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March 4, 2015

Deceptive Fax Backs: The good ole’ bait and switch tactic

These days notaries are complaining about many things. There is the good old, “They never paid me.” Then there are those who got paid late. Cattle Calls with low-ball offers via email or text are a new source of notary exasperation. But, deceptive fax backs are another source of annoyance and grief.

Did I forget to mention the fax backs?
Notaries have been complaining about fax backs for a long time now. But, the types of issues I have been hearing about have been getting worse. It is common for companies to simply not mention fax backs, or to lie and claim that there are no fax backs. Then, later on, the notary will read the instructions and see that 50 pages of fax backs are required. What should a notary do at this point? Should they demand more money? Even if the signing company agrees, the notary will not likely get the extra cash. Should the notary just cancel the job knowing that they will never get paid for their extra 30 minutes of work? In my opinion, the way you handle this type of situation should be contingent on one fact — do you want to ever work for this company again? If yes, press 1 and do whatever they tell you to. If it is just not worth it in the long run due to bad past experiences, or it is below your well thought out standards then press 2 and tell them to forget about it because they did a bait and switch.

20 pages of fax backs will be necessary!
When negotiating fees, notaries want to know how many pages of documents will be in the package, and how many fax backs. It is typical for a notary to be promised a package of “about” 100 pages with 20 pages of fax backs. When they get the actual package it is 178 pages with 50 pages of fax backs. This happens more than you might think. The key to dealing with this is to have a policy that is well thought out that you create beforehand for how to deal with these types of situations.

If you are flexible, you will just do whatever the companies ask and deal with it.
If you have a lot of other things to do and time is tight, you can have your rate be based on a particular size of package, and then charge an additional rate for each additional page and each additional fax back. If the company signs a contract with you regarding your additional fees (which they will not likely do) then you are in business. However, many companies won’t pay your additional fees after the fact, so incorporate that sad fact into your policy.

Sample Fee Structure for notaries with 1000-3000 loans signed
Signings: $100 (eDocs not included)
eDocuments: $20 for first 100 pages per set; 12 cents for each additional page per set.
If the package is 200 pages, you charge them $32. And refused to work for them again until they pay this.
Fax Backs: $5 for first five, 50 cents for each additional.

Beginners Sample Fee Structure
Signings: $60
eDocuments: $15 for up to 200 pages per set
Fax Backs: Up to 25 included, additionals are 40 cents a page.
Beginners should price themselves low to get at least 500 signings worth of experience, and then consider raising their rates by $5-$10 if the market will tolerate that.

In real life, fax backs are mostly for complete beginners. And for them, I recommend that they just do it without complaining. Signing companies have no other way to ensure that the package was signed correctly. There are many notaries out there who don’t know what they are doing, and they have no way to know that you are the one notary who really does know what they are doing without fax backs, otherwise a half million dollar loan could be ruined which is not worth their risk.

Don’t work for them if they don’t pay the incidentals
If a company won’t pay for incidentals on extras that they didn’t tell you about up front, then don’t work for them again. If you lose too many customers, it is time to increase the number of pages and fax-backs that you will accept for your base fee. There is no right or wrong in rate structures. It is about charging what the market will bear, and not trying to charge based on what you think is fair.

You might also like:

Signing Companies that require lots of fax backs
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13088

Comments (18)

February 15, 2015

30 Point Test Course Book: Synopsis

Filed under: 30 Point Course,Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (very),Popular on Linked In — Tags: 30 point course — admin @ 5:21 am

30 Points in Your Favor!
The 30 point course book is yet another certification course offered by 123notary.com. But, this one is different. Our original certification course was a very dryly written quick course designed to teach notaries basic competency in loan signing. Our Elite course was written in late 2012 and was designed to teach very sophisticated aspects of doing business as a mobile notary such as communication, marketing, hiring others, and the finer aspects of notary and signing agent work. This new 30 point course will have some elements from both of these previously written courses, but will focus only on the technical aspects of notary and signing agent work of all levels ranging from basic to very advanced. Also, be sure to read about the new loan document which goes over facts and figures about the loan called, “The Loan Estimate” which is similar in information to the TIL & HUD-1.

