Vehicle Titles – Arizona Arizona is going paperless with motor vehicle titles and eliminating the need for a Notarization. This actually has been in beta testing since mid 2021 and initially began as 'Sold Notices' on the ADOT website. It now has expanded to the eTitle process effective September of 2022. This does not effect real estate transactions **think Mobile Homes. If the Seller is requesting a notarization, it can still be done if they have the previous paper Title version. But the DMV will also accept those without a notarization. For an overview of the process go to; https://azdot.gov/motor-vehicles/vehicle-services/vehicle-title-and-registration You can use the information in this article to direct your calls and inquiries to the websites listed below. This is effective on 09/24/2022 Electronic Titles Are Here—Safe, Secure, Convenient No more paper When you title or register a vehicle in Arizona, your title information is stored electronically and you no longer automatically receive a paper title. You can view your title information in your AZ MVD Now account. Similarly, when you pay off a vehicle loan, the title will be held electronically. If a paper title is needed, for reasons such as moving out of state, you can use the Title Replacement service on AZ MVD Now. The fee is $4. eTitle Transfer are currently only available only for non-commercial vehicles Requirements for eTitle Transfer include: Arizona title and current Arizona registration One owner to one owner Passenger vehicles Other requirement may apply The five-step process can be completed quickly online. You can also watch video series on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVHAEqIBJEg&t=3s Article written by Beth Hathoot for Notary Stars 10/2022 References; www.AzDOT.gov www.AzMVDnow.gov House Bill; Az HB217 Chapter 66

Notarize.com is making its way through the United States, strategically, picking and choosing exactly how it rolls itself out to Notaries, The General Public, and Title & Escrow. Here is what we know (and we hope you'll listen). Aside from going after some of the biggest names in the Real Estate Industry for business they are also partnering with FedEx and UPS Stores across the country. That's okay, right? The free market, free enterprise, etc? But there are a lot of things we at Notary Stars see as problems or hurdles that Notaries, The Public, and Notarize all need to analyze and hopefully help change! #1) NOTARIZE.COM IS NOT APPROVED BY EVERY STATE'S SECRETARY OF STATE BUT SEEMS TO BE ADVERTISING IN EVERY STATE THROUGH LOCAL SEARCHES THROUGH SEO FOR "CONVENIENCE." THE IDENTIFIABLE PROBLEM WE SEE WITH THIS IS THAT NOTARIZATION SEEMS TO BE ASKING NOTARIZATION FEES WELL ABOVE MOST STATES' NOTARY MINIMUMS... YET PAYING THE NOTARY ONLY $5 PER NOTARIZATION AS A CONTRACTOR IN AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STATE. No matter what State you are in these days, Notarize.com, seems to already have a landing page generated to advertise its solution. They want to sell you the convenience of getting your documents Notarized online for $25 for the first document and $10 for each additional Notarized document. It sounds good for convenience but what they don't tell you is that if you are located in Arizona any Notary can only charge you LEGALLY $10 per Notarized document, even for RON. Which is $15 above the asking price. This will vary by States for in-person and Remote Online Notarizations as well. How are they doing this? That is easy. They aren't using local Notaries for your State (the whole economic catastrophe of that is another story). They outsource your Notary needs or Notary Business to other States where they can charge more and then still pay the Notary less because they have "volume." And, at much less percentages than the Mobile Notary Public & Loan Signing Agency Industry has ever seen. 2) NOTARIZE.COM IS CHARGING REAL ESTATE CLIENTS FULL LOAN SIGNING AGENT FEES (RANGING FROM $125 TO 200+ PER CLOSING) BUT ONLY OFFERING $15-25 MAXIMUM TO THEIR NOTARIES UNDER CONTRACT. Loan Signing Agents have been paid anywhere from $85to $250 for decades for their services for Mobile Notary. Loan Signing Agents They take additional training to explain documents in a sale, resale, or refinance of a home to the client but now that Notarize has come along Title Companies could be getting shafted on the customer service aspects of external closings. Would you take the time to explain a Real Estate Transaction if you were only making $15 to $25? Real Estate transactions on average take no longer than 6 months to start to come to reality and can take over 45 minutes to 1 hour to sign properly, traditionally. It is understandable trying to "streamline," but why are Title Companies not resisting this? #3) AS OF THIS POSTING. A NOTARY IN CERTAIN STATES CAN "BRING THEIR OWN TITLE CLIENTS" TO THE PLATFORM BUT WHEN THEY COMPLETE THEIR ORDER, ONLY THE SIGERS HAVE ACCESS TO THE THEIR SIGNED DOCUMENTS WHICH TAKES THE NOTARY LOAN SIGNING AGENT OUT OF THE EQUATION ALTOGETHER WITH THEIR TITLE CLIENT. WE CAN JUST CALL THIS A WHITEWASH OF WHITE LABELING. Loan Signing Agents need to be careful of sites that operate like this. Especially if you are concerned with having a direct business. Forcing Title to obtain the signed documents from either the Signers or Notarize only pushes your clients closer to a technology designed to take your job away. #4) IT IS RUMORED THAT NOTARIZE.COM IS ALLOWING PEOPLE (NOTARIES WITH CLICKERS) TO TAKE ORDERS AT RANDOM SO THEY CAN OBTAIN MORE ORDERS. This has not yet been verified but it is rumored that Notaries are using third-party programs and just clicking away to get any order on the Notarize platform which just turns what use to be an eloquent career into a cattle call. This truly goes against what we as Notaries & Loan Signing Agents have stood for years. HOW DO WE CHANGE THIS? We could decide NOT to work for platforms that do not pay adequate fees, or outsource our local Notary work, and write Title Agencies locally. That's a start. But decisions about our industry are not made at the National Notary Association's Annual Conference. Nor, at any other conference put together for us. They are made in two very prominent places; The American Escrow Association's Annual Conference & Your Local State's Local Escrow Association's Conference. If you spend any money this year on any conferences you should attend these two conferences and no others. Talk to the leaders of Title and Escrow and vocalize your opinions. These types of conferences may not be as affordable as the National Notary Association's conferences but The NNA is only going to invite RON Platforms in to talk and sell you their platforms- that's what conferences are to do. At least by attending these conferences you can mingle with decision makers to vocalize your thoughts on how platforms should take Notary Loan Signing Agents into consideration.

