Any thoughts on ALTA (American Land Title) & NNA (National Notary Association) coming together charging yearly fees that aren’t cheap to get loan signings.
I would like your input please & thank you 
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Not sure what fees you mean. Annual NNA membership?
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The background check?
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Are those the fees OP is talking about? The NNA membership, background check and certification? That package can get pricey.
An annual background check (BGC) is required by most of the big title/escrow companies. However, neither an NNA membership nor certification are required. If we decide to go through NNA for a BGC, we can do so without joining (membership) AND we can also do so without going through the certification process (exam). My BGC just came up for renewal a couple of days ago. This year, I skipped the certification. I haven’t been a member for almost 2 decades.
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ALTA has a yearly of $295. NNA has a few
That too. Look what AI says about ALTA & NNA. I signed up with the SPW “signing professional workgroup” years ago and just realized it a few months ago when I heard ALTA & NNA are teaming up to take over the Loan Signing industry.
AI:
ALTA (American Land Title Association) and NNA (National Notary Association) are key industry partners in the real estate and title insurance world, collaborating on standards for Notary Signing Agents (NSAs) through programs like the Signing Professionals Workgroup (SPW) to ensure professionalism, combat fraud (like deed fraud), and improve transaction security, with the NNA providing certifications and background checks that align with ALTA’s best practices for title companies.
Key Collaborations & Functions:
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ALTA: Represents title insurance companies, agents, and real estate attorneys, setting industry best practices for lenders and settlement agents.
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NNA: The leading authority for notaries, offering certification (background checks, exams, continuing education) for Signing Agents.
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SPW (Signing Professionals Workgroup): A joint effort by ALTA, NNA, and other groups to establish standards for NSAs, including rigorous background checks and training on loan signing processes.
How They Work Together:
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Standard Setting: ALTA’s Best Practices provide a framework, while the SPW (involving the NNA) details the specific standards for NSAs, focusing on integrity and competence.
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Verification: Title companies use the NNA’s NSA Data Exchange, an ALTA Elite Provider service, to instantly verify an NSA’s background check, exam, and training status.
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Fraud Prevention: Both organizations partner with other industry groups (like MBA, NAR) to address critical issues like deed fraud, advocating for stronger identity verification and education.
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Education: The NNA provides crucial education and resources (like eNotary guidance) that support ALTA’s goals for secure, compliant real estate transactions.
In essence, ALTA sets the quality bar for the industry, and the NNA provides the tools, certification, and verification to ensure Notary Signing Agents meet those high standards for secure mortgage closings.
Hard pass on that. No way
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Under what classification did you/are you planning to join ALTA? ALTA - Membership Types From the ALTA website regarding membership:
“Active membership is restricted to business entities that are legally qualified to engage in the business of land title evidencing as an abstracter, title insurance agent or title insurance underwriter. Active members may vote in Association elections and hold committee and elected positions.”
It’s interesting how none of them are advocating for a standardization of fees or a minimum percentage of the overall fees charged allocated to the NSA.
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Right. I do agree. Wonder why. Not to mention all these middle man signing companies that have been popping up since around covid. They get the docs emailed to them find a notary loan signing agent to do the print, drive, foot work for half the pay. I agree. So many levels its not fun being a notary anymore. Fees fees fees
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But they don’t all keep half.
No but we shouldn’t even have middle man signing companies simply to forward us an email from title
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Everyone wants to believe that direct relationships and direct hiring from a Title Company is easy to get and maintain. Lots of experienced notaries say market market market for direct services. I’ve been in sales my entire career. Getting direct work and those relationships to eliminate a “middle man” isn’t as easy as everyone would like to believe. These signing services are ONLY creating the relationships that give them the work that they give to notaries. There’s one service that hires me that keeps $25 and sends me the rest. I was hired yesterday by someone who just sent the request at my published fee. What more exactly should I expect from them? I don’t have the time to create relationships with every title office in the country. That’s why there are “middle men” if that’s what you wish to call them. People always admonish know your worth, well we should also know our limitations. If I want a question answered by title I ask title anyway.
Folks are not realistic. That’s my opinion. I’ve done sales and marketing for a living. It’s not as easy as some notaries like to think it is to build maintain and grow a direct business as a notary with title companies.
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I’m one of those “experienced notaries” who preach market, market, market and then market some more. NEVER have I said it’s easy. It is work. AND … it is definitely worth it.
Like johnsonps306, I have a relationship with 2-3 signing services who frequently call me and only keep a very small portion of the fee ($25-$50). It’s called a professional and respectful relationship. There are good signing services out there who are both professional and respectful. It is possible to develop and work at those relationships.
It is also very much possible to develop and work at relationships with title/escrow offices. If you don’t try, you won’t know. Yes, know your limitations; but, also be willing to expand your horizons. Why do you think we have Special Olympics? Those so-called “disabled” persons were willing and focused on expanding their horizons.
jmho
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Yoli I just mean it takes longer than folks think. There is just a lot of unrealistic ideas about what the industry should do for a notary. You and I both agree we do for ourselves. I just get sort of tired of the non-stop litany that fees are terrible, signing services are terrible. Etc. I guess I play devil’s advocate.
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That is not possible.
Your right. I completely agree and feel just the same way. 
Have to agree with Johnson due to experience. Direct seems to be a CA or very large city thing. Prior to the demise of one of the original Directories, I did a lot of direct work with small out-of-my-area TCs, BUT (here’s the catch) it was nearly always a 1&done job as they never have volume in my area. Trying to ‘create a relationship’ when they most likely will never have business in your area again is honestly a big waste of time. Often, the national companies just didn’t want to bother finding someone near a small town & so turned it over to SS. Local-to-me TCs view me as ‘the competition’.
It could be thought of as a anti-trust scheme
No, we shouldn’t. And we didn’t used to. But one day in 2013, middlemen appeared. And signing companies were formed. We can still work directly for escrow and title companies, circumventing the middlemen altogether. 