Some of our Notary brothers and sisters are worried about the slowing down of files with interest rates being higher- but do not worry!Everything is okay!!! There is still plenty of business out there! If you've been in the industry a long time you probably already know our industry has always been feast or famine and things are just leveling out. Still, we are seeing a higher percentage of Notaries who are throwing in the towel after just getting started in the industry because they are worried, they won't make it. And, although there may be some out there that hope that the Notary pools will dwindle down for less competition, no one should give up just yet. Even if you aren't worried (which we hope not) you should always be thinking about how to market or expand your business. Here are Five Free Tips That Can Help You Increase Your Notary Work Tip #1- Focus First On Signing Agencies Who Have Business In Your AreaAll of us know that we have to sign up with every single Signing Agency out there (even if we are trying to work direct) so that we can fill up our calendars. Notaries often make mistakes by going after Signing Agencies that do not have enough business in their areas. I personally like to call this "spinning your wheels." It's like you're pressing the gas but not getting anywhere. So, try this! Take 1-2 months to see who is actually sending you the most business while you continue to sign up with Signing Agencies. Over the course of a month see who sends the most orders from Snapdocs, Signing Order, and Zig Sig. Once you pinpoint exactly who has the most business in your area then you will know who to zero in on. Here's a list of Starter Nationwide Signing Agencies on and off these platforms if you need to get back to the grind of signing up. We've got more on our expanded hiring list, but this isn't all about Signing Agencies! We know you want direct business as well. And you should be diversifying as much as possible while things are leveling out. Tip #2- Use Your Time Between Appointments WiselyWhen I was out in the field building up my own company while signing clients, I would use the time and distance I already drove to seek out more clients. If I ever had about two hours, or more, between my appointments I would map the closest Title Agencies to where I ended up and I would walk in. I, of course, was already dressed for work and I always have my business cards, resume, and any credentials that are commonly asked for in a nice folder, so I never had to have them request anything from me after I left. In the beginning, I got a lot of no not right now, or come back later... but the Yes was what I lived for! Tip #3- Change Your Approach With Signing Agencies and Direct ClientsOwning a Signing Agency has given me a lot of insight into this one. It really doesn't matter if you are working with a Signing Agency or Direct Business. You really want to focus on what you can do for them! Do not let your first question be, "Do you have any business in my area?" Start with something like "How can I help you grow your business?" Or "What do you look for when you are hiring a Notary?" Here is a free video we did at Notary Stars about Direct Business titled What They Know That You Don't Know. Tip #4- Create A Local Notary Coalition or AllianceThis might sound a bit cheesy to some of you, butit works. In fact, that's exactly how I got Unlimited Ink Notary off the ground! Initially, our Nationwide Signing Agency was a local team of just 8 Notaries who divided our city like a piece of pie, and we protected the business we brought in, only bringing more Notaries into the mix as needed. They became my work family, and we helped each other in so many ways until we made it! We will be talking about forming healthy partnerships with other Notaries at our next Notary Stars Unlimited episode this Wednesday. If you haven't registered yet- consider joining us by Registering Here. It's absolutely FREE! You can also watch all of the previous sessions on that registration page as well if you are interested. Tip #5- Expand Your Services Here's a list of services you can consider adding: Apostilles, Life Care Planning Packages, Trust Signings, Wedding Officiant, I9 Verifications, Car Loans, Purchase Option Agreements, Credit Repair Services, Finger Printing, Field Inspections, Photo Assignments, and more! And here's a list of clients you shouldn't forget exist as a Mobile Notary Public & Loan Signing Agent: Attornies, Medical Offices, Hospitals, Rehab Facilities, Assisted Living Facilities, Social Workers, Psychiatrist, Counselors, Senior Living Apartments, Schools, Real Estate Agencies, Churches, Car Dealerships, Insurance Agencies, Hotels, Banks, Jails, and Adoption Services. Also, check out our most recent CommuniTip about "Spreading Your Business Cards Around Like Pixie Dust."as it fits the mood for this email. We really hope that these tips help keep you pointed in the right direction and a lot more confident. Please have a wonderful week and don't forget to keep checking back on all of the free training & resources we have available throughout NotaryStars.com. Watch The Podcast Replay About This Article with Abraham Zamorah The Notary Entrepreneur Below:

During the Pandemic, things were just different for us Loan Signing Agents. For the past two years, we've been so busy we let a lot of things slide- like regularly updating our Notary Listing Resources. Hiring parties didn't mind so much during the Pandemic because they were busy but now that things are returning to normal- some of them are deciding to narrow down their hiring list. This is why we wanted to send out this friendly reminder for some things we all can do now that we have a little more time on our hands in order to continue building healthy relationships with existing and potential clients and make sure we aren't discarded as a Pandemic Notary. Here are a few tips for things you should be doing now that things have slowed down that will ensure that you get brushed off as no longer active. #1)Update Your Websites and Business Listings- Freshen up your websites with your new working hours and during the holidays find ways to add non-offensive seasonal artwork to let people know you are still working. As the "seasonal" Signing Agents make their way back into full-time work you will find that keeping yourself marked as working will work wonders for you! And yes, we are hearing nearly every day Notaries stating that they are going back to their full-time jobs as things are slowing