4 ways to make your Mobile Notary business more profitable.
Any one will tell you prices are going up while main street business revenues are going down. And as a mobile notary you face expenses that can be hard to control. From the price of gas to the cost of printer towner, less work in the market and services fees from signing services are dropping, So now more then ever you need to find ways to become more profitable in your mobile notary business.
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Notaries who have failed to follow best practices, or who have “slipped” on paying attention to detail, have inadvertently launched a little, but growing trend of mortgage lenders implementing their own requirements and rules for the Signing Agents they hire.
A little number of lenders have implemented their policies to protect themselves because hazardous practices on the part of some Notaries have cost them significant sums of money and put their transactions at risk. Some of the rules place a greater burden on Notaries and, if the trend continues, Signing Agents could be awash in new rules and regulations for each individual company, and for each assignment they perform.
One lender, for example, now requires Signing Agents to complete a “Notary Identification Verification Form” for every loan signing assignment. The requirement is the direct result of fraud cases in which a Notary’s seal was used on a loan package by someone other than theNotary Public. Notaries are supposed to keep their seals in a safe and secure location so they can not be used for fraudulent purposes.
Settlement Agents typically are licensed representatives or employees of title companies who finalize the loan closing. They perform duties that fall outside the purview of NSAs — such as preparing the abstraction of the title and recording the title documents. NSAs are not “Settlement Agents,” and they do not have the authority to sign a document as the Settlement Agent.
Another company now requires all Signing Agents it hires in
While this trend represents a hefty, additional burden on Signing Agents, both cases stand as examples of how mortgage companies might react when the Notaries fail to follow professional standards of care. You ought to never let someone borrow your seal, and always call your employer if there is any query about how to proceed.
THE NOTARY SHALL ACT AS AN IMPARTIAL WITNESS AND NOT PROFIT OR GAIN FROM ANY DOCUMENT OR TRANSACTION REQUIRING A NOTARIAL ACT, APART FROM THE FEE ALLOWED BY STATUTE.
Impartiality is crucial to ensure the integrity of notarized documents. Notarial acts are trusted because Notaries serve as unbiased, third-party witnesses who verify a signer’s identity and willingness. That’s why it is so important Notaries avoid even the appearance of bias when performing their duties, and why impartiality is the cornerstone of Guiding Principle II of The Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility.
Rules governing Notary Public impartiality help protect the transaction from improper influence. For example, a Notary might be tempted to compromise ethics if asked to notarize a document that provided the Notary with some kind of financial or other benefit. It would be even more difficult, if not impossible, for a Notary to maintain impartiality if asked to notarize a document that specifically names the Notary in a transaction.
Trust in a Notary’s fairness in impartiality is a cornerstone of the notarial technique — and that is why it is important that Notaries avoid even the appearance of potential self-interest when notarizing signatures on documents.
Even the appearance of impartiality can cause problems with a document. State laws do not always forbid a Notary from notarizing a document for a spouse, parent or other close relative, but this doesn’t stop someone from calling the Notary’s impartiality in to query if the document is challenged in court. That is why the Code urges Notaries to decline to notarize in any transaction that may call in to query the Notary’s propriety — even if allowed by state law.
When completing multiple notarizations for the same signer — a common occurrence for mortgages and other real estate-related transactions, for example — California Notary Public‘s commonly use ditto marks to repeat the same information on successive lines in their journals, and they often draw a diagonal line across the signature spaces so the signer only has to sign the journal two times.
California Notaries who use diagonal lines and ditto marks in their journals when recording multiple entries for a single signer should no longer follow this practice, according to a Notary statute clarification issued by the Secretary of State.
But that should not be a practice for Notaries in the Golden State. The Secretary’s clarification reads: “Government Code Section 8206 requires that the Notary Public’s journal include all the information for ‘each official act.’ Therefore, each act would include the date, time, type of each official act, character of the tool, signature, type of identification, fee, and thumbprint (if applicable) on a separate line for each act.”
The City of Portland recently recognized N3 Notary with the Recycle at Work Award Certification. This award honors N3′s dedication to sustainable purchasing and educating employees to make a positive impact on the environment.
N3 Notary exceeded the award criteria set by the city’s Office of Sustainable Development by displaying the company’s commitment to:
N3 Notary is please to announce that online notary vendor registration is now open for new enrollments.
If you have been waiting to sign up with us as an approved mobile notary public vendor now is the time.
To begin the process please visit this link as soon as possible.
Please allow 8 weeks for your information to be reviewed.
Faster processing is available for a nominal fee.
Once you have made the decision, or been directed by your employer to become a license Notary Public its time to begging the process of becoming licensed by your state as a Notary Public.
The first thing you will need to do is decided if what state or states you want to or need to be licensed in. Usually most people become licensed in the state they currently reside in although most states allow individuals form bordering states to be licensed in the boarding state as well.