READ ALL OF THIS YEAR'S TAX TIPS BY CLICKING HERE: https://www.notarystars.com/blog/notary-tax-tip-space-equipment-rentals-purchases https://www.notarystars.com/blog/can-signing-agents-write-off-meals-on-taxes-yes-and-it-pays-to-eat-in-2023-as-long-as-you-do-things-properly https://www.notarystars.com/blog/mileage-for-notary-business-owners https://www.notarystars.com/blog/bad-signing-agencies-unpaid-signings-tax-tips https://www.notarystars.com/blog/tax-tips-from-sue-hope-glen-hill https://www.notarystars.com/blog/tax-tips-from-sue-hope-glen-hill-january-2023 https://www.notarystars.com/blog/your-notary-loan-signing-agent-business-tax-time Your Notary & Loan Signing Agent Business & Tax Time If you missed our latest Blog titled Loan Signing Agents & End of Year Planning, The Pod Cast with The Notary Entrepreneur or our LIVE Episode from Notary Stars Unlimited don’t forget to check them out as they lead into our timely topic for the month: Your Notary Business & Tax Time We've been focusing a lot of our efforts on putting together information that will truly help you with your Notary & Loan Signing Agent business for months now and we appreciate your appreciation. In fact, because of your appreciation and participation, we are now able to bring in even more experts to help guide you in products, and services, and also to help you grow and manage your Notary Business. This month, Ms. Sue Hope from Notary Assist (a very respected Notary Accounting Software) will be helping us with our topic of the month. We will be engaging with Ms. Hope and her colleague Glen Hill who is a professional accountant who specifically deals with Notary Taxes during our Notary Boot Camp sessions on October 7th, 2022. This session is for members only, however, this blog will be updated for non-members with any amendments. Until then here are Four Important Items To Address With Your Notary Business & Taxes : 1. You Should Make Sure W9s With Your Address Are Up-To-Date It is highly likely as a Notary Public & Loan Signing Agent you are working with the general public. From the general public you will be paid directly and most likely will have no need for a W9. However, Signing Agencies and Title Agencies are going to mail you your 1099 for your taxes to the address on your W9 (or email address listed in your portals if they do electronic W9s). If you've changed or updated your address it is so important that you get these updated before December 31st, each year. If you have not updated your W9 it is not the fault of the companies you are working with if they have proof they mailed you a 1099 and it delays your ability to file your taxes on time. This may cost you time to file with what you have come filing time to re-file your taxes with updated information/earnings. 2. You Should Have Trustworthy Accounting Software & Becareful Using Free Software Notaries are afraid of Quickbooks and unless you've taken an accounting class- we don't blame you at all! We are afraid of it too but we have an accountant to do most of our grunt work because we are not accountants. There are, however, two great software we know of that is specifically designed for the Notary Loan Singing Agent's business and that is Notary Assist and Notary Gadget. Notary Gadget visited us last year around this time to give a presentation and this year Notary Assist will be presenting about their software and assisting us with tax-related questions. You may watch both presentations after October 7th, 2022 at Notary Stars, Accounting for Notaries Page. Please be aware that using Notary Management Software to manage your signings outside of that software gives that software the ability to market to your direct clients. We have always advised Notaries not to use any Notary Management Software with their direct clients as they can use the information to lure them away from you directly. These two software companies have no interest in your clients whatsoever and will not try to get them to switch to using their platform to work with you directly. 3. You Need To Know What You Can Write Off Write Offs are very important for Notaries yet so many avoid keeping track of what they are able to actually write off. We will be going much more in-depth on this during our Podcast with The Notary Entrprenuer this month which will be released also on our YouTube Channel as well as in Notary Stars Unlimited Free Training Session. A few things you should not forget to write off until then are insurance, background checks, mileage, paper, toner, training, supplies, car maintenance, use of home (home office), and more! We will be going much more in-depth on this in our podcast as well as on Notary Stars Unlimimited after our October 7th Notary Boot Camp for members with Notary Assist. 4. You Have To Understand When You Earned And When You Were Paid Depending on how busy you are the last month of the year and when that check for your services comes in will determine how much taxes you owe or get back. If you render your services in one year but are paid in the next year your 1099 should reflect this. Otherwise, you may be paying taxes for money you haven't yet earned. You are only to be concerned with the amount of money you were paid in any fiscal year. And it is important to have good bookkeeping skills and double-check your 1099s to ensure you aren't paying taxes early. If you are a very busy Loan Signing Agent you might find yourself paying way too much for your taxes ahead of time (before you even have the money to pay it). Watch The PodCast Filming About This Blog Below: READ ALL OF THIS YEAR'S TAX TIPS BY CLICKING HERE: https://www.notarystars.com/blog/notary-tax-tip-space-equipment-rentals-purchases https://www.notarystars.com/blog/can-signing-agents-write-off-meals-on-taxes-yes-and-it-pays-to-eat-in-2023-as-long-as-you-do-things-properly https://www.notarystars.com/blog/mileage-for-notary-business-owners https://www.notarystars.com/blog/bad-signing-agencies-unpaid-signings-tax-tips https://www.notarystars.com/blog/tax-tips-from-sue-hope-glen-hill https://www.notarystars.com/blog/tax-tips-from-sue-hope-glen-hill-january-2023 https://www.notarystars.com/blog/your-notary-loan-signing-agent-business-tax-time