Required additional reading

Best blog articles for advanced Notaries – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14736
Mobile Offices from A to Z – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=535
Signing Agent Best Practices – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4315
The Prepayment Penalty – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4429
The Loan Estimate (New) – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15437

Table of Contents

Page Titles

Each post about the 30 point course will have a story and several points which could make the titles appear a bit long.
Titles might look like this:
Point (13) The Automatic Payment Disclosure; Story: Marcy’s Babysitter

Use this link to see all published posts in a string in reverse order:
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=30-point-course

How is it different from the Elite course?
The Elite certification course was designed to get its students an upper arm in the notary business. It was designed to help them be a pro at negotiation, growing their business, and handling difficult strategic situations. The overall aim of the course was to help them make more money, grow their business, and gain attention from having the Yellow Elite Certification Icon next to their name on the search results. Notaries who passed are far more intelligent, sophisticated, and get a lot more work than their competitors in high spots on 123notary who lack the Elite designation. Based on my personal experience, I would vouch for the fact that a 123notary Elite signer has quadruple the signing agent knowledge as an uncertified signer. Although they don’t know everything, the depth and breadth of their knowledge is quite noticeable if you talk shop with them for more than a few minutes.

This 30 point course is only designed to teach notaries how to deal with technical situations like a pro, but not designed to help them get rich (although more knowledge never hurts). If you do well on the 30 point test, you can consider taking our Elite course. It will be easy for you if you got a high score on the 30 point test.

Summary of the 30 point course
The 30 point course will cover a wide range of notary and signing agent technical topics including following directions, best practices, understanding what information is where in the documents and more. Additionally, we added some entertaining stories to help make the text more enjoyable for the reader. There will be many stories which are designed to drive certain technical facts home in a pleasant and absorbing way.

Please Note
Not all of the questions covered in the 30 point test are taught in this course. Please rely on your personal experience as a notary to answer test questions not addressed in this course.

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What’s the difference between 16 clicks a month and 100 on 123notary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13185

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

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

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

Comments (4)

Signing Stream makes notaries sign a contract that they won’t write anything on forums

Filed under: Loan Signing 101,Popular on Facebook (comments),Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (some) — Tags: Notary Contracts, Signing Agent Contracts, Signing Stream — admin @ 4:22 am

Signing Stream is a signing company that is written about from time to time on our forum. On our list of signing companies, the reviews of this company are more negative than they are positive. But, what is unusual is that this company has a contract that forbids the notaries from writing anything electronically about their company. As you know, many notaries enjoy posting on our forum as well as on Notary Rotary’s forum. Posting on forums is how notaries learn critical information about signing companies as well as how they share information with other notaries. It seems like this company wants to tie the notary’s hands and put them in a bind.

One notary told me that they don’t always get documents in time from Signing Stream and don’t always get paid on time. But, she also said that she knows other notaries who are always paid on time by them. So, it looks as if you need to be popular or lucky to get paid on time on a regular basis. I also heard that they don’t want to hear about payment inquiries until the payment is at least sixty days due. I can understand that they don’t want to be badgered and hounded by a bunch of broke notaries, but sixty days? I think that forty-five days is more reasonable. After all, notaries have a legitimate right to know if they will have any food on the table.

My question is: should notaries be willing to work for any company that prohibits them from publishing their opinion on a forum? Such terms seem very unreasonable and very questionable. I think this would be a good Facebook discussion!

You might also like:

Signing Stream — commentary from Notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16658

2016 most active signing companies
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16482

Comments (20)

January 19, 2015

What’s the difference between a listing getting 16 clicks/month & 100+

Filed under: Marketing Articles,Ninja Theme Articles,Popular on Facebook (A little),Popular on Facebook (shares) — Tags: How to succeed as a Notary, Inexperienced Notaries, notaries, Notary — admin @ 11:24 am

Most notaries just think that a listing is a listing. They think that if they are listed on 123notary, that something wonderful will happen, but if it doesn’t, that’s our fault. Nothing is further from the truth. Some listings get a monopoly on clicks even if they are far down the list simply because they stand out and have quality information. Let’s get more specific.

Go and get some Reviews
We’ve been telling notaries for years now that they need to get reviews. If you were searching for a notary, a restaurant, or a bus tour of San Francisco, wouldn’t you read the reviews? If you were smart you sure would, otherwise you would waste your time and money on a service that was far from being the best. Put yourself in the position of the customer looking for a notary. You know you are good, and therefore you don’t think you need reviews, right? Or perhaps you are too shy to ask for fear of offending your clients who might think it is inappropriate. If you are appropriate, you will be sitting home all alone every Saturday night without a date so to speak, because you didn’t ask anyone out of fear of rejection or being inappropriate. You will lose at least half your potential calls if you don’t have reviews, so go and ask for some. Email them a link to your review page after you call them and ask too, so they will be able to find the review page.