down for them. This will mean an uptick in files for everyone else who works full-time as a Signing Agent. And it will level out! Note: July, September, October, November, and December are great times to add some extra clip art to your website or to your photos. If you aren't great with photo editing- try Canva! It makes it so easy. Or simply just use text on your website. Little things like this can show you are still active without seeming desperate for work. #2)Update Your Biographies on all Major Notary Platforms- Make sure to update your biographies with your new order counts. For those of you who were here for the full two years of the Pandemic, you might have really raked in some higher order counts on a single platform but it may not be showing on all of them. Most sites only calculate their own order counts so direct people to where you were working and how many orders you've now done. SigningOrder, Snapdocs, ZigSig, BancServ, and Signature Closers are a few places you may want to update your bio. If you took additional training courses- make sure those stand out in your profile as well. And if you are taking time down (or reducing your own hours now) make sure to adjust your hours or use the vacation settings for the sites that have them. Now that things are slowing down you could easily get dumped from a lot of list if you aren't responding when you say you are available. This is a fact! #3) Don't Forget The Usual Suspects!NotaryRotary.com, 123Notary.com, NotaryStars.com, OnlineNotariesPublic.com, NotaryCafe.com, Yelp, and Google My Business all should get an update as well. Updating resources like these help you get picked more often. You never know who might have passed you up before when you only had a few orders. If you haven't updated your listing in two years (because you were really busy) people might now be thinking you gave up. Here's our final tip: Start adding "LAST UPDATED ON XX/XX/XXXX for the next little bit when updating your profile and schedule time to come back and update every month or so. It is tedious but as we return to a normal flow of business you don't want to get marked as inactive whilst some abandon their listings. We really hope that this information will help you. Don't forget to check out our Free Replays of Notary Stars Unlimited at Notary Stars Unlimited where we provide you valuable information every month just like this!

Below you will find the Top 10 National Loan Signing Agencies and Notary Management Platforms rated by Notary Stars in no particular order. If you are looking for more Signing Agencies to work with- check out our free National Hiring List for a list of great companies and our Expanded Hiring List With Reviews exclusively for Notary Star members. If you'd really like to impress these companies show off your Notary2Pro and NotaryStars.com training when applying. #1 SigningOrder.com - is a notary management platform used by 100's if not 1000's of Signing Agencies across the country. Your Notary listing must be filled out in its entirety to get much work (including a photo). Reputation is everything to the Signing Order Notary Management platform which means you will need to keep your quality score up with the companies that you work with and they will continue to send great work your way! Notary2Pro graduates are often given a preference within the searches by many companies. Make sure you upload your Notary2Pro certification! #2) Snapdocs.com - is generally utilized by Title agencies more so than Signing Agencies because it is a rather expensive platform. The start-up cost of using Snapdocs is fairly pricy for smaller Signing Agencies as well as the per order fee. Snapdocs has a great deal of business and reputation is also important here. You also have to keep your response rate high or it will go down. If you aren't working, make sure to put up your vacation responder! #3) BancServ.com - is part of Fidelity National Title. Fidelity rarely approves direct Notaries any longer because they want their Escrow officers to use their Notary Management Platform. BancServ has a once-a-month onboarding and it's recommended to complete the video interview to get more Signings. #4) Signature Closers - is now owned by Stewart Title. This platform offers a hybrid function of Signing Agencies, Title Agencies, and Signing services all in one. Reading the orders really helps. Notary2Pro graduates are often given a preference within the searches by many companies. Make sure they know you are a Notary2Pro graduate! #5) ZigSig.com - is an up-and-coming Notary Management Software. You earn points for things like completing components of your profile and completing orders correctly. You can also let them know when you've completed your NotaryStars.com training to get an extra boost in your profile. #6) Amrock - is owned by Rocket Mortgage fka Quicken Loans and is one of the busiest Signing Agencies in the country. They are very selective so when applying through every training course you can think of at them to get them to hear you out. If they turn you down the first time- follow up in 3-month intervals. Notaries retire every day. #7) Solidify - handles mostly Chase Bank business and pays usually higher than most companies. Onboarding is easy and if you are nice to them- they'll keep the work coming! #8) Mortgage Connect & Inspire Closing - generally handles mostly Bank of America and Wells Fargo loans (and usually refinances). Mortgage Connect and Inspire closing are sister companies. Onboarding with one puts you in the database for the other but it never hurts to give the other a call to ensure they can find you and know you want to work with them. #9) First American Loan Mortgage Solutions - is an oldie but a goodie. You will want to be with First American as a Signing Agent because they are one of the largest Signing Services in the country and First American is one of the largest Title Companies in the United States. Get in good with them, do a great job, and they'll keep calling you! #10) Unlimited Ink Notary - is a Signing Service located in Phoenix Arizona. It is owned by the same owners as NotaryStars.com (and the author of this article). Unlimited Ink Notary processes over 3000 transactions per month nationwide and is growing exponentially. They are headquartered in Phoenix Arizona but offer files nationwide and have their largest presence (as of 2022) in Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington, Florida, Wisconsin, Nevada, Parts of Texas, and Pennsylvania.