There is a new Matricula Consular card in town! The matrícula consular is a photo ID card issued by the Mexican government to Mexican nationals living outside of Mexico. The card is extremely popular for Mexicans in the United States. It’s a way for the Mexican government to keep track of its citizens for consular and tax purposes, collect data on them, and provide identification. Several U.S. states, municipalities, and businesses accept the card as an official form of identification. In fact, many financial institutions accept the card as a valid proof of identification. Mexican nationals can use a matrícula consular to obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in order to pay federal income taxes. Some states (but not all) accept the card for the purpose of obtaining a driver’s license. The card does not define U.S. immigration status for the person to whom it is issued. Therefore, both lawfully present and undocumented immigrants may use the matrícula consular for identification purposes. For Notaries Public in many states, we could not accept them in the past because they did not contain the one element required by notary regulations --- it did not contain a physical description of the card holder. As of July 2022 that has changed. There is a new generation of Matricula Cards being issued. An announcement made by Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard at the Mexican consulate in Los Angeles on June 9, 2022, the Foreign Ministry reports that the new third-generation consular ID cards will be issued. The new third-generation consular ID cards use the latest technological advances, which make them virtually unforgeable. It also includes information such as eye and hair color, height and weight and, for minors, the names of their fathers, mothers and/or guardians. These features will provide more certainty about the user's identity and increase acceptance of the consular ID cards as an identity document. With the new third-generation consular ID card, we will have that missing piece of information that will allow us to accept these as identification. The roll out may be slow, just keep in mind that you are looking for physical description in order to know if you are being presented with a version of the card that you can accept. One caveat; for real estate documents; this does not establish the signer as legally being present in the United States and the lender may require additional proof such as a Visa Immigration Card, Green Card, etc. As always, please check with your state regulating agency, SOS, Governor’s Office, etc, to make certain that your state allows Notaries Public to accept a Matricula Consular Card. Here is the best image I could find of the new Matrícula card:

So you have looked at all the positives and have decided that you want to be a Remote Online Notary. That’s fantastic! But wait…… While RON is an amazing field of notarization and it appears the sky’s the limit, here is a list (granted shorter than the pro’s list) of possible drawbacks that can come along with being a RON Notary. Let’s dive into the top 8 reasons being a RON Notary can be difficult …. Differing Technical Abilities - Whether it is you or your client, having a working comfort with technology is probably the biggest factor in your success as a RON Agent. You will be working with clients of different ages and backgrounds, differing technical aptitudes, and a wide array of different devices. A good RON must have a comfort level with their own technical abilities and a good working knowledge of what the clients may be encountering. When you become a Remote Online Notary, not only will you be a Notary, but you will also become a part-time tech support agent. Not All Documents Work - While it may feel like the opportunities are limitless, there are a few documents that just don’t work with Online Notarization. Last Will and Testaments can be tough, as most states want pen to paper. The same is true for Notes when it comes to lending. While that’s not to say they can’t be done, these can be sticking points that you may encounter. As well, single one-off documents can sometimes be cost prohibitive given what you are allowed to charge by state mandate and then subtracting the cost of your platform and payment processing company. Lack of Understanding - While Remote Notarization has been on the scene for a while now, there are still TONS of people that have never heard of it and never encountered this new technology. It’s all about teaching people about what you do and how it is legal. But keep in mind that ultimately it’s up to the recipient of the document as to whether or not they feel comfortable accepting an electronically notarized document. While it may be legal, it may not always be “acceptable” to the end-user. Potential For Fraud - Unfortunately, just like so many other fields in today’s world, there is the potential for fraud. While it may be more difficult to pass Knowledge Based Assessment (KBA) and “trick” credential analysis, it is not impossible to do so. The biggest area of concern is when it comes to immediate family. Think of your parents, spouse or kids. If you have been with any of these people for a long time (or literally a lifetime in your parents/kids case), you could probably very easily take and pass your loved one’s KBA. It is especially critical that you check for understanding when it comes to elderly signers so as to ward off any potential for abuse! Areas With Limited Access - Certain places just won’t work with Remote Online Notary. There are many areas with poor internet connectivity. People trying to sign from work on their lunch breaks can sometimes be behind fairly strong firewalls or software that prevents ease of access to the outside world. Ad-blockers and other programs “fighting” for the camera can cause issues. And then there are locales and governments that create their own issues