Notes – be unique
Most notaries write very boring notes sections. If you have read 30,000 notes sections like I have, they all begin to look like they were written by the same person. They all mention E&O insurance, how responsible and error-free your work is, and how people-oriented you are. People are tired of hearing this. Yes, it is pertinent information, but start your notes out with something specific and unique. Read what the top notaries are writing in the various metros across our great nation to get ideas. We have written, and will continue to write articles on how to write a great notes section, so please read those, and think about what specific types of skills you have that are worth mentioning, and what is different about how you do your work.

Certification – stop complaining and just do it!
But, I don’t NEED another certification. I’m already “certified,” she said. I’ve heard this thousands of times. It is true that NNA’s new certification is somewhat necessary for inexperienced notaries to get work these days. However, those on 123notary who don’t have our certification icon next to their name lose more than half of the jobs they would have gotten if they had our certification. If you are so smart that you don’t need to take our test, then the test should be a breeze, so why complain about taking a wimpy test? Just do it! Pass it and get it over with. We only require notaries to pass our test once in their career.

Company names make you look professional
Having a company name won’t revolutionize your business, but it will make you look more professional and does attract about 17% more calls. Do it legally please and register with your county clerk.

Being higher on the list at a price you can afford
123notary makes its money by selling high placements. Being high on the list really does help get not only more work, but the cream of the crop of the jobs. The high paying companies start at the top and assume that those higher on 123notary are higher class notaries who know their stuff which is generally true (but, not always.) The companies that go down the list as a matter of habit are generally low-ballers. Sure, they might hire you, but do you really want $75 to print out two sets of documents at 150 pages per set, do fax-backs, and then find out that your job got cancelled after you printed everything out? We understand that not everyone can afford to be #1 on the list. But, upgrading to a preferential or a p#13 can make a big difference in the performance of your listing, and you can email us for a quote. P#10’s and p#13’s will not break your bank, but are a great intermediary step in moving up our list!

Answer your phone
Last, but not least — answer your phone. Many notaries have a policy of not answering their phones during a signing. If we call you to remind you about your renewal, or to offer you the #1 spot, and you don’t answer your phone, guess what happens? We don’t call a second time! You snooze you lose. Signing companies have a list of twenty notaries to call for each job opening. If you don’t answer your phone out of consideration for those who hired you, you will lose out on your next job of the day, or tomorrow’s job. Each phone call you don’t answer could cost you $20 as one in five is likely to be a serious offer. Do the math, think about it, but if the phone rings while you’re thinking about it — then answer your phone.

You might also like:

What to write in your notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6651

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

Comments (2)

December 21, 2014

123notary Reviews

There are many sites out there that recommend 123notary. However, there is no organized way to find testimonials or reviews about 123notary.com. There are individual notary web pages that mention that they are certified or elite certified by 123notary.com. There are resource pages which recommend 123notary as a resource as well. Additionally, on Facebook, there are discussions where notaries give their honest opinion about which notary directory they like the most. Sometimes they like 123notary most while others prefer Notary Rotary or Notary Cafe.

Here are some links to sites that have unbiased commentary about 123notary.com.

Read this one first!
Leon Austin comments that 123notary certification is hard, but in terms of return on investment, has been one of the best!
http://leona.activerain.com/post/921279/123notary-certification

Trustlink
3 reviews about us. Two had amazingly good luck while another is sore about his free listing being removed. Can’t please them all!
https://www.trustlink.org/Reviews/123Notarycom-205850296

Notary Memphis
This site gives a quick description of the perks of 123notary and other notary sites.
http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~timgatewood/notary/notarylinks.html

Houston Mobile Notary Service
They describe the benefits of 123notary Elite certification.
http://www.houstonmobilenotaryservice.com/accreditations.html

Helpful Links
Find helpful links here about many notary organizations including 123notary!
http://www.alldocumentsmobilenotary.com/helpful-links/

How to get started as a mobile notary.
123notary is listed as a resource
http://afterhoursva.com/how-to-get-started-as-a-notary-signing-agent/

#123notary on our blog
We have many posts under the tag #123notary on our blog. It is us talking about us, but interesting reading none-the-less.
It includes one negative review about us from a Russian lady who complained she got too many calls for notary work from our site. Of all the bad reviews I’ve ever gotten, that is the absolute best.
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=123notary

CA Notary Services
This notary is Certified by 123notary and his page shows up on the first page of Google because he links to his own page from his other sites. Interesting!
http://www.123notary.com/notary-info.asp?id=82389

