One of the most difficult parts of my job is getting the borrower to understand that I am a notary signing agent, and that I do not work for the lender or title company. I am an independent contractor. They are under the impression that I perhaps have a desk or office at the title company, and that is where I work.
Not only that, but it is difficult to get them to understand that notary signing agents are not at liberty to discuss the terms of the loan with the borrower, give them any kind of advice, or explain how to complete any of the documents. There is some amount of explaining of the loan documents that we are allowed to do, but it is very limited.
The National Notary Association has prepared a 'Pledge of Ethical Practice', and recommends that notary signing agents present a copy of it to the borrower at the beginning of the closing. This is what the business card looks like:
I intend to use it. It lets the borrower know that notary signing agents are not at liberty to interpret the contents of the loan documents, and that they should refer to the lender, title company, or an attorney if they have any important questions. It can be produced in business card format, and there is also a certificate format. The print on the business card is a bit small and may be hard to read, so I'll present the certificate format for them to read. I may still have some of the business cards made to leave with the borrower.
The pledge can be downloaded from the National Notary Association website by logging on to the Notary Signing Agent Section.
What is a notary signing agent
-----------------------------
"The National Notary Association is the nation's professional Notary organization and serves the professional, educational, career and business needs of Notaries throughout the U.S. Since 1957, the NNA has helped Notaries to serve society responsibly and ethically."
Comments(1)