Hi Carmen,
Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it. I see what you’re saying and I do understand. This is the first time I have ever gone on a rant like this. But these signing agencies really need to see what they are doing to us and how unfair it is to be treated like they do. We are professionals and should be treated with the respect we give them. These low ball offers they are putting out there are such an insult, anything under $100 is not fair at all and even at $100 is that even enough to make ends meet. They are getting paid about $500 or more for these signings and to offer us $30.00 is reprehensible! I know we all have our overhead to run our business but at the rate they are throwing out there we will be out of business, then what will they do! I accused them of being a liar. Especially when they sweet talk you to accept assignments that are over a 2.5 hours one way trip away and tell you that “You are our go to Notary” blah blah blah, but then do the opposite to you, how do you think that makes a person feel. I know what my worth is, I know how serious I take my business to make sure everything goes right during the signing and make sure those documents get out in time to be shipped. But today was a much better one and tomorrow will be good too! Thank you!
I hear you, Sherry! 
Tomorrow will be a better day. Have a great evening
I have heard of Cloud accepting negotiations but then only paying the lower fee.
Generally I have been willing to give companies the benefit of the doubt on a first go-round, but not Cloud.
Freedom Mortgage is a sub-prime lender and they do a lot of VA loans, so it doesn’t surprise me that they are lowballing the notaries.
And as far as the newbies who take the signings that are too low - let Cloud and Freedom get what they pay for. They’ll pay one way or another - they can pay for quality up front, or they can pay in having to clean up and redo things on the other.
I will not take a signing from Cloud signing. They say they pay 60 days out. This is ridiculous.
I guess I lucked out. I took some jobs with Cloud Signings. Then saw the threads on them not paying. I took jobs for them since late May. I had not seen payment and thought I was going to have to call or mail an invoice this week. Someone must have read my mind because my payment popped up from them this morning…for work from the start of the summer.
I do remember seeing that the pay net 90. Honestly, they are very low paying but given that the partial claims are a couple signature and stamps, and I only take ones within 10-15 mins if my home or in the way to/from my real job…it’s not a bad way to make folding money. If the amount is ridiculously low then I counter offer and it is usually accepted. Just don’t expect your money in the same weather season you do the job.
GJB
@guernica.borne WoW! 
Don’t know many who can loan money to others for no interest and repayment in more than 90 days . . .
A very sad state of affairs . . .
I have been chasing Cloud Signing’s LLC for 2 1/2 months for a closing. I completed the beginning of July now they stopped responding to emails.
I’m in the same boat. I did a job for Cloud Signing LLC almost 3 months ago. The details in the work order said that they pay on 60 day terms. When I saw that 75 days had gone by, I reached out to them via email, but got no reply. Thankfully, the signing in question was close to my home office and the fee was low enough that the overall loss will be immaterial. But, I will never work with that signing company again.
I have not been paid for a job I did in July.
I now have the docs for a job I did today.
Is it acceptable to hold these hostage until they pay me for July?
Not if you want to get sued by the bank, the escrow company and the borrowers lol. Oh, and maybe the realtor to.
@james_swofford_12 Certainly, not acceptable.
Unfortunately, taking that action would merely place you in the same category they’ve placed themselves into of being unprofessional.
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A much better option would be to review the two threads within this post (select the direct url link that follows) for direct, concise & successful actions that you can take to ensure payment for the professional services you’ve successfully provided.
Also, you should reach out to the Title/Escrow Company [T/EC] listed on the top of the first page of the Closing Disclosure to ALERT them to the fact that this business entity is engaging in “Theft of Services.”
P.S. Hopefully, this business entity is on your list coded as “NO! DO NOT ACCEPT SIGNING ORDERS”
You are correct. I would not hold the docs and cause the client to lose the loan.
I did send the following email back to the Cloud Signing LLC Coordinator…
“I already shipped it when you first requested. But send this message to the owners from me so you don’t get in trouble. I am going to call the escrow companies, the title companies, the mortgage companies and tell them that cloud signings LLC does not pay their notaries. It is a big scam.”
Cloud Signings tries to get away with assigning $40 closings with printing and scanbacks and then make the poor notary wait to get paid. We click accept and make it clear the closing is $249 and we’ll be happy to offer them a $40 commission after the signer pays the fee on the spot with a major credit card. If they don’t pay the docs aren’t released.
[SCREENSHOT REDACTED BY NC MODERATORS- PERSONAL INFORMATION]
You won’t get sued. When the bank finds out that the notary wasn’t paid, they will set up a red flag on everyone involved. You can report the entire signing as notary fraud to the county clerk as well. Not paying a notary is a serious issue and banks don’t play games with that - they will never ever sue you because you weren’t paid by the vendor that they are using. Another tactic is to let the borrower know that you were not being paid and you can file a lien on the property as well. This issue is not about being professional or not. It’s about helping the industry weed out the bottom feeders.
No. Do not hold the documents hostage. You were given specified instructions when you accepted the order. Once a QC has been completed by the company you should drop the documents to FedEx, or UPS unless otherwise instructed. Secondly, you position yourself to allow guest(s) to obtain sensitive information from the client, if you are in possession of the documents. Third, you open yourself to litigation from the bank, the client, the title company, escrow, and the vendor. Fourth, you also position yourself to be black balled and limited to no signings in the future.
Drop all of the documents once the signing is completed unless otherwise instructed.
I did not hold the docs. I shipped UPS as soon as they told me to. I just bluffed and threatened to do so and got a lot of response. Some anonymous, inarticulate person sent a text threatening to send attorneys after me. The title company thanked me for the info and will be conducting a review. I also sent an email with an INVOICE attached to the accounting person, Shelly [REDACTED - NC MODERATORS]. She replied that they would cut a check this weekend.
SO… All you who have not been paid… here is her email.
[REDACTED - NC MODERATORS]
Since I ruffled several feathers, now is a good time for you to send an invoice to Shelly and maybe get paid also. Let me know how it goes.
This has to be the absolute worst advice I’ve ever seen here. Please be careful as, first of all, lien rights vary from state to state and he, most likely, has no lien rights. In addition, going after the borrowers and threatening a lien is wrong because they’ve already paid the fee - it’s not on the borrowers.
And yes, he CAN be sued for holding the documents until he is paid. He is interfering with a major financial transaction that, other than third party payment, he has no right interfering with.
I also fell prey to this company, but I was approved for my fee. After not being compensated AFTER their ridiculous fee schedule of 60 days, I reached out to them-crickets! I came to this forum and read the posts. So I took matters into my own hands and contacted the title company directly.BOOM! Got a response that they only pay on the weekend after the 60th day. I did receive the first payment. Then had to wait another month for the next payment. I was patient. The weekend came and went without payment. So I sent relentless emails and voicemails for a week. Again… CRICKETS! So I contacted the title company vendor management team asking not only for their help, but to remove them as approved signing company-because of the complaints of notaries! I also sent a message to the signing platform to remove this company. BOOM! I got paid the next weekend. The kicker was that they sent a text message that they had gotten a complaint from the title company. They tried to say “but we paid you”. I informed them that it was a week late, they have horrible reviews and zero communication. Their response was that they would remove me from their system. Nice! They did me a huge favor!
Not in NY. This act of “theft of services” won’t be tolerated.
Don’t give up and let them win, contact the title company and let them know! Maybe if the title companies get enough complaints from us they will stop doing business with shysters like that!