The Delaware Notary Association
They list 123notary as a resource
http://www.delawarenotaryassociation.org/default.aspx?PageId=9

Florida Preferred Notary
This Notary is Elite certified by 123notary!
http://www.floridapreferrednotary.com/Resources.php

Instagram Photos of 123notary
http://iconosquare.com/tag/123notary

Julian Hill
He produced a VIDEO about his notary service in NYC & mentions he is 123notary certified
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d90AQInXPBg

Here is an Elite Certified Notary’s website
http://www.mobilesignings.com/?p=101

Frank Tabacca is a member of many notary organizations and 123notary certified!
http://www.marinprecisionnotary.com/about/

Notaries discuss 123notary’s Elite Certification
This discussion doesn’t exactly support my cause of selling more Elite certifications. Many notaries claim that more certifications are not necessary. One compares them to Boy Scout Merit Badges. However, in real life, Elite certified signers get 4x the business than those not certified by 123notary in similar positions in the search results!
https://www.facebook.com/123notary/posts/10151408367726466

You might also like:

.

123notary’s Google+ Page
This is brand new, and it is yet another place to read our notary posts and shares. There is also a community where you can post your own content. Anyone with a Gmail account can participate in our community. Just join!
https://plus.google.com/115707701763602775915/posts

123notary’s Linked In Page
For discussions that are fun, visit our Facebook page. But, if you want practical down to business discussions, our Linked In members are top notch in this respect and will deliver riveting opinions!
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/123Notary-Notary-directory-information-discussions-4139192

My personal Twitter
I use it more for notary tweets than anything else, but there are all types of tweets there if you are interested.
https://twitter.com/jbelmontnotary

123notary listings on 123epayment.
Purchase listings here. But, you might ask Carmen first before you make a purchase just to be on the safe side.
https://www.123epayment.com/result.asp?cat=5

Our travel blog! Great foodie & travel information
http://blog.meander411.com/

123ecourses.com
This is where we have our certification courses and tests!
http://www.123ecourses.com/

123notary vs. Notary Rotary
The notaries disagree as to which site gets them more business. Read the nitty gritty!
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23

Comments (0)

September 19, 2014

How to become a successful mobile notary from scratch

Filed under: Marketing Articles,Popular on Facebook (comments),Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (very),Popular Overall — Tags: Become a mobile notary — admin @ 8:57 am

Anyone can become a successful mobile notary. The field is wide open. On the other hand, since it is so easy to become a mobile notary, many people do it which causes a lot of low priced competition. However, those who are very good at this profession seem to do well with it even in bad times. As of 2014, business is slow, but you can still have a nice part time income doing mobile notary work. Additionally, eventually the industry will pick up, and you might find yourself earning more money than you expected!

Step 1. Become a Notary
If you are not a notary, you can easily become one. It is a bit harder in CA, NY, LA, and FL where there are examinations, but talk to your state notary division about how you can become a notary for your state.

Step 2. Learn the ropes: Jail, Hospital & Mortgage Signings
Being a mobile notary is more than just hauling your stamp around with you in your car. You need to know how to handle typical situations that mobile notaries have to deal with. Mobile notaries who do well typically are experts at jail signings, hospital signings, and loan signings. Notaries who work in an office don’t need to know much about jail signings, because inmates can’t come to you, and neither can those with an IV tube stuck up their arm. But, if you are on the road, these are situations you have to know about. There are many identification and communication issues associated with jail and hospital signings that can get you in trouble if you don’t know. On the other hand, you can make a huge travel fee doing these types of specialized mobile notary tasks that the other notaries don’t know how to do (or want to.)

Mortgage signings
Signing loans can earn you big bucks. Signers make anywhere from $50 to $150 per signing. Fees fluctuate with the market and depend on who you are doing business with and how good you are. If you have a lot of experience and have many loyal contacts, you can set your minimum fee at $100 or $125 per loan signing if you are any good. You will need to know some basic Mortgage terms, and know the basics about 10-20 basic documents. You need to know where to look for the Rate, APR, prepayment penalty, when the first payment is due, where the fees are, and other basic information. You need to know how to handle name variations, initialing and borrower objections to problems in the loan. You need to know who to call when a loan signing is on the rocks. Signing loans is not rocket science, but there are concepts you need to Master.