As interest rates continue to climb in 2022 many Notaries may find themselves looking for alternative means of generating revenue- and that's okay! Side Hustles and lateral moves in in business are a large part of our industry. And, if you're still growing your Notary business while things are slowing down one thing you may want to look into is the ever growing Credit Repair Industry. I disovered credit repair while trying to bring up my own credit score (which I was able to do on my own). I must say though that it did not come without a great deal of leg work and research when I first started working on my own credit. I was doing this part-time, behind the scenes, never dreaming of becoming a Credit Repair Specalist myself but as I got closer to my own goals I'd talked about it so much with friends and family they started asking me to help them as well. The next thing I knew I was learning more, and more, and more about Credit Repair (which turns out to be fairly easy). During my journey I discovered Credit Repair Cloud, a software that helps you repair credit easily and also trains you on every aspect of Credit Repair. Daniel Rosen is to Credit Repair as to what I am to Notary Stars- a relentless teacher who keeps the information flowing. I actually realized when I took his course that I was getting a taste of my own medicine because he was so in-depth. The way I see it is that Credit Repair is an excellent side hustle for any Notary. You are alreayd making contacts with Realtors, Escrow Officers who an refer you, and Loan Officers who can send business your way. And, right here after the Pandemic and a not so great economy- there isn't any hurt for clients who are trying to get their lives back on track. Daniel does a free onboaring session online if you are intersted you can watch it anytime at: Credit Repair Cloud Full Disclosure: This is something that I am learning myself and if you decide to take the journey as well- you will need to work with Daniel Rosen and Credit Repair Cloud. I do not intend to open classes on this topic as I'm very happy with my mentorship here at Notary Stars. The only purpose of posting this article is to guide those of you looking for Side Hustles to something I've invested my time and money into.

We often hear a great deal on "the Internet," about Signing Agent Fees and you may be wondering if they are collapsing? This is a great question but in order to answer it, we really need to look at the bigger picture. Yes, fees were higher years ago when there were only a handful of Notary Loan Signing Agents in every town across America. Things were different altogether back then actually. There were very few Signing Agencies in existence and there were only a few Notary Platforms that generally charged the Notary to advertise. If a Title Company wanted to book a Notary Loan Signing Agent- they picked up the phone, called you, and they booked you themselves. You may be asking yourself what happened? What has changed over the years is a couple of things. First and foremost, Signing Agencies became more prevalent but that wasn't the end of our problems. Yes, they took their cut but they did their fair share of the work getting business for the Signing Agents, answering their questions, scheduling, and sometimes more. The next problem that entered our industry was Big Tech like SnapDocs. From our research it has been discovered for a new client to onboard with Snapdocs it's $2,500 to start an account and $25 per order! This means if you have a file that would pay $175, SnapDocs is getting a minimum of $25 off the top of the order, and then the Signing Agency or Title Agency using the platform is getting a cut on top of that. That means a $175 file is now down to about $100 for the Notary (or less if the client is paying less than $175- and a lot of them are nowadays). The third problem in this industry is actually THE INTERNET! And that will take a fresh paragraph to discuss. The Internet didn't just cut our fees because it made things easier- it cut our fees because it saturated our market. Take a look at YouTube and just enter anything about Loan Signing Agent and see how many people are on just this channel alone talking about how they made "Six-Figures" as a Notary Loan Signing Agent. And then, look at how many views some of those videos (which were once paid advertisements) have. Influencers inside and outside of our industry keep pulling at the heartstrings of people who really need a stable career but they aren't telling them the truth. WHY- YOU ASK? Because they get money for you signing up for their courses and they get money for their YouTube videos as well. Simply put: The more Loan Signing Agents there are in every zip code across America the less of a demand they are to Title and Escrow. You combine that with Singing Agencies (which are needed to help manage busier offices), and Platform Management fees- there are too many hands-on everyone's fees! By The Way- Please stop blaming newer Notary Loan Signing Agents for taking "low balling fees." There are several factors that go into what is considered a "low ball fee." Location, Distance, Size of Package, and Volume are several factors that make up a Notary Loan Signing Agents decision to accept an order or not. And sometimes, it's just about gaining experience and building relationships that will increase fees over time. Here Is Where Most Notary Loan Signing Agents Get It All Wrong (Are You Ready?) 