name affidavit that you DON’T have ID for. This is fraud and you will be on BIG trouble, if it ever comes up in an investigation or court case. I hear notary excuses; “But Carmen, they swore to me that that was their name.” Not good enough. Just imagine how this would appear to law enforcement or a judge. You must protect yourself and the signer. If you unfortunately find yourself in this situation always ask the signers if they have other acceptable ID that has all their names on it or use credible witness if allowed.

Now, I have actually added names to the signature name affidavit that I had ID for, but that is another blog story. 🙂

Until next time, be safe!

You might also like:

What constitutes a signature?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22173

The Signature Name Affidavit
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16298

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