I’m a newer signing agent so excuse the rookie question.
This past Friday, I accepted an assignment for a HELOC from a SS. It specifically states “no scanbacks required.” After I finished the signing at 6PM on a Friday, I triple checked the docs for errors then sent the documents away via FedEx since there was a FedEx store just a block away.
Fast forward to today, Sunday. I get a sudden message from the SS to send scans ASAP. Of course I do NOT have the documents since I’ve already shipped them!
How do I handle this the correct way? I do not wanna get dinged for following directions. I checked the status of the docs and they will arrive tomorrow morning before 10AM. Again, I do not have the scanbacks since the instructions noted that I do not have to do them. I also took a screenshot of the “no scanbacks required” page just in case.
You tell them that the order tried not request scans, it specifically said no scans. Be sure to point that out to them in the confirmation they sent you.
Thank you all for putting my mind at ease. I’m new, so a bit paranoid about getting things right. I’d hate for a signing service to give me a bad review on Signing Order for a mistake on their own part.
There’s this fear that I think only notaries have and that is the fear of making a mistake and also getting dinged by a company.
I have resigned to the fact that I will make mistakes and calculate how far away a signer is if I have to make a correction with them present. I’m.extra careful, even paranoid with those. I had a horrifying experience with that. LEARNED.
To cope with that feeling, I remind mysrlf that I LOVE this occupation and I love to help people. when a company calls and says error correction needed or they send one of those emails that send a chill up my spine I see what they have found determine whether it’s fixable and immediately respond. “I’ll get that done today or tomorrow (or whenever I can do it.) and” sorry for the inconvenience!"
I will contact the borrower immediately when I do that which is always something I have to do while I gulp down my pride and fear. I usually just ask their availability to correct a document but I don’t say whose fault it is. if they’re far away I asked them if they’re going to be near my town. I try to work it out but I’m always friendly and tell them I want to make sure this closes and you get your funds, I’ll do whatever it takes to get it done because I believe that this is also part of my job to take care of them.
half of them didn’t ask for this long drawn out process of getting refinances now they thought it would be done quickly, but of course, you know the story.
I also communicate frequently with the contracting company and have a great relationship with them , when they tell me I’ve made a mistake I’ll say I’ll take care of it right away and if I just have to correct it and scan that document and upload it then …easy peasey
secondly, there are companies that seem to know that you’re terribly afraid of making mistakes a few, in fact.almost bully you, I move fast to allay their anxiety and I tell them “I’ll take care of that. I’ll get it fixed-- if I get the client tomorrow will that be OK, will that work?” And" my apologies for the inconvenience!" Usually I get a positive response they just don’t want to have to deal with an irate lender most of the time.
hope this helps
Sorry that happened to you but that’s exactly why I scan every signed page. Just in case they come back and either do this or tell me I missed something.
There’s several reasons you should ignore this request. First is you already dropped the docs… good job! And second is that it’s coming from the clueless middleman, who is not the escrow company. Who is probably playing the odds that you didn’t make Fedex and you’ll drop them on Monday for Tuesdays delivery.
You’re correct. The SS asked me to upload scans ASAP. Now I’m starting to think it was a mistake on the SS part for not asking for scanbacks and they were trying to save face by trying to make it seem like it was my mistake. I took a screenshot of the order and highlighted the “no scanbacks required” wording and replied back. All I got back was a “thank you” reply…
Hi there! I am a new notary as well and am learning so much.
I agree with others. As long as you have an email with instructions stating “No scanbacks required” you are good. Just reply back to them with the email so they can see for themselves. That should relieve you of that burden. If the company doesn’t want to work with you because of their mistake, then that company is not for you. Keep it moving to the next company that can appreciate you for the work you do.
One practice I’ve implemented into my singings is scanning all of my documents whether or not scanbacks are required. I have a mobile scanner and scan all my documents into my laptop at the signing table once all forms have been signed and checked. I do this primarily because I’ve heard stories of how some singing services have refused to pay because they claim a signature or initial had been missed. This is my insurance in case this ever happens.
If If I ran a signing service that hired workers for 25-30% of the borrower’s notary fee, I would require every worker to email me a copy of the signed and notarized loan. Then I could carefully review the work before it’s sent to my employer. This is usually the only “mentoring” the subcontractor employee gets.
This type of thing is one of the more callous inequities in our business. Scanbacks CLEARLY take more of our time and resources. Yet, we’re supposed to do them for the same fee as jobs with no scanbacks. In what world is that fair? It becomes even more egregious if the original order doesn’t call for scanbacks and then they tack it on later. It’s even worse when they tell you that the reason they need scanbacks is because there’s a storm somewhere and they don’t trust Fedex or UPS to deliver the documents on time. So now we’re paying for Fedex and UPS failures. The most stupid thing I’ve ever seen is to do a signing on Friday night, with scanbacks required, when no one will even look at them until Monday, and the documents will have been physically received by then. They waste our time indescrimately, for no reason. Don’t even get me started on this subject. It’s a real hot button for me.
This is what I almost went through. The signing was for 5PM on a Friday. Since the order said “no scanbacks required” i dropped off the docs at FedEx which was just a block away. The docs would get to the lender on Monday morning. You can imagine me freaking out a bit(again, i’m brand new) when the SS messaged me on Sunday asking me to provide scans ASAP. I wasn’t sure if it was an oversight on the SS’s part or if I was being bamboozled into providing scans when they weren’t required at the time of accepting the assignment.
I have as a matter of practice scanned every signed document package before shipping. This extra step has saved me from SS claiming there was an error. I could always look back to see if the error occurred. When someone needs a scan back after stating one wasn’t needed. Sure I’ll forward that as soon as I get $25 for my time.
I’ve two incidents where threats of legal action were made. When I presented scans they accusers backed off.
your confirmation is your “contract” with the SS for that signing. If the confirmation said “no scanback” then just tell them you followed the instructions, and already shipped docs out.
It’s one of the many things I like about being a RON notary. As soon as the closing is completed, I send the client the PDF of the documents. No need for them to wonder if it gets delayed or lost by the shipper and they are ready to complete things on their end.
One of the key issues in the ‘scanbacks’/‘no scanbacks’ is compliance with GLBA (Graham-Leach-Bliley Act) and the FTC Safeguards rule.
Imaging/retaining copies of loan documents is a concern for the consumer and other parties (e.g.: banks, title companies, attorneys and, yes, notaries) who are subject to the GLBA statutes and regulations. If one images a document for which they have no need, they’re inviting trouble and risk of unauthorized disclosure.
So, if they say, “No scanbacks”, the notary may be best off fully complying with the request (of course, retaining documents concerning the order and signing instructions can be used to deal with recalcitrant signing agencies).
I agree with your comment .The point I was making is that one of the advantages of RON is that it eliminates the need for scan backs because the client receives the original documents immediately after the signing. It is a win for everyone.