Take our course!
http://www.123notary.com/loan_signing_courses.html
How can you learn about all of these complicated and scary types of signings? 123notary offers a comprehensive loan signing course that covers all of these issues in detail. Additionally, you can get free detailed information in our blog about all of these topics. Just browse around the categories on the right and read to your heart’s content!

Step 3: Active Marketing
Getting work as a mobile notary is a bit hard at first, but you can do it. Contact a dozen or more signing & title companies each week and get on their list. They will want copies of various types of information and a signed contract, so ask them what they want, and give it to them. You can also give your business card out to local nursing homes, hospitals, Real Estate offices, law offices and anyone else you can think of who might need a mobile notary.

Step 4: Passive Marketing
Advertising on the major directories is a good practice. Notaries often ask on Linked In which directory they should join. My standard answer is to join all of them, but not necessarily to pay for all of them. The strongest players in 2014 are 123notary.com, NotaryRotary, NotaryCafe, and SigningAgent.com lost a lot of steam recently, but is still in the game. If you join other directories, I don’t recommend paying for them as they don’t have a good track record. You can go on Linked In to research what the notaries say are the better notary directories too for an unbiased point of view. Hard copy yellow pages for your local area may or may not get you work — it is worth a try if you are serious though.

Being listed on the big directories is not enough. You need to maintain your listing like a pro. Fortunately for you, I am here to offer you free mentoring by email, so don’t panic! You need a well written notes section, a company name helps, reviews from your satisfied clients, and try to pass as many certifications as you can.

Step 5: Who to get certified by?
My rule is that you get certified by every loan signing directory that you pay to advertise with — even if that means that you get certified five times. I am currently recommending:

(1) NNA’s certification as it is an industry standard
(2) 123notary’s certification if you get paid advertising with us as notaries who get this get 2.5x the work from our directory
(3) notary2pro’s certification (although not an industry standard) is very high quality, they offer hand holding, and the learning you will get from it justifies the cost.

Step 6: Screen companies you work for
Many signing agents drop out because they worked for the wrong companies, didn’t get paid, and suffered financially. Don’t let this happen to you! Use our list of signing companies (which includes reviews) and avoid working for signing companies with a high ratio of negative reviews. Additionally, don’t do too many jobs for a particular company until they have paid you for previous jobs. Decide ahead of time how much credit you are going to give them and don’t let them run up a bill beyond your limit.

Step 7: Become an expert at scheduling and negotiating
You need to be constantly refining your skills to do well in this business. Although there is a lot of competition, few of them have refinement. Scheduling is a hard task, and you need to juggle when the e-Documents are supposed to come, when your signing is, and when the next signing is. e-Documents don’t always come on time, so learn to juggle well. Negotiating good fees is also an art form, so pay attention to our blog articles as from time to time we have articles about how to negotiate.

Step 8: Get a high spot on 123notary
We make our money selling high spots on our directory. We generally discourage people from getting a high spot until they have passed our certification test and have at least a review or two. But, if you are serious and want to get ahead, call us and ask how you can get a high placement in your area. We are often very flexible and offer six month trials to those just starting out. The Title & Escrow companies who use our site know that those who purchase high spots on our directory are serious, and those notaries generally get a lot more quality jobs from our site than those with low spots.

Professional backgrounds that help
If you have a background in Mortgage, Escrow, Loan Origination, or Lending, this can really help you do better in the mobile notary business as you will be working a lot with Mortgage documents. However, don’t fool yourself into thinking you know more than you know. Many Mortgage Brokers assure me that they know their stuff and don’t need my test. When I ask them simple loan signing questions over the phone, they can only answer half of the easy ones. Go back and study and master the art of the signing. Your background does help you, but your over-confident attitude can really ruin your career. Additionally, it is very different being on the Notary side of the table than it is being on the Lender or Broker side of the table. Try to learn this profession from out point of view.

Real Estate backgrounds do not help as much as Real Estate Brokers claim. You are not anywhere near as familiar with the documents as you claim. As a matter of fact, those with Real Estate experience cannot answer simple loan signing questions any better than those with no Mortgage or Real Estate experience. Approach this profession as a beginner and learn the ropes one by one. The people skills you learn from being a Realtor on the other hand, can really help you. General business skills and being businesslike help more than any technical knowledge you may have acquired in your former professional life.

Don’t be afraid to ask if you need help
And as always, 123notary is there to help! If you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask!

You might also like:

Notary Marketing 102
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19774

20 stories about animals at signings
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3074

Best marketing resources for Notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16322

Beginner Notaries 103 reading list for new notaries
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21120

Comments (11)

August 24, 2014

New Notary Apps that you really need!

