notary signing agents: Just a reminder
- 01/03/09 10:15 PM
I always pay my Verizon wireless bill on time. One of the reasons: Each month Verizon sends me a reminder email with a subject line: "Important Information Regarding Your Verizon Wireless Account." The message starts out: "Your current Verizon Wireless bill statement is now available for online viewing. ..." It's a good thing that I get these monthly reminders. I have so many things to think about, and so many other bills to pay. It's hard to keep track of all of these things sometimes. It got me to thinking how difficult it is for notary signing agents to get paid … (0 comments)
notary signing agents: Foreign language training for notaries
- 12/29/08 12:55 PM
I received the January issue of The National Notary, published by the National Notary Association. In it (on page 24) is an article about opportunities for notaries who know a foreign language. I agree that knowing a foreign language can be a benefit. I've even submitted a few articles on this subject in my ActiveRain blog. Although the article in The National Notary has some merits, there are several things that I have to take issue with. It mentions the difficulties of learning dialects. For example, Chinese. It states: "Even to many Chinese, these dialects can be as alien as a … (1 comments)
notary signing agents: Microsoft OneNote for Notary Signing Agents
- 12/27/08 09:37 PM
Microsoft OneNote is a great tool for organizing all types of notes and information, regardless of your occupation. I had already been using it for organizing personal information, then decided to create workbooks for my Notary Signing Agent information.
The beauty of OneNote is that it is simple to use, yet powerful. This is how a workbook appears on the screen. To the left you have tabs for all of the workbooks you've created. At the top are the sections in the workbook. To the right are the pages for each section. It's like having a 'table of contents' at … (2 comments)
notary signing agents: Handling difficult questions from borrowers
- 12/26/08 11:05 PM
Any questions that notary signing agents will be asked by the borrowers at a closing fall into 3 categories: those that can't be answered those that can be answered, and those that shouldn't be answered Questions in the first category are usually easy to deal with. These questions are the kinds of questions that the loan officer should answer. And that is the person we refer the borrowers to. It's the questions in the last 2 categories that notary signing agents have to be prepared to deal with. And it's not always easy, because questions that can be answered, might also … (2 comments)
notary signing agents: Preventing costly errors at closing
- 12/22/08 06:12 AM
I was reading on one of the notary message boards about a notary signing agent who was asked to backdate documents because the Deed of Trust was initially left out of the loan documents at closing.
First of all, backdating is illegal. It is never permissable under any circumstances. So there is no way for the notary to resolve the problem by notarizing the Deed of Trust using the original date of the closing. The company that hired her can plead all they want. It's illegal. But I couldn't help thinking that the problem could have somehow been avoided. One … (1 comments)
It's a good idea. No one wants to make a call to a signing agent, only to find out that they will be out of town. However, sending all of the companies a holiday schedule can be difficult. After all, as independent contractors we work with literally hundreds of clients. There are a few things that we can do to reach out to as many clients as possible. Phone message Prepare a … (0 comments)
Unfortunately I only carry $100,000. But I was able to do the closing because I was covered under the insurance policy of the signing service that hired me. And there are companies that require that the notary signing agent have $100,000 E & O insurance:
When I first started as a notary signing agent I bought the E & O insurance that came with the notary supply package that I purchased through the National Notary Association. It was … (0 comments)
notary signing agents: Setting a cutoff time for confirmations
- 12/21/08 10:23 PM
There's an old saying: 'A bird in the hand is worth two in a bush.' Notary signing agents operate on a similar principle. Only for us, the 'bird' is the confirmation.
My motto is: 'Without a confirmation, there is no closing.' If you've been in this business long enough, you've experienced situations where a company will tell you that they agree to your fee. Then the moment you hang up the phone, they are looking for a different signing agent who will do the job cheaper. Or they will call you to do a closing, but they don't have the documents … (0 comments)
notary signing agents: Error-free loan signings: Is there such a thing?