The office of notary public originated from ancient Rome and has played an important part throughout history as an independent public office. In the United States, an individual who holds a notary public commission acts as an independent witness authorized to administer oaths and acknowledge signatures as well as certain other acts varying from state to state.
Some of the more common documents that require a notary public are Power of Attorneys and business documents, as well as international and domestic adoption documents. And while a notary is not able to either give legal advice or determine the legalities of a given document, they do work as a trusted independent witness to the document signing.
Recently many banks, hospitals and long term care facilities have stopped offering the services of a notary public to their customers due to growing liability concerns, and it’s left many individuals searching for a notary public to assist them in executing their documents. While some of these individuals are able to find a notary at there local mail store, there are times and situations that call for a mobile notary public service.
For example, when a family member is in a hospital or nursing home in can be easier to call in a mobile notary public to assist them rather than going out to see a notary public.
When business contracts need to be signed in the presence of a notary public, bringing in a mobile notary is quicker and more effective than trying to get a group of people down to the local mail store.
International and domestic adoption documents will often require a notary public to witness signatures of a doctor and a police officer, as well as the prospective parents, and while you may be able to convince your doctor and a police office to meet you at the local mail store, it may be easier to use the services of a mobile notary.
Only you can decide if a mobile notary is for you or not, but in today’s busy world it’s nice to know there is an option.
We get phone calls daily from newly commissioned mobile notary signing agents wondering what they need to do to get their new mobile notary business venture off the ground.
I tell them that is all about getting their name out there and to be patient.
So the question naturally becomes, how does a newly commissioned mobile notary signing agent get their name out there and gain the valuable experience needed to become a full time professional mobile notary signing agent.
A question not so easily answered.
So I have decided to share with you my 8 proven strategies that will help you build your mobile notary business.
1. Take Action
Very few signing services are going to call you just because your a “Certified” signing agent. If you have decided to run your business full time, then treat it like a full time job. Start work every day at the same time and don’t take off early just because your the boss now and you feel like it. Be sure to put in an honest days work. After all you’re only accountable to yourself now. And if this is something you only want to do in your spare time then set aside time every week to do the things that will help you build your business.
2. Invest in Technology
Get a cell phone, get a computer, and get a laser printer. And learn how to use them! Bottom line: if you don’t invest in technology and you don’t take the time to learn how to use these tools, you’re going to have a very hard time providing any value to most signing services and a very hard time building your business, although it is possible.
3. Search the web
The internet is the most effective tool you have as a mobile notary signing agent. A search for signing service, or mobile notary service in any of the major search engines will give you a list of many companies that you can sign up with online. Be sure you visit the companies web page and follow all the instructions to become an approved signing agent.
4. Be Available
When a signing service calls you and asks you to assist them, don’t say no just because you think you have something better to do like watch American Idol. Get off your butt. With all the money you’d make by saying yes you could buy yourself a Ti-Vo. Problem solved!
5. Know your value
Don’t tell a company that your fee is $125 if they offer you $50, you’re still just getting your feet wet. Know your value and be happy that as a newbie mobile notary you’re being paid $50 to gain that valuable experience that will pay off for you in the future. Now is the time to build experience and a client base.
6. Read and follow all Instructions
Nothing will make you look bad to a potential client faster than not reading and following all instructions provided to you. So be sure you read through and clearly understand all the instructions the signing service or title company provided to you, as it should define what is expected of you. And if you have a question don’t assume you know the answer, call the company and ask for clarification.
7. Keep your word
In the mobile notary business, it all starts with your word, so honor it and build from there. Don’t back out of appointments that you agree to do and don’t ask for more money once you’ve agreed to a fee. Chances are that a signing service is more likely to call you again if you keep your word rather than break it.
8. Don’t quit
It’s going to take time, hard work and perseverance. In the end it will be worth it. You are going to face tremendous challenges and you will get through them. No matter what don’t quit!
N3 Notary for inforamtion poupouse only, not to be used as legal advice.
Sensitive personal information can cause serious harm if it falls into the wrong hands. That is why it is essential that Notaries protect the privacy of signers they interact with and never abuse information that is entrusted to them, as detailed in Guiding Principle IX of The Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility
IX
THE NOTARY SHALL RESPECT THE PRIVACY OF EACH SIGNER AND NOT DIVULGE OR USE PERSONAL OR PROPRIETARY INFORMATION DISCLOSED DURING EXECUTION OF A NOTARIAL ACT FOR OTHER THAN AN OFFICIAL PURPOSE.
Guiding Principle IX sets important guidelines such as not permitting unauthorized persons to randomly search through the Notary’s record book or discussing details of a notarial act with someone who isn’t involved or who has a need to know.
Also, Guiding Principle IX stipulates that Notaries should never use private information relating to notarizations for personal gain, such as selling the names and addresses of signers in the record book to a third party.