Filed under: General Articles,Popular on Facebook (A little),Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular Overall,Ultra-Popular — Tags: Billing Applications, eJournal Applications, Find Cheap Gas, Notary Apps, Signing Company Reviews — admin @ 3:12 am

The entire world has gone app crazy in the last few years. Personally, I use GPS, and my alarm clock. That’s about it for me in terms of apps. But, what types of apps might notaries need to stay ahead?

(1) Look up signing company reviews.
123notary already has this for i-phones. It is a page, not an app, but what is the difference right?
www.123notary.com/s

(2) Find a cheap gas station
Google already does this. Just visit www.google.com and look up “cheap gas” or “gas prices” and then add your zip code. Or enter your city name and gas prices for a better selection if you live in a big city.
You can also use gasbuddy.com

(3) Billing applications?
Very few notaries use sophisticated technology to know who owes them what and for how long. But, there are companies out there who have billing applications that you can see at a glance who owes you what and who to invoice. Is it worth it? You tell us!

(4) Road condition apps.
There are GPS systems that tell you which route to your destination is faster under current situations. Such technology has cleaned up traffic congestion in many cities around the world. If you have technology that tells you how to avoid traffic, you could save an hour per day every day! That would be worth paying a bundle.

(5) Translation apps (risky)
The notary is supposed to be skilled in whatever language they use at a signing. If you look up words in an application, you might screw up and the signer might understand you incorrectly or not at all. Words sometimes have multiple translations. “Do you swear to tell the truth” could translate into “Will you marry me” if you miss a subtle nuance in certain languages. But, for those who are app crazy, you are apt to get one anyway. So, go for it! SayHi Translate can do this by the way!

(6) Mileage log apps for the IRS
The IRS may request to see your trip logs. If it is digital, that might be good, unless it is hard to download, print, or gets accidentally compromised. But, paper records can get lost too, so which way is safer? You can keep track of your miles using your i-phone if you have an app for that. I don’t know of any app like that, but they probably exist as probably 50 million Americans deduct mileage for one reason or another.

(7) eJournal applications?
These exist. You need to be an eNotary to use one. Out of 7000 notaries on our site, I’m sure there are a good three or four of you who are commissioned eNotaries.

(8) iSchedule
You guessed it. This app will manage your busy schedule. You can input all your appointments with this app and all is well until you go into a dead zone or run out of battery.

(9) TurboScan
Quickly scan multipage documents into high-quality PDF’s. Wow! Sounds like a winner for companies who want fax-backs.

(10) Documents Free (Mobile Office Suite)
Not sure what this does, but you can read up on it.

(11) Contacts <-> Excel
I think we all know what this is for.

(12) UPS Mobile
Ship your packages using your i-phone, and hopefully a UPS box. You might need a printer too.

And last but not least… (and appropriately numbered)

(13) Ghost Hunters Haunted House Finder
Find a haunted house near you. Or use it to look up your signings. If one of your signings is in an officially haunted house, suggest that you all meet at Starbucks. Use your Starbucks finder app to get there!

(14) Page Separator Pro
Split those legal and letter sized pieces of paper. Even some dual tray printers don’t have the ability to figure out which tray prints what, and why…

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January 18, 2014

You could get sued if you don’t have a business license

Filed under: Legal Issues,Popular on Facebook (comments),Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (very),Popular Overall,SEO,Technical & Legal — Tags: Business License, Business Licenses, Business Name, Notary Business Name, notary commission, Registered Business Name — admin @ 12:16 am

Legally, you might need to get a business license
Did you just get your Notary Commission? Good for you! Do you want to start a business doing notarizations? unlikely unless you have gotten huge without a business license. However, there is a small chance that someone else might register that business name somewhere in your state or county and sue you for damages. After all, you were Legally, you might need to get a business license. But, most notaries don’t get one until they want to use a particular business name. Some even advertise in the yellow pages without having a registered business name. What is the risk in not doing so? Will the state government come crashing down on you? That is using THEIR business name and they could claim to have lost money!

Changing or removing your business name
The problem is that once you put your business name in print on the internet or in printed advertising, you might find it very difficult to get change it or remove it. Google keeps a cache of old pages for months as well, so that information you posted on the internet could haunt you long after you remove it!

