I like it! Even better than RON, with the oft-frustrating situation of a borrower unable to pass KBA to access a RON portal.
My equipment, my journal, my hand holding their ID. No printing, no explaining that the signature they want to use does not meet the lender’s standards, no goofs on dates or line-throughs, no completing NRTC forms. All docs are electronic.
I’m sure there will be issues in the future. (Aren’t there always?) Nonetheless, I will happily manage RON, hybrid or IPEN signings whenever possible!
IPENs and RONs are similar but not the same. In my state, RONs were approved 2 years ago, but IPENs were not approved until 8 months ago.
For RON, you will require an electronic certificate. This certificate does not simply attach a signature, it affirms that you are indeed the notary public signing and stamping a document. E-Certificates require a lengthy scrutiny of your identity. Mine is issued through IdenTrust.
I suggest you check the status and requirements of both RON and IPEN in your state’s notary handbook.
I’m very intrigued by IPEN. What are costs to start? Don’t you have to buy a special tablet or something? I haven’t done much research yet, but I plan to.
I agree, IPEN is great! No printing no UPS! It’s the best! I’ve closed 13 IPEN thus far since July 31st and tomorrow I’m doing 1 IPEN and 1 Hybrid but the rest are RON! Signing biz has been busy for me and booked two weeks ahead up to the 14th of September:) plus this week I gave back 7 loans.
Pretty sweet gig-$300 for IPEN and another $300 for Hybrid that will take about 30 minutes max worst case.
We are not supposed to believe everything posted in these blogs, we have to be cautious in order to not be misguided for some people who only post things that are too good to be true especially when the market is so competitive among the NSA community.
Different states have different state qualifications to do RON or IPEN. When the rules go into effect in my state, the same special endorsement will allow a notary to do RON or IPEN. I’ve read that in Texas, any notary can do IPEN but a special qualification is needed to do RON. Some states any notary can do RON or IPEN with no extra qualification.
Sometimes when people write “certification” they mean training run by the platform that supports IPEN or RON. What “certification” you need from a platform would depend on the platform.
As for the digital certificate mentioned by @judikidd different platforms or IPEN techniques have different requirements for the digital certificate. If you work with a few different platforms and use a few different techniques for IPEN, you might need more than one digital certificate. In some states, with some platforms, you don’t even need your own digital certificate; the platform uses its digital certificate on your behalf.
Start with your DOL and/or SOS to find out what certification/endorsement you may need to notarize a document electronically. For RON and IPEN they will usually come under the same qualification. State laws dictate what a notary can and cannot do as a representative (sometimes referred to as an officer of the court) for your state. Then do your research for each platform or agency you are signing with to determine what they require for you to perform RONs on their behalf.
Yes, here in WA there are a couple of newer RON hosting sites that will certify your signature. I don’t use them. Personally - MY OPINION ONLY - I want the assurance of a certification issued by a third party trusted by the lending industry, not a quickie provided by the company getting paid to complete a RON.
I’ve been forced to support my notarial acts often enough to wish to avoid any possibility of claims of fraud, conflict of interest, etc.
I got mine through iden trust as well. I had a rep walk me through the process so hopefully when I finally do one im not lost. Sounds like IPEN is gonna be what I try to do even if I have to offer it to a client for free just to finally do one. I cant keep fearing this process…
Yes Earica. I am also in Texas and just completed this last month. You will need to identify which RON provider you wish to use and obtain a digital certificate (which some platforms will provide) before applying through the Texas SOS office. Your RON commission is valid for the remainder of your standard commission, so if you are near your renewal date, you may want to wait. Cost is $51.35 plus cost (if any) of digital certificate. I chose Notarize as my platform. They do not cover the cost of the digital cert but are running a no fee promotion through the end of the year.