for the signers. The Great Firewall of China would be an excellent example of a place with access restrictions that cannot always be overcome. Lacking Credit History (or Too Much Credit History) - KBA (the five-question, multiple choice quiz signers have to pass in a 2-minute timed test) is not always able to be easily done. A soft credit pull is typically performed to compile these questions. This can be an issue for the very young that have no credit, the elderly that don't like to use credit, the spouse of the person who put everything in their own name or the expatriate that hasn’t lived in the country for 40 years. Conversely, an investor that has had hundreds of properties in their name can be equally confused by too many questions about properties and locations they only held for a limited time. All of these people can have difficulty with KBA. Knowledge as a Notary Before Being a RON - Before you become a Remote Online Notary, it is imperative that you first know how to be a Notary. As mentioned before, this is new territory for most people and, at least in the beginning, it will be new for you too. If you do not fully understand the difference between an Acknowledgement and a Jurat, or you are not quick at scanning through a document to look for blanks or problem spots, you could be setting yourself up for disaster. While learning on the job is part of the territory, knowing the most basic aspects of being a Notary first is very important. Upfront Expenses and State Maximum Fees - The up-front costs may be many in the beginning (digital certificates, platform fees, state fees, licensure, E&O insurance, etc.) and could be cost-prohibitive for some Notaries. These initial expenses may be a big bite to chew off in the beginning. And, unfortunately in some states, the Secretary of State further ties your hands by dictating the maximum amount you can charge for your services. Sometimes the amount allowed by law won’t even cover your expenses. It is imperative that you crunch the number FIRST before you crunch by the numbers.

When I first started as a Mobile Notary Public & Loan Signing Agent I was told by the woman who taught me not to tell anyone what I was doing (or how much I made doing it because I'd surely create competition for myself. And, I did just that while I built up my own Notary Signing Agency and eventually Notary Stars over the past decade. Now, we often hear about how big tech companies like Snapdocs are causing us issues as Loan Signing Agents for various reasons but they are not the only dragon to slay when it comes to our industry. Nearly, and every, industry is now subject to being marketed to by Affiliate Marketers and Click Funnels. They (Affiliate Marketers & Click Funnels) are the new late-night infomercials that have sold everything from careers to lotions, potions, and pills to get rich while those who buy into it rarely get their dreams to come true. I wanted to break this down for you and if you share one article this year, please share this one with a fellow notary, because at this point we either need to all ban together against Affiliate Marketers and Click Funnels or they are going to truly ruin our industry. An Affiliate Marketer is a person, and sometimes a group of people, who have great personalities, are often magnetic, and are able to speak to an audience with great ease about a certain product they used. They are provided links for the product that when you click on them you are tracked instantly until you buy the product (often for up to one year as an incentive for the affiliate marketer to create a journey for you). Now, these people do not do this alone at all. If you hear them speak once about something you are probably not going to buy anything they are selling. We were all told on larger purchases to be careful about things like that. So they start Click Funnels, which are designed to start a real conversation with you, often one-sided, because they've already found what you are interested in the most. Which in our industry is earning money. So they pull at your heartstrings talking about how you can "Make Six-Figures" and tell you all the things about how they love their job and life. They don't go over any of the hard parts of the job they are selling because many of them are not actually doing the job at all. They are making money posting social media videos for you to click on, be tracked, and then a commission off of you once you finally take the plunge into what they are selling. One of the most recent discoveries is that these marketers are being paid up to 35% of an entry-level course which equals about $175 just to get you into the door. Honestly, I would make TicTok videos all day for those prices (if I was dishonest). Most of us never read the fine print on their sites and with social media, they get you into their Click Funnels without you ever having to visit the sites. But then it doesn't stop there- everything you do after you are in the door and everything they suggest to you is making them money! My personal favorite is the woman who talks about doing a signing, grabbing some groceries, and boom it's a $1000 day. But if you dig deeper, past the fake news article anyone can purchase to be running from THE SUN, you'll find that she's in a city with a population of 170,000 people and only has just a few orders under her belt combined between Snapdocs, SigningOrder, and ZigSig. She talks about how she made $14,000 in one month and although that is possible we don't believe it to be exactly true based on her location and public order counts. We actually sent her some orders just to test her and she'd definitely not take orders for $175 per signing. She's taking Loan Signings for under $85 dollars and is very happy to get them! Yet we don't see her talking about those. Because she's going to make her money on the back end of things when you buy what she is selling. All you have to do to get a news article these days is to buy one so please don't believe everything you read. These stories are fabricated to lure people in.