Notary Business names that change every month?
We have notaries on 123notary who change their business name every month. Each time it is a different variation. In October it is MG Notary Service, and then it changes to MG Properties, and then in December it is Mary’s Notary & Apostille. Which one is it? Notaries cannot change their personal or business name on our site without my intervention. But, when I see that they are changing their business name every month, I begin to think that “perhaps” their business name is not really registered, and that they don’t have business licenses. Hmmm. Once I asked someone to send me proof of their business license and they sent me a copy of a newspaper ad they had used to publish their business name. The text was different sizes and on different lines, and I couldn’t tell which part of the name was commentary and which part was the name on their business license. Good God!

Be safe and get registered
It is better to think long and hard about what your business name should be. Then, register your business name, and get a company bank account. Then you can advertise, and do business as a DBA without “as much” risk of being sued due to your business name. There can always be some clown who still wants to make trouble with you who has that same business name registered in another county, but if you are playing by the rules, it will be harder for someone to question the legitimacy of your business name and probably less likely that they can sue you for “business name infringement”. Your name on your notary commission is registered, why shouldn’t your business name as well?

Tweets:
(1) Did you just get your notary commission? Good! You need to get a business license now.
(2) Once your business name is registered & in print, it is not easy to change it. Think it over first.
(3) We have notaries on 123notary who change their business name every month. Doesn’t sound very legal.
(4) You might be held liable for “business name infringement” if you don’t register your biz name.

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October 8, 2013

Interview with Title Source

Filed under: Best Practices,Loan Signing 101,Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (very) — Tags: edocs, Notary, Scheduling Team, Title Source — admin @ 11:06 am

Me: “Many of our notaries like working with you. Can you tell me why? What do you do that is so good?”

Zee: “Notaries are intrigued by our system, our technology. We try to put it in order in our edocs. About 95% of our closings will require notaries to print out. We get things done in a timely manner. Our website is easy to logon to and provide a service. We also try to give notaries work within their area– within 20 miles.

I do instruct notaries that they can contact our scheduling team and get them to the lender as needed if there is an issue at a closing. Someone is always available. I do ask notaries not to discuss any specifics of docs with our scheduling team.

We give notaries a score 1.5 to 3.5. 1.0 is the best. If they earn a good score they get more work or a raise. Their score includes completion time–including dropping the package at FedEx; quality of work: if there is a signature missing, that would be a defect. Confirmation-turn time is also important. The fee they charge is also part of that. A good fee for us is $65, and another $20 for edocs. A refi might be $90. I pay my national companies $125 for a signing; I would also pay that to a good notary. I have to have a loan assigned to a notary within 2 hours. I let the notary tell me what fee they want. I can’t guarantee them they will get many orders at, say, $125. But if I build you a profile today, I will put you at the top of the page. Our site will help you build your profile. There is no fee to do that. We call those who say $85 before those who say $125.

When we look on 123notary we may look by zip code or by city, but lately we are limiting the notaries to those who are NNA or Lexis-Nexis background screened. Those background screenings are the best.

We give instruction sheets. If there is something specific the client wants, we put it on the instructions.

We usually do not hire notaries who have fewer than 2 years of experience (fewer than 500 loans). We absolutely would hire a new notary with experience in a financial area. Any experience with the mortgage industry. Sometime real estate people have good experience. We close loans all over the country. We have a quiz or test that we give first if a notary wants to sign up– about 10 questions. You have to listen to something before– various questions about situations: they look at a video (2-3 minutes) and then answer questions. They have to get all the questions right. ”

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June 6, 2013

Industry Standards in the Notary Business

Filed under: Loan Signing 101,Ninja Theme Articles,Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (very) — Tags: Attorney States, Cross outs, Experienced Notaries, Fedexing Documents, Notary Industry Standards, What loan processors say about initialing — admin @ 1:53 am

Many notaries claim to understand the loan signing business well. But, there are many things that even experienced notaries don’t know. Here are some industry standards to think about.

(1) Cross outs
Some lenders allow them while others don’t. As a best practice, avoid crossing anything out unless you have gone through all other recourses without any luck. You should ask your contact person if they think it is okay to cross-out before doing so. If you can’t reach your contact person, see if that company allows cross outs. Remember, even if a company allows cross outs, it can compromise an entire loan and cause a redraw. So, don’t be “Cross-out-happy”.

(2) Initialing
This topic is not well taught, but really matters. I have received instructions that are identical from two unrelated parties. One was a processor, and the other was the owner of a signing company. Both instructed me that if a surname is spelled incorrectly in the signature section of a document, the initial goes UNDER the name. The processor noted that it should ideally go under the last several letters of the surname. Why? The processor or quality control people involved in the loan need to type in the corrected version of the name, and if you put initials where they are going to type, they will run out of space. This is a practical consideration and not a legal one. Initials go UNDER, so that retyped names can go to the RIGHT. This is a test question by the way.