1. This is a turn-key business in a lot of ways but marketing is not one of them. The cost to enter this industry is insanely low and requires very little education. Do you know of many other businesses you can start for under $2500, or even $1500 in some States? One thing The Internet or those Make Six-Figure courses won't tell you is that those who make the bigger dollars invested in marketing their business. We can assure you- Six-Figure incomes don't come easy! 2. You kind of have to work with Signing Agencies to fill in your calendar but you really should be focused on direct business- and a mix of direct business at that. This means you should be working with the General Public, Signing Services, and Title Companies Direct. As a business owner in a niche market, beggers can't be choosers until they've proven themselves to their clients. Start out with competitive fees and slowly increase them over time. Never burn bridges! You may need those "low-ballers" one day to fill in your calendar. And who knows, you might build a relationship with them to get them to pay you more. 3. You have to set yourself apart for Direct Business. Every Title Company has hundreds of Notaries reaching out to them every month. What makes you different? What does your resume say that other Notary Signing Agent Resumes don't say? Do you have more training listed- is it verifiable? Do you have more signings- how do they know? 4. Your paycheck will be a direct reflection of the amount of work you put into marking your business. Relationships and signings will not just fall from the sky into your lap. 5. Your cost is your cost! You need to make sure to adjust your supplies (even including your vehicle) to keep your cost low!

For many Notary Loan Signing Agents who started within the past two years, you may find that signings are slowing down as interest rates begin to rise again. You are starting to see text offers are slowing down and direct business that focused primarily on Refinances is drying up. If you find yourself looking around and wondering why more people aren't feeling a little more anxious about this, you aren't alone! Those of us who have been in the industry for a while though understand that Real Estate and Lending have always been feast or famine. But don't worry! During the COVID-19 Pandemic, our industry as mobile Notaries was in demand more than they've ever been before for two solid years. Title and Attorney offices that never used mobile Notaries before turned to us and we were able to build new relationships and grow. But as things simmer back down to "normal," even those new relationships we built have less and less work to go around because most markets are a bit saturated for two reasons. The first reason is that during the Pandemic there was a major influx of Notary Loan Signing Agents joining the workforce due to more free time, job losses, and overall demand. The second is because the cat's just out of the bag now about our industry, thanks to Social Media, and everyone now knows what we can make if we do our job well. It is a fact, that between the end of 2019 and the Present Day there were at least 3-5 times more Notary Loan Signing Agents in every zip code across the United States than ever before. So as we return to normal on so many levels you may be asking yourself How Do I Stand Out? There are five key components to a Notary Profile that you should consider in order to stand out within the databases to help you continue to receive more work as a Notary Loan Signing Agent. #1) Profile Name & Photo (Not A Logo & Business Name) It is always best for Notaries to use the name that is written on their commission as the name on their Notary Profile and not a business name. If you have formulated a business entity, such as an LLC, you can input your payment name on most profiles differently (or on your invoices when you send them), then on your actual profile name. If your business name sounds like a Signing Service and you are not contracted as a Signing Service with the Signing Agency or Title Agency they are going to pass you up thinking you are outsourcing work when it is not allowed. There are people who will disagree with me on this but a professional photo is needed when you create a Notary Profile. The more professional the better. Many of us make more money than 90% of Realtors but will complain about having to spend money on headshots. You should take a good look at the top producing Realtors in your area and see if you can't find out who did their headshots and order some for yourself. Remember what they say- a photo is worth a thousand words! #2) A Very Strong Well Written, Honest, Biography #3) References #4) Additional Training Here is an example (we ask you to adapt as your own, not just copy and paste): My name is John Star and I have been a Notary Loan Signing Agent since January 14th, 2022. I have taken the National Notary Association's Certified Signing Agent Exam and I have also continued my education with Notary2Pro and NotaryStars.com where I've obtained an additional 150+ hours of training for various loan products. Because of my training, I am comfortable with Purchases, Cash Purchases, Simultaneous Closings, Sales, Refinances, VA Loans, FHA Loans, Reverse Mortgages, Hard Money Loans, Agricultural Loans, and more! Please feel free to verify my training through Notary Stars using my membership ID: 0000. Since I began my career as a Notary Loan Signing Agent I have been able to work with some amazing companies who would recommend me such as Amrock, Mortgage Connect, Superior Notary Services, and Unlimited Ink Notary to name a few. I entered this industry because I love working with people, traveling around my city, and truly enjoy making sure things get done right. I am equipped with a dual tray laser printer, a mobile laser printer, and a reliable scanner for great quality scan backs. I also take pride in not charging more for using these items because I want to make sure your closing goes smoothly. I like to see myself as a problem solver, not a problem creator. #5) Credentials Must Be Up To Date & Sufficient So many notaries let their E&O, W9, and Background Check either lapse or fall to the wayside when updating their credentials. You have to think about your profile like a Resume and one that is buried within over 100,000 other resumes- because it is! Notary databases have anywhere from 80k to 100k Notary profiles. The larger the city the more competition you will have. You just can't leave any stone unturned when it comes to the opportunity to get noticed!