Alphabet Soup: RIN, RON and IPEN If it hasn’t happened to you yet, at some point in your Remote Online Notary career, the phone will ring and the person on the other end will ask for “Ron.” Before you hang up on this telemarketer rudely interrupting your day or, if you are more polite I am, you might say, “I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number,” think for a moment about what the person on the other end of the call may be looking for. They are likely seeking Remote Online Notarization, but don’t understand that RON is an acronym and not a person. It’s not hard to blame someone for misunderstanding the use of RON, as it is bandied about like the word Kleenex or Band-Aid. RON is shorthand for Remote Online Notarization. It is the most common term that people use to describe Notarizing Documents remotely online. But even within the industry, people will refer to themselves as a RON Notary (Remote Online Notarization Notary, I guess?). There is also RIN and IPEN. And don’t forget VPN, KBA, & KFC (ok, maybe forget that last one). This industry can be an Alphabet Soup of letters, so let’s break it down a bit to simplify some terms for you. There are essentially four types of Notarization; Traditional Paper Notarization, IPEN, RIN and RON. What follows is a brief look at what the types, what the acronyms stand for and the most basic idea behind what they look like. Traditional (Paper) Notarization - This one is likely a no-brainer for most people and the way it has been done for literally thousands of years. The signing is performed in person and the document is actual, physical paper, that is signed and stamped. IPEN - This is an In-Person Electronic Notarization. This is just like a traditional notarization done face-to-face, the only difference being that the documents are electronic and not on paper. IDs are checked as they would be in a traditional manner, but everything is reviewed and signed on a computer tablet or smartphone. RIN - This is Remote Ink Notarization. In this type of Notarizing documents, the presence of the parties is virtual via a webcam, but the documents are then signed in ink on actual paper, returned to the notary to affix an ink stamp, and then the documents are forwarded to the receiving party. **WARNING!!** This type of signing is not permitted in many states and where it is, it may have been provisional during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since been eliminated. Be careful with this type of signing, even if your state allows it. RON - This is Remote Online Notarization. It is the one that in most people’s minds constitutes Online Notarization. In this style of notarization, all parties meet virtually online and all documents are signed electronically. And there you have it! You are now armed with more knowledge about the types of signings available than most any of your counterparts in the industry. It is as easy as ABC. If you want to learn more about this and so many other topics related to RON, join us at NotaryStars.com where we have weekly classes on the new Remote Online frontier, as well as all other aspects of running a successful notarial business! See you on Fridays at 5pm PST, or catch us in the replays. Get on the computer and get stamping!!

So you want to be a Remote Online Notary, but you are still on the fence as to the true benefits of notarizing documents online? Don’t be! The positives far outweigh the negatives (but we will save the negatives for a later time). When it comes to RON, there are many benefits that are not offered or are minimally so, by traditional Mobile Notarization. Let’s dive into the Top 10 Benefits of Being a RON…. Perform Your Work Without Traveling (Or Pants) - Perhaps the greatest benefit one gets from being a Remote Online Notary is that everything is literally at your fingertips. All of your work can be done from your home office computer without the need to leave the house or even wear anything more than shorts all summer long and sweatpants all winter long. Like a good mullet, as long as it’s business on the top, the rest is all party. Multiple Locations and Multiple Participants Simultaneously - Gone are the days of split-signings where one party is in one location and then the docs must be shipped across the country to a secondary location. With online notarization, signers can all participate in the signing at the same time from varying locations. The signer can’t find a witness? No problem, they can be brought in remotely. The Realtor wants to be at the signing but can’t make it to the client’s location, no worries. RON makes multiple party signings and locations a breeze. Simplified Process Improves Efficiency - Because everything is performed from a single location, many of the processes from the “paper days” can be eliminated. No longer do you need dual tray printers. No longer do you have to run back to Escrow for last-minute document changes. Acceptance of the assignment, confirmation with the signers, completion of the signing and the return of the documents all can happen from the comfort of your office chair. Work Anywhere, Anytime You Want - Before Remote Online Notary, the Notary was somewhat location bound. If the signing was not in your area, you likely weren’t going to get the work, but now that barrier is stripped away. The signer can quite literally be anywhere in the world and as long as they have proper Identification and can pass through the Knowledge Based Assessment (KBA), the world is your oyster. Does someone want to meet at an odd hour in the middle of the night in a shady part of town? No problem with that either. As long as you both can get to a computer, the signing is a go. Fraud Risk Reduction - Have you ever been presented with an ID from a State whose ID you are completely unfamiliar with? Have you ever gotten an Arizona Driver’s License from a signer in their 50s and the photo on their ID is from someone when they were in their 20s? Because of KBA and Credential Analysis, there is a bit lessening of the potential for fraud based on the steps the signer must take before you can meet with them. They are quizzed about the only personal information they should know and their IDs are reviewed by computer software for validity. While it does not take the notary “off the hook,” it does help add an extra layer of security to the signing process. Connect To Tech Savvy Clients - In the day and age of Uber, DoorDash, Amazon, and almost anything else you can imagine at the tap of a button, today’s clients are much more comfortable with interacting with people and things in a digital manner. For the younger generation that has never known that phones were actually tethered to a wall at one time in history, this type of technology is a godsend. Of course, this knife can be cut both ways when you consider the aging population and their reluctance to adopt new ideas and technologies. But let’s focus on the positives and eliminate the negatives. Save on Resources - Let’s face it, one of the biggest drains on any business is controlling expenses and when it comes to the traditional notary, those can add up quickly. With inflation on the rise at places we haven’t seen in nearly four decades, the price of everything has gone up. Paper, toner, ink, office supplies, and mailing supplies are at all-time highs. Gas prices are through the roof. Car maintenance costs much more than it used to cost. Remote Online Notary is the “green” alternative to traditional notarization. There is no making double copies of documents and no adding pollutants to the air with carbon emissions from planes flying dead trees across the country. Added Security For All Parties Involved - Because RON is a fully digital experience, there are added securities