(3) Order of documents
Most companies like documents returned in the same order they were submitted. Some are more flexible than others about this, but it is easier and more organized for them. That way they will know right away if they are missing something. Checks or notes should go on the TOP of the package and ideally attached to an 8.5 x 11 document so they don’t float away if unattended. Gusts of wind and careless coworkers walk by, bumping into things, and sending loose documents flying. I remember a client who lost a $20,000 check that I specifically remember putting in the package. Hmmm. Be careful — I am!

(4) Unsigned documents
If a borrower won’t sign a document, it should be returned at the TOP of the package. You don’t know who will open the package. Often it is a secretary, assistant, co-worker, or someone other than the contact person. If they don’t realize immediately that there is a problem, then there will be a delay fixing the problem. Remember — these folks are multitasking, and your loan is not the only one. Although you told them in a phone message that there is a problem, they still need the problem to be in their face.

(5) Hustling the borrowers
If a borrower doesn’t want to sign a document, don’t start off by pulling a “used car salesman” tactic. Call the contact person you have, i.e. Title, signing company, lender, etc. Leave a message, and allow 20 minutes for them to call you back. Call them once more if you don’t hear from them and wait another five minutes. If you still don’t hear from them, then you can tell the borrower about their three day right to cancel, and how if they don’t sign the document they might be facing a redraw. Remember, don’t start off by twisting the borrower’s arm — that is a last resort and is very rude and unprofessional to start off that way.

(6) Fedexing back the documents
If there is a problem communicating with the lender or other contact person, don’t delay Fedexing documents back unless instructed to. Many signers feel that it is “professional” to hold on to the documents until the next day until right before the Fedex deadline. Guess what, you might hear from the lender with instructions or you might not. But, what if you get busy and FORGET to dump the Fedex? What if you or a family member has a health emergency and you can’t drop the Fedex? Do you think of these things? Get rid fo the Fedex THAT NIGHT into the drop box at a staffed Fedex station if possible even if the staff are no longer there. It will get picked up. Remote drop boxes are sometimes risky, but boxes at Fedex stations are very safe. Think when handling time sensitive documents.

(7) Emailing documents back
If you get e-documents and have a question, don’t scan and email a document back. That is NOT secure. A hacker could do identity theft. Lenders are very uncomfortable with the idea that a notary would compromise their information. Use a phone or a fax, but not email for sharing information about the borrower. Remember, that when you received the documents, the portal was PASSWORD protected.

(8) Instructions
Many lenders have a letter of instructions when they assign a loan. The industry standard here is that there is no standard. Some lenders give written instructions while others don’t. Each one wants something different. Follow instructions to a tee, and you will be first on their list.

(9) Explaining things to the borrowers
If you are NOT in an attorney state, you can explain generic information about documents to the borrowers. But, do not give specific information about their loan, specific answers to questions about their loan, or commentary particular to their loan. Not allowed. Don’t even tell them their Rate. Just point and say, “Is this what you asked about?”. That way you are carefully refraining from telling them anything which they could accuse you of misstating after the fact.

(10) Confirm the completion of the signing with a tracking #
When you are done with a signing, leave a message with the Fedex tracking number.

(11) Title & Escrow prefer blue ink
I always used black unless specifically asked to use blue. But, many lenders nationwide prefer blue ink so that they can identify an original from a B&W copy immediately.

(12) Take the Fedex to a HUB.
Remote drop boxes are a recipe for disaster. Title will be all over you if the documents don’t get back on time. Find out where all of your local Fedex stations are. You could lose your best client if the documents don’t get back on time. Get a receipt too and save yourself a lot of problem. Not an industry standard, but it SHOULD BE.

(13) 40% of signing companies say: Don’t call the borrowers.
If you don’t call the borrowers, they won’t know that you are coming. Half the time, they won’t be ready for you either. So, unless you are absolutely sure that the company will pay you if the borrowers don’t sign, then think twice.

(14) Sign exactly as the name is printed
What if the identification doesn’t have the same name variation? Your Secretary of State might not take kindly to the fact that you notarized them under a name that is substantially different from what their ID reads. Proceed with caution and use a Signature Affidavit if necessary. Make sure that middle initials are clearly signed too so that the lender can sell the loan. If any part of the signature looks like it is omitted, reselling the loan will be a problem.

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