Most of us have seen those orders come over on our phones for a signing that is listed as a Loan Modification. And if we have taken those orders, we have found the packages to be pretty small and the whole signing process to be quick and easy. And then there is the Forbearance question that we run into on other loan signings and maybe we don't quite understand what that's all about. Let's take a quick look at it here. A mortgage forbearance is a temporary pause in mortgage payments approved by the lender. The lender agrees in advance to allow you to stop making payments or make a reduced payment monthly. The Pandemic gave rise to this and it came onto our radar when we started hearing about businesses that were unable to operate and mass amounts of people were unable to work and pay their household expenses. Borrowers with federally backed loans were given the option of requesting a Forbearance through the government program known as the CARES ACT. This allows for a 180-day forbearance followed by one 180-day extension if needed. During this time the foreclosure process is halted and re-payment doesn't begin until the forbearance period is over. So, yes it is only temporary relief from payments. How is this amount re-paid? Lump-Sum; A lump sum is due for the missed payments at the end of the forbearance period or the lender may agree to add that amount to the outstanding balance of the original mortgage loan agreement. Original loan terms remain the same. Partial Payment Plan; If you were able to pay a portion during that forbearance period, the lender may agree to raise your regular monthly payments temporarily until the missed payment balance is paid off. Payment Deferral; Some lenders may offer to place the entire amount of missed payments under a new and separate loan that doesn't have to be re-paid until the homeowner refinances or sells the home. Loan Modification; If you can't afford your original mortgage payment after the forbearance period ends, maybe because of a change in job or number of hours you are given work, you may be able to modify your current mortgage with your lender. That is when the loan is re-written and a smaller monthly payment is offered to cover all outstanding loan balances. Even though we have seen some loan modification orders come through on our apps, we should expect to see that number increase in the coming months. As of July 1, 2022 lenders will begin offering Loan Modifications to homeowner's with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac owned loans. And we probably will be getting random calls from homeowners (Lender typically have them find their own notary) to help them sign their payment deferral loans as those will need notarization as well.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and the Notary As a Notary have you ever wondered what the GLBA regulation is? Let alone why you need to be concerned with it? Chances are you have seen it referenced in your SPW Code of Conduct and the exam you likely took with the NNA as a Notary Signing Agent. I'm guessing you want to know what that has to do with you as a Notary Signing Agent. I promise I'll get to that, but first you should understand exactly what you are dealing with here. This is also known as the Financial Modernization Act of 1999 and is a Federal law enacted to control the ways financial institutions handle the private information of individuals. It not only governs when they can share Non-public Personal Information (NPPI) but also how they can share it. Several agencies contribute to the regulations within the act as well a have a role in enforcing those regulations. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Federal Banking Agencies Federal regulatory Agencies State Insurance oversight Agencies The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) State laws also play a role and can require greater compliance, but not less than what is required by GLBA. What is considered Non-Public Personal Information (NPPI)? An individual’s name Income Social Security Number Marital Status Address Birth dates Education level Employment data Amount of savings or investments Loan or deposit balance Credit and debit card purchases Account numbers Consumer credit reports Where the individual may have an account – what financial institution A phone number – if it is an unlisted number Bio-metric Data (Fingerprints) Geolocation data Internet and other electronic information Tax information Who is regulated by GLBA? Financial institutions Non-bank mortgage lenders Real Estate Appraisers Loan Brokers Some Financial or investment advisers Credit reporting companies Pay-day lenders Debt collectors Car rental companies Car Dealers Courier services Universities Tax return preparers and accountants Banks and Credit Unions Real Estate Settlement providers, including Title and Escrow and Real Estate closing attorneys There are two major components of the GLBA; Financial Privacy Rule, this restricts the sharing of NPPI Safeguards Rule, requires a security plan both as a company policy and Cyber Security policy It also states that when information is shared with unaffiliated parties, the unaffiliated party must handle the information in accordance with GLBA regulations. GUESS WHAT? We and Notary Signing Agents fall into that ‘unaffiliated party’ category. Just like the companies we do assignments for, we are subject to the Safeguard Rule; Insure the confidentiality and integrity of NPPI Protect against common cyber attacks, cyber threats and attack vectors Protect against data breaches, data leaks and unauthorized access to or use of NPPI Regulations apply to any record containing NPPI whether paper, electronic or other form There are other regulations that we really don’t need to get into here as they really don’t apply to us…yet. Under GLBA, Financial institutions who disclose NPPI to a third-party vendor or service provider (that’s us) must enter into a contractual agreement. (Which is why we will typically sign an agreement with the companies that we work with) Non-compliance penalties are steep. $10,000 fine for