that might not be present with traditional notarization. Documents are less likely to be lost, stolen, damaged or manipulated. Because the files are encrypted upon completion of the notarial act, it becomes much more difficult to tinker with a file after it has left that notary’s hands and in the event, it does happen, it is typically much more apparent. That’s not to say that there are not new types of security risks that didn’t exist before, but again we are focusing on the positive aspects of this brave new world. Everything is Fully Digital and Easily Accessible - Because everything in Online Notarization is done electronically, records are fully digital and, in many cases, are much more easily accessible. Journals are a breeze to search. Documents are easily returned to the requesting parties. Corrections are able to be made quickly. Email and electronic tracking with time and date stamps makes delivery and completion much more evident. The entire transaction is recorded, which can help eliminate the “he said, she said” aspect. Doing these types of signings makes the burden of proof much simpler for all parties involved. Show Me The Money - Probably one of the most attractive things about Remote Online Notary is the earnings potential. As we discussed earlier, you are not bound to set office hours any longer. Are you an early riser? Maybe you want to work with a time zone other than your own. Are you a night owl? People living in Europe and Asia are up and going about their normal routines even though everyone around them is off in Dreamland. And perhaps most importantly, because you are no longer traveling from location to location, the time/value coefficient increases considerably (I’m not sure if that’s a real term. Anything to do with math is FAR beyond my grasp). There is minimal downtime between signings. Since you can instantly travel from one place to another, it’s like having a time machine. Granted it’s not a fancy time machine, but it gets you all around the world at the tap of a button.

We’ve been talking a lot about where we all stand in the industry at the moment. Honestly, we’ve put out some of the strongest, most read, most well-received blogs we have ever put out in just the past two months just about this topic. If you missed any of them, please check them out at wwww.notarystars.com/blog because honestly, we now feel like we are in a rhythm with all of you and we want to keep it up. They were written with love and care for our industry and your beautiful responses to them have shown us the extra hours we worked to put them together were worth it! This month, we are moving away from the dreaded topic of high-interest rates and inflation of market changes but still trying to help our fellow Notaries and Loan Signing Agents. This month we are focusing on End-Of-Year, a term all Notary Loan Signing Agents understand. The last quarter of the year is sneaking up on us pretty quickly and regardless of higher interest rates, things are going to get busier. If you were on the cusp of going back to a full-time job you may just want to read those blogs and hang in there. The next three months are sure to be better than the last two because the last quarter of the year has always historically been busier for one main reason- most people are trying to wrap up their financial situations for a fiscal year. With that said, we wanted to give you: FIVE Great Tips for Loan Signing Agents &The End-Of-Year #1 September is Crucial To Update, Update, Update This goes beyond all of the dead listings which we talked about in our most recent blog & Podcast Notary Listing Sites & Databases Post Pandemic as you will want to make sure you are seen by every potential opportunity out there because they are going to be looking a little harder for you as we get closer to end-of-year. #2) Take Time Now To Understand The Bigger Picture You can relate better to your clients if you understand what exactly it is they go through. Here is a video that Travis Myers from Unlimited Ink did for Notary Stars that helps explain the entire lending process.This is actually one of our Notary Stars member’s only training sessions from our quarterly Boot Camps where Travis goes over the life of a loan. When you understand everything your Real Estate Agent, Signer, Lender, and Title Agency goes through just to get you to the table it will help you be more compassionate within your own job and a better Loan Signing Agent in their eyes. #3) What You Do, How You Perform at End-Of-Year Affects YOUR Beginning-of-Year It can take a while to mend a rocky relationship with a Signing Agency or a Title and Escrow office if you make a terrible mistake but it is always possible. Anyone who would hang an honest mistake over your head indefinitely just isn’t worth working with in the first place. During the end-of-year shuffle, it is a good time to let them know you are there for them if they need you and also update them on any training you’ve taken since your last mistake to remedy a rocky relationship. There is nothing wrong with saying, “You know, the last time we worked together it didn’t go so well so I want you to know I have done XYZ to ensure that I can better serve you and your clients". Here’s a video that we did this year at Notary Stars with The Most Common Mistakes That Notary Signing Agents Make.Even the most seasoned Notaries should take time to reflect and refresh their brains. #4) Title Must Close Out Books & So Do You Now, it might be just a hair too early to be talking about end-of-year close out and we don’t want you to jump the gun. However, it will be here much closer than you think. This is why we’ve partnered up with Notary Assist, Notary Accounting Software, and a professional Tax Preparer who specializes in accounting for Notaries for our October Notary Stars UnlimitedSession, which is absolutely FREE! If you would like to join that session, please register at NOTARY STARS UNLIMITED #5) You Have to Start Preparing For Next Year A great deal of Signing Agents like to take time at the end-of-year off for the holidays and family- which means is an ideal time to spend a little of that time catching up on back office work. If you are out in the field during this time it’s also a great time to build some new relationships for the beginning of the year. Regardless of your stance, you should spend some of that time preparing for next year by getting your ducks in a row. For instance, W9s are always one of the biggest issues at the beginning of the year, and here is why: We often hear Notaries in SigningOrder and Snapdocs who say “Well, the IRS says I don’t have to update my W9 every single year. And that may be true if you are working for a single company but when you work for platforms like these you are working for multiple companies, all of which have multiple rules for their clients to follow. When you work direct a lot of your direct Title Clients will request this of you just to stay working with them. You should make it a point to get your W9s updated and ready to go in your end-of-year prep so that come January 1st, 2022 you won’t be chasing payments or wondering why the orders aren’t coming in through the platforms. We will be talking about this LIVE later this week on Notary Entrepreneur! If you are looking for a great Notary Podcast to listen to we highly recommend following Abraham’s Podcast. He’s really the Notary Entrepreneur! We will also be talking about this again on Wednesday, September 21st, 2022 at 5 pm PST / EST on Notary Stars Unlimited. Laura Biewer from Coach Me Laura will also be stopping by to give us an update on her upcoming Annual Notary Symposium. If you are curious to learn more please visit us on the 21st at Notary Stars Unlimited to learn more!

