DHSmith, I was in that room with you at the NNA Conference. You are so right! I learned so much in that seminar. I was taking notes. I believe he’ll be back in 2019.
You may want to check out the Texas SOS website. They held a one-day conference recently and guess who they invited to speak? Yep! His name escapes me right now but it’s him. He shared some of the same information. There’s a video you can watch.
I think every notary needs to sit in this man’s seminar at least one time. It’s an eye opener.
One other thing to be aware of with E&O…whether you were right or wrong, the insurance company makes the decision to pay or fight and more than likely will pay a small claim rather than go to court over it. You have nothing to say about this.
What I heard the lawyer say is that the surety company (for the Notary Bond) will pay whether it was your fault or not. That is not what I heard him say about E&O insurance.
After being sued twice at the cost of about 8,000. each time to defend myself and wasn’t found guilty of anything. I have 100,000. of E&O ins. However, they only cover 10,000. in legal fees which in Calif can be chewed through fast. You also have to pay the legal fees upfront and get that money from somewhere fast. When the case is done, THEN the E&O company reimburses you. I’ve been a notary for 36 years and done about 18,000 closings.Eventually stuff will happen to you… Always document a lot in your journal, This is what saves you. I put Escrow /title co name, escrow officer and escrow # and names of anyone who attended the appt. and who was called from the appt and what it was about. And many other things, like if I smelled alcohol on their breath, if they drank at the appt. Etc etc. Every document is entered for each signer-lots of writing. Just remember to be BEYOND REPROACH at all times.
I really appreciate your post. Smart move to obtain $100k of E&O. Congratulations on being cleared of any liability both times. Good for you! Was it the same Plaintiff both times?
