Freedom Mortgage conducts layoffs, sends jobs overseas: sources
Eliminated positions included loan officers, closers, underwriters and client advocates. Some jobs went to India
September 7, 2022
Multiple former employees said the cuts at Freedom led to loan closer and underwriter positions being transferred to India, with U.S.-based Freedom employees reviewing work done by international workers.
“The only thing that is needed from the American team is communication and a quick compliance overview that is being done by the outsourced staff,” a former U.S. employee said. “You’re handling a higher volume, because you’re not doing the actual work. You’re doing a quick scan, correcting errors, you’re being the communication piece.”
RON too, can be outsourced overseas. That why RON is a threat to all face to face notary work we do. RON threaten both your job security (Self-employment) and a livable wage (pay rate per signing).
Please refuse any RON work. If you continue the RON work your doing, Peter & Mary in Bangladesh are cheering you on…They will also be your competition. (which means NO competition to them)
From what I’m aware Notaries must be citizens of the State they are commissioned. This is the case with Texas. Using overseas notaries would mean that countries, region, prefect, county, etc. meets the same ID and procedural standards in the US. Not adhering to US standards could void a closing.
This is especially egregious with the high costs involved in becoming qualified to do RON in the first place. Where is the value in doing RON? I just don’t see it.
It is true that you need to be a resident of the state where you are commissioned to work as a notary. It is also true that if a party has a residence in Florida and it at the time of a signing is located in another state, the Florida Notary can notarize for the out-of-state party as long as the property being refinanced/purchased is in the State of Florida.
The borrower can be anywhere - you have to be commissioned in your own state, not where the borrower is; but I agree about the outsourcing overseas - don’t get how that’s going to be done … unless they use a company overseas to establish a database of American notaries - a call center if you will.
It is determined by the title company if the session is controlled by them. My title customers use notaries from the state of the property. General notary work can be done in any location signers are located because the venue is always the location of the notary.
I am still sure that both the borrower and the notary must be in the State where the notary is doing the closing. It doesn’t matter what State the property is located in. I do a lot of RON in NJ and I am sure the borrowers location for the signing must also be in NJ.
The same way I handle any out of State of engagement. The Statement is you have to notarize from the State you’re commissioned. I can close an Oklahoma transaction from Texas, I can’t close a Texas transaction from Oklahoma.
From what I recall, a federal court found that since notary public is a ministerial government office that does not set government policy, it is not necessary to be a citizen to be a notary in the US. It is sufficient to be a permanent resident, or have another immigration status that allows one to work in the US.
As for doing a closing where the notary is in another country, it should be no problem provided the signers are meeting in person in the foreign country with the foreign notary. The documents might then require an apostille or authentication before the lender and title company would accept them. It could really make the process drag on.
What would happen if it was a RON closing, the signers were physically in the US and the notary was in a foreign country? I can’t think of any reason it would be illegal, but I’ll bet the lender and title company wouldn’t go along with it.