Duly Sworn I have been a notary for over 21-years and have developed habits that I perform consistently based on decisions I have made born of experience. Sometimes I have been challenged to explain why I do something a particular way and it takes a minute to remember the details of the groundwork laid leading up to those decisions. But I really love it when that happens, because I must take a step back and re-analyze that evidence to make sure it is still valid. That just happen this week. Someone recently told me that their only responsibility as a Notary is to be concerned with the notary block or certificate and not the body of the document. That may not be a completely true statement. Some of our basic training as Notaries Public is that what is in the body of a document is not for us to be concerned with. That it is private personal information for the signer. That when we are presented with a document to be notarized that we should only scan it for completeness and never read the private contents of the document. And this applies in many ways to Loan Signings as well as General/Specialty Notary Work. But sometimes our instructions are contained within the body of the document. That is ever-so-true with respect to Affidavits (in loan document packages or not), Advance Directive documents and sometimes Power of Attorney documents. Let me give you a few examples; Virginia Durable Power of Attorney, for example, gives instructions in the body of the document (section IV) that must be read in order to know if the Notarial certificate even needs to be completed, “This document is not valid unless it is acknowledged before a notary public OR is signed by at least two adult witnesses”. Arizona Financial Durable POA gives instructions right above the Principal’s signature line “I, _____________________________, the principal, sign my name to this Financial Durable General Power of Attorney this ___ day of _______, 20__, and being first duly sworn, do declare to the undersigned authority that …” Tennessee Affidavit of Inheritance gives instructions in the first few sentences of the document. “Under penalties of perjury, the undersigned, duly sworn, deposes and says that”. Loan Signings will contain ‘Affidavits’ that will have the statement at the beginning of the document that says, ‘After first being duly sworn’. Sometimes that statement will be just above the Principals’ signature line and yet our Notarial certificate will be an Acknowledgement. This is not reading through the entire document. Instead, we are skimming the document for instructions and should know, with experience, which documents we should be looking closer at for those instructions. And looking for key words like ‘Affidavit’ in the title of the document to alert us as to whether we should be administering an oath to the signer, regardless of the type of certificate that is included with the document. Universally we know that we are not authorized to choose the type of certificate to be used…that would be the unauthorized practice of law. That is up to the maker of the document. And sometimes the maker just doesn’t quite understand the significant difference in a notarial certificate. Leaving us with an Acknowledgement on a document that says “After first being duly sworn”. If you look up the law definition of “Being first duly sworn” you will find; ‘The term duly sworn refers to having been put under oath, before an officer authorized to administer oaths, in the manner and form required by law.’ In our daily situations, the only one in the room authorized to administer that oath is YOU, the Notary. So, yes you do need to scan the document for those key words to know if, in the absence of a notarial certificate or in the presence of the ‘wrong’ certificate on the document, whether you are to administer an oath to your signer. Sometimes an Affidavit can be just a truthful statement. Something that the signer says ’truthfully’, on his/her own integrity, but not necessarily swearing that it is true. Those key words might look something like; “I, the undersigned ________________________, do hereby declare that …” Or “The undersigned deposes and says…” To "depose" is merely to state or acknowledge some matter of fact and doesn’t require an Oath be administered unless it is accompanied by a Jurat notarial certificate. So you see, as you gain more experience in this industry, that it is not always an easy job. We don’t just stamp and collect our fee. So many details to be aware of and you can’t ever know it all because it can change over time. But for this issue, my practice of administering an Oath when I see those instructions was sound when I made the decision and is still valid today.