each violation for individuals and up to 5-yrs in prison. As Notary Signing Agents, we really need to think twice about how we are handling NPPI received through our loan signings. Don’t use public computers or printers Don’t store loan documents or order assignments on our computers Always store loan documents un a locked drawer until it’s time to go to your appointments Don’t allow your children, spouse, or friends to use your business computer Never allow someone to ride-along to your appointments Don’t use names and address you have from our appointments to solicit new business. Ensure your internet connection is secure and that you have other data breach safeguards in place on your equipment. Recent GLBA cases brought by the FTC include: Ascension Data and Analytics. In 2020, the Arlington, Texas, company agreed to an undisclosed financial settlement after a vendor, OpticsML, was found to have stored customer financial information in plain text in insecure cloud storage. PayPal. The online payment processor agreed to pay $175,000 to the state of Texas in 2018 to settle GLBA and Federal Trade Act violations that compromised data security and privacy of customers using its Venmo peer-to-peer application. TaxSlayer. Hackers were able to access nearly 9,000 of the Augusta, Ga., online tax preparer and customer records for several months in 2015. The FTC said it failed to implement a comprehensive security program. Source; https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/privacy-and-security/gramm-leach-bliley-act

As a business owner you wear many hats. There is soooo much you need to know. You need to know how to run your business, how to be the Notary, the Signing Agent, the Administrative Assistant, the Advertising Manager, Business Manager, Tech support, Purchasing agent, and the bookkeeper. You also should know what type of insurance you will need to protect all that you do. As a Notary we are familiar with the Bond that is required of us to purchase in order to receive our commission. That Bond is a type of insurance protection, but it is for the benefit of the public that we serve. Not us. It is there to provide some level of monetary compensation to someone who was harmed by our actions, either intentionally or un-intentionally in connection with our Notarial duties. This is a requirement by our state governing agency but does not really benefit us at all. If someone makes a claim against your Bond, you will be required to pay back those amounts. And, you can be held personally liable for any costs above the amount of your bond. Not to mention your own personal legal fees, court costs and other expenses. As a Notary and as a Signing Agent working with loan documents we need to purchase E&O or Errors and Omissions Insurance coverage. Working in the General Notary field, it's a really sound idea to have this type of insurance. If you are working with loan documents it is a requirement by most hiring companies to carry a certain level of E&O. Errors and Omissions insurance is designed to protect Notaries. This type of insurance provides protection from your Notarial errors, unintentionally violating the law, financial damages from a notarization mistake or omission, if you are named in a lawsuit even if you did nothing wrong, notarizations that occur by forging your signature and counterfeiting your seal, and will cover any payout of damages to an injured party after settlement. It should cover all your legal expenses without paying a deductible and in some cases can be used to repay a loss on your bond. Cyber Crime coverage. This would be for claims made relating to RON or Remote Online Notarizations. While this is still a very new area, the potential for lawsuits related to the security level during a RON signing on NPPI on your computer even if only temporarily is growing. This would the internet and anytime you store provide protection from data breaches and other cybercrimes that may compromise sensitive information along with threats such as malware and hackers. Cybercrime insurance would cover economic damages that arise through a failure of network security or privacy controls which can cause any type of loss. General Liability coverage. Every business has some type of General liability policy. We need this as well because we are business owners. This would cover everything else we do during the course of business. Think in terms of running over a homeowner's mailbox when you pull up to a signers home. Or somehow leaving a stain on their carpet when you come in. Or knocking over a valuable vase with your briefcase. Or worse, stepping on their tiny dog and causing an injury to the poor little one. It could be something even more costly, like starting a fire when you plugged in your scanner at the table. None of these situations would be covered under your E&O policy and could potentially drain your savings account or even put your home and other assets at risk. If you insurance agent tells you that your homeowners policy should cover you for these things, ask him/her why they don't take your business seriously.....Hmmmm? Questions you should be asking; When shopping for insurance of any kind, it's never a good idea to just go with the lowest cost. We need to ask some questions to make sure we know what we are buying. What does it cover? What are the policy limits? Sometimes policies are written for a total amount but only 1/4 of it is available per claim with the balance as an aggregate limit for the term of the policy. Ask those questions. Another really important question would be; Is this policy paid out on a Claims-made Basis or an Occurrence-made basis? A Claims-made policy only covers incidents that happen and are reported within the policy's active period. An Occurrence-made policy has lifetime coverage for incidents that occur during a policy period regardless of when the claim is reported. In our business, it could be years before you are presented with a lawsuit for something that you notarized. So for us, it is important to seek out policies that have claims coverage on an Occurrence-made basis.