- 12/17/08 10:46 AM
I was reading on one of the notary message boards about a notary signing agent who had to go back out to the borrowers 3 times in order to correct errors that she (the signing agent) made in a closing. It's bound to happen that a signing agent may have to go back once to correct an error. But never twice. And certainly not 3 times. I was trying to imagine what kind of errors she made that would necessitate going back that many times. Also, what could she have done to prevent making the errors? I would summarize the answer … (1 comments)
notary signing agents: 'Door to Door', or 'Door2Door'?
- 12/16/08 08:12 PM
There are so many signing companies in existence, that it seems they have run out of names. So they copy the name of another company, but change the spelling. The problem is that, companies don't necessarily do this because they can't come up with a different name. Many times it's done to deceive unsuspecting notary signing agents. If a company has a very good reputation, another company will try to capitalize on the good name of that company by using a similar name -- with a slightly different spelling. For example, a company can use the suffix 'docs' by changing the … (4 comments)
notary signing agents: Still in business: touching bases with old clients
- 12/16/08 02:41 AM
Several of the calls that I have received recently have started with the question: 'Are you still doing closings?' I assure the caller that I am. These calls are mostly from companies that I have never worked with. My guess is that they have called other notary signing agents and discovered that the person is no longer doing closings. It's a fact: Many notary signing agents have left the profession as the number of closings have decreased dramatically. But many of us are able to stay in business, and we need to let companies know this. One of the best and … (7 comments)
notary signing agents: Regrets for not doing a closing
- 12/15/08 04:00 AM
I got a call a couple of weeks ago to do a closing up in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. I didn't do it. As you can see from this map, it's much closer to Denver and Littleton than it is to Colorado Springs. I don't think the caller was aware of how far it was from Colorado Springs. There are very many notary signing agents up in that area. I recommended that he try to locate a notary signing agent up in the Denver area. Not only would it be more convenient for the borrower and the signing agent, but the company would … (2 comments)
notary signing agents: FHA Title 1 home improvement loan closing
- 12/13/08 12:12 AM
I had the opportunity last night to provide remote closing service for some people in Rocky Ford, Colorado. This map will give you some idea just how remote the location is, and how important it is that people in this area have someone come out to them. It's over 90 miles from Colorado Springs:
My assignment was to do the closing on a FHA Title 1 home improvement loan. To be honest with you, it was the first time that I had ever done a FHA Title 1. But it wasn't difficult. There are several documents that are unique … (0 comments)
notary signing agents: Working for companies with no reputation
- 12/11/08 06:02 AM
When signing agents accept a request to do a closing from a company they never heard of, one of the first things they do is check the message boards to see if they can find any information on the company. They want to read what other signing agents have to say about the company. Does it pay in a timely manner? Does it pay -- at all? Etc. What if there isn't any information? There's a saying: 'No news is good news.' Well, in this business, no news isn't always good news. But it isn't necessarily bad either. That is the position … (0 comments)
notary signing agents: Charging extra for Sunday closings
- 12/11/08 02:38 AM
Like many notary signing agents, I do this full time, and am available to do closings 7 days a week. My fee is basically the same, whether the closing is on Monday or the weekend. I'll charge an additional fee for long distance travel expenses, if applicable, but that's the extent of my extra fees. In short, I don't feel the need to 'nickel and dime' my clients for every thing I do. Apparently not everyone feels this way. I came across a profile on one of the notary signing agent websites (SigningAgent.com). The signing agent posted a lot of exorbitant … (3 comments)
notary signing agents: Certification and Background screening for notary signing agents
- 12/10/08 06:36 AM
When I first started in this profession I wasn't sure which certification to get. There are more than one? Yes, at the time there were several. Each organization thought there's was better. 'Our certification is more rigorous.' 'This certification is more widely recognized.' Yada yada. I decided on the certification offered by the National Notary Association (NNA). At the time there was no background screening that came with it. You were a 'Certified Notary Signing Agent.' You received a certificate, the right to use the 'CNSA' designation, and the right to use the logo. There were also some supplies and other … (0 comments)
I always pay my Verizon wireless bill on time. One of the reasons: Each month Verizon sends me a reminder email with a subject line:
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