In the recent article posted by the National Notary Association titled 2022 NNA Notary Census Part 1: A New Generation of Notaries we are finally starting to see some light being shed on what is happening within our industry but it's not exactly shining the light on the entire situation either. Point blank, our industry has been changing for a long-time now and it would not be very helpful for their following to hear it like it really is because the truth doesn't always get people to buy more courses, supplies, or conferences. Within the article, we are introduced to the idea that the Pandemic gave our industry a boost in both work and workers, which was true, but that boost was not permanent. It would be nice to think that it was permanent but any Mobile Notary or Loan Signing Agent who has been in the industry for over a decade will tell you that Real Estate (which is primarily where most of us get our higher-paying jobs from) has always been feast or famine. Failing to include this information within such a positive spin may be misleading to those coming into the industry to make the best decision. Was it just forgotten or skipped over lightly for a reason? It could leave a potential Notary believing there is more room within the industry than there really is- which we are seeing a plethora of Notary Signing Agents really suffering because of being misled into coming into this industry unprepared (on many different levels). We are not saying there isn't hope, or any mal-intention, but why aren't we dissecting this more? The article goes on to talk about one important topic but doesn't seem to really address the concerns of this topic at all: Influencers! If you don't understand who, or what, an influencer is then please let us educate you. An Influencer is someone who a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media. This means it is someone who may be able to convince you to purchase something you would normally not purchase. One of the most popular things Influencers are doing to the Notary Loan Signing Industry as of late is stating how they "Make Six Figures," and can show you how they do it. But oftentimes, what they aren't telling you is they are getting paid one way or another just for making the video. Some of them may be paid through monetized YouTube Channels where advertisers pay them for their content or they may be getting up to 35% of the sale of the same course they took to learn how to do loan signings to turn around and sell it to you. Instagram and TikTok is also becoming increasingly popular amongst Notary Loan Signing Agent Influencers. It is easy for them to promote a video for just $50 to $100 to reach over 50K people with stories that pull at innocent people's heartstrings telling them how their life is so amazing because they make "Six-Figures," and they are getting money back from the sales of courses, advertisers placing ads within their videos, affiliate links for supplies they suggest, and advertisers placing ads within their pages that track you for up to 1 year so that if you buy the product they'll make money. Just check out any "High Ticket Item or Affiliate Marketing Video on Youtube." It's a way of life for some! There is nothing wrong with affiliate marketing but if you thought automated text messages and Notary databases were a problem in our industry before Influencers entered the story there just wait! Unless we take control of that soon it is going to be the one thing that makes all of our lives a little more uncomfortable. We are not only competing with big tech anymore! We are competing with those who will keep bringing more and more people into this industry to saturate it and those who are just going to keep drilling at the bank accounts of others and not really doing the work! The National Notary Association's article also addresses where the future may go with new technologies within the industry which all sounds hopeful but they aren't addressing the other big elephant in the room in the article either- RON. There are companies now who are aggressively swiping up as much business as they can and paying Loan Signing Agents just $25 to notarize Remote Closings. That doesn't sound too promising, does it? Don't worry, we've got information coming on that too!

Remote Online Notarization, also referred to as RON, is all the rage. If you are currently working in the Notary field you hear mention of it every day. More and more businesses are incorporating it into their workflows and it is shaping the way we are currently doing business in manners we never thought possible. But where did it all begin? While Online Notary may seem like a new idea born of the COVID-19 pandemic, nothing could be further from the truth. Remote Online Notary has been around for 11 years!! To most of us, that doesn’t seem possible, but it is true. The state of Virginia was the first state to adopt laws for RON signings all the way back in 2011. That’s right, Remote Online Notarization premiered in the same year as The Game of Thrones. That’s the same year Adele was “Rolling in the Deep” and Katy Perry was a “Firework.” The average cost of gas was $3.52 a gallon and we thought we had it bad then! It took another four years for the next state to come “online,” and that state was Montana. Nevada and Texas followed suit in 2017 and from there the ball started rolling. At the time of writing this blog, 40 states have RON capability of some sort and it will likely soon sweep the entire nation. The first Mortgage closing was performed by a little company called Notarize in July 2017 with United Wholesale Mortgage, Stewart Title, and Freddie Mac. RON was on the move, slowly but surely, plodding along at a snail’s pace while it tried to gain traction. Some were quick adopters of the technology, but most were playing the “waiting game.” Then 2020 happened and the world came to a screeching halt. In March of 2020 as the nation entered lockdowns and “business as usual” could no longer take place in a conventional manner, huge changes took place. A star was born! Finally, people began to realize that this new-fangled technology was actually the best way to get business done. With Remote Online Notarization, social distancing was able to be preserved and while people were locked up tight in their homes, “normal” activities could still be performed via the computer. Emergency and provisional use were approved in almost all 50 states, excluding California and South Carolina and according to American Land Title Association (ALTA), usage of Online Notarization grew by a whopping 547% in 2020. From there onward, there was no turning back. Businesses learned how to incorporate RON into their day-to-day operations, the Public learned that nearly everything their hearts desired was at their fingertips, including getting their documents notarized, and Notaries learned that in order to succeed in this new world they needed to adopt technology in a brand new way. From 2011 to 2022, a lot has changed in those 11 years. Remote Online Notarization was pushed quickly to the forefront and, like it or not, it’s not going away. In order to be successful in the future, Notaries need to learn this new technology, challenges and all, or they will run the risk of going the way of the dinosaur. Don’t let the business that you have worked so hard for go extinct. The information is out there to help you face the changes. Become a member of www.notarystars.com and learn how to embrace this new world and craft it to fit your business. We are still at the precipice of RON. Will you take the leap of faith and reap the rewards, or will you shrink back from the edge and watch as everyone passes you by and becomes leaders in their field? Come in, the water’s fine! Take action now!