The close of the legislative session brought in a few very important regulations for Arizona. These will go into effect on June 30, 2022. Here’s a brief re-cap for you. For the full law, please reference the Senate Bill 1115 -New and renewing Notaries will be required to take an exam if your commission has been suspended -We have new Acts added and now can perform; Signature Witnessing (no need to swap out the certificates) Protests (which I wouldn't recommend to anyone without training first) ARS 47-3505 Tangible Record Copy (True certified copy of an electronic notarization) Signature by Proxy (Signer must be unable to physically sign. Signature must include the verbiage "Signature affixed by [Proxy name] at the direction of [Principal]) -Seal/Stamp; no longer requires the ID/Commission number to be present -Retains the current provision allowing only one seal/stamp in possession of the Notary. Class 3 misdemeanor. -May use an embosser with the ink stamp/seal but not alone. -Commission number is now a requirement to be printed on our certificates -Title of officer is required either after our signature or next to our printed name below the signature line on certificates. -Notary signature must be logically associated with the certificate. -No more pre-filling certificates before the appointment. Must be completed in its entirety contemporaneously with the act. -When using a loose certificate, minimum elements required to logically associate it with the intended document, Title or type of document – Date of document – Number of pages – Any additional signers other than those named in the certificate. -Clarifies that a Notary commission does not allow an individual to act as an immigration consultant. (not sure what that means in respect to completing I9 verifications) -The existing provision requiring the physical description on an acceptable ID card to include the height, weight, hair, and eye color has been replaced with just the words “physical description” to allow for ID cards from other states/governments to be acceptable. -May not certify a copy of public record (ARS 41-319) except to certify a copy of a journal entry that is public record. -Translators involved in the notarial act must personally appear before the Notary (ARS 41-253 subsection F) - (basically, we cannot use an electronic translation app). -This disclaimer must be used verbatim, for any advertising of Notarial services whether it is orally or in a record including print media, broadcast media, or internet. Any alternative statement must be authorized by the Secretary of State. Failure to do so is a Class 6 felony and permanent revocation of commission. “I am not an Attorney licensed to practice law in this state. I am not allowed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities.” -A Notary may not withhold access to or possession of an original record or document provided by a person that seeks performance of a notarial act, except as provided by law. (So, do not attempt to withhold documents from a loan signing as a condition of payment.) -RON initiative, if signer is not identified by personal knowledge or Oath of credible witnesses, you must use two (2) forms of identity proofing. -Must use a paper journal for paper notarizations and either a paper journal or electronic journal for electronic notarizations. -In addition to elements currently established, additional journal requirements include both a description of the document, type of notarial act, and signature of signer (if paper act) to be recorded in a journal. -A Notary who performs a RON and does not identify the remotely located individual by personal knowledge or credible witnesses, then two (2) forms of identity proofing must be used. That’s quite a bit of tweaking that went on with our laws and regulations here in Arizona. Another one was the limitation of 60-days after the date of issue of our bonds to obtain our commissions. COVID completely trashed that as it was taking way longer for our SOS to issue our commissions. That was completely repealed, and no other time limits have been established. Guess we can all rest easy at least for a little while.

REMOTE ONLINE NOTARIZATION (RON) is as appealing as it is scary for new and existing Notaries. If you are an experienced Notary Loan Signing Agent then you are now having to learn a new way to do your job. And, if you are a new Notary Loan Signing Agent you are being recorded so there is absolutely have to make sure you know what you are doing. The pressure is on all of us regardless of our experience level to stay up-to-date. The age of "Fake It Until You Make It" is over! Notary Stars as of October 2021 has begun to add up-to-date information regarding RON into its training course but we are taking a different approach than many training companies when it comes to RON. We are airing on the side of caution as we move into conducting RON closings- and we highly recommend before you jump on the RON bandwagon yourself that you get as much education regarding Loan Signings & Your RON platform as possible on and off of Notary Stars. Title & Lender Restrictions are very important for Notary Loan Signing Agents to understand. In our training course, we help Notary Loan Signing Agents understand what part of a transaction belongs to a Title Agency and what part belongs to a Lender. One thing that Notaries are often unaware of is the entity that drives both Title and Lender Policies (including how documents are signed in-person or electronically), and that entity is called UNDERWRITING. Underwriting is essentially the legal department of an institution that determines the risk associated with the transaction. NOTARY WARNINGS: When it comes to any and all Real Estate transactions you as a Notary should not suggest a Remote Online Closing to your signers under any circumstances, knowing what you now know. Although RON may be perfectly legal in your State it may be against the policy of the Title and Escrow Office or the Lender involved in the paperwork to use just any platform out there. You must absolutely make sure that you are able to use your (or one of your) RON Platforms before proceeding with a Real Estate Transaction. Conducting a Real Estate transaction on an unapproved platform could at best have you performing a closing unpaid that just needs to be redone- or worse, sued! Letting your Signing Agencies and Title Agencies know you are RON Capable is very important; however, you can completely invalidate a closing if you attempt to preform a RON closing with your signers without permission from the Signing Agency, Title Agency, or Lender. For documents outside of Real Estate Transactions you should be disclaiming to your signers, before they sign, they need to ensure the receiving party will accept an electronically Notarized document. Platform Suggestions are coming at us from all angles but choosing your RON platform choice should not come from anyone but your Secretary of States Office (or licensing office) and your process of deduction. Most RON States are giving suggestions to Notaries on what platforms to use and we suggest you use a suggested platform. This not the time in your career where you want to be cool. However, if you do venture outside of your State suggestions we strongly urge you to make sure your platform is compliant with Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, INC. (MERS). This is exactly why we mentioned you need to make sure your RON Platform is approved with your Signing Agency or Title Agency before proceeding with any Real Estate Transaction. Remember: You won't be a hero unless you can actually save the day. Members of Notary Stars as of January 3rd, 2022 have access to our RON Platform Reviews which may help guide you in choosing your own RON Platform. Please allow time for reviews to build up! Marketing RON Properly can be difficult. Taking the previously written information in this article it is important to understand that the average consumer will most likely not be searching for Remote Online Notarization (RON) as it's a an industry term. When marketing RON to the average consumer we suggest you have consumer-friendly information on your websites and business cards helping your customers understand you offer VIRTUAL NOTARIZATION as an option. Important Disclaimers YOU should be giving signers Amrock has a great Notary Script for Signing Agents which helps guide them. And Notary Stars will be working on a good script for our members in the near future of things you definitely want to say on camera. One thing off the bat we can think of is you need to inform the signers they are being recorded for record retention purposes on behalf of yourself, the title agency, and lender- or for the receiving party if their documents are not Real Estate Related. This is one thing we haven't seen any other training course addressing in their training and it makes perfect sense. Our script course can help you with Loan Documents, but we are working on an adapted RON Script similar to that we've seen so far to aid our members in performing signings with safety (for themselves) through RON.

The Military ID You may have heard this before, or maybe this is the first time you have come across this. For the Notary Signing Agent, it is not lawful to make or possess a copy of a Military ID. This includes a “Retired” status Military ID. Often, we are required to return a copy of a government issued photo ID back in our loan documents packages. And proud veterans want to offer up their military ID to us to verify their identity. And this is perfectly fine to meet our ID requirements. But we need to send a copy of the ID we used to identify them back in the loan packages and, well we can’t send a copy of a military ID. So we find ourselves handing back the military ID and asking for something else that fits our regulations. At times, they might even take offense that we are not able to use that ID. Stating this ‘was issued by our U.S. Government and is the best ID in the world’. Well, yes. It probably is, but I can’t accept a copy of it. Only the US government can possess a copy of this ID, or a medical facility or other agency charged with administering military related benefits. The applicable statute is: Title 18, U.S. Code Part I, Chapter 33, Section 701, which states: Whoever manufactures, sells or possesses any badge, identification card or other insignia of the design prescribed by the head of any department or agency of the United States for use by any officer or employee thereof, or any colorable imitation thereof, or photographs, prints or in any other manner makes or executes any engraving, photograph, print or impression in the likeness of any such badge, identification card, or other insignia, or any colorable imitation thereof, except as authorized under the regulation made pursuant to law, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both. Bolded to add emphasis, within the relevant statute, there lies and exception. The Defense Department provided in 79 FR 707, titled: Identification (ID) Cards for Members of the Uniformed Services; authorized photocopying include photocopying of DoD ID cards to facilitate medical care processing, check cashing, voting, tax matters, compliance with 50 U.S.C. appendix 501 (also known as “The Service member’s Civil Relief Act”), or administering other military-related benefits to eligible beneficiaries. The photocopying of a Military ID for government purpose is exempt. The day-to-day activities of State and Federal Agencies are government actions for government purposes. Performing government business is lawful and does not violate Title 18, U.S. Code Part I, Chapter 33, Section 701. As such, Immigration Agencies such as USCIS, NVC, and DOS are able to lawfully request and use Military IDs. Commercial establishments can ask to see your card to verify your identification, but they cannot copy it. Photocopied cards might be used for nefarious purposes and criminals value US Military IDs.