Signing companies saying a Background check is expired, when it is not. Over the 14 yrs being a Signing agent, my Background check has been pushed FORWARD from December 30th to November 4,2024 I was sent emails saying my profile was put in INACTIVE due to expired Background check, expiring 11/14/2024 . So now next year they will force renewal in October. I paid for my Background check on November 4th, 2024 ( NNA ), received the NEW one November 6 2024 it took less then 3 days.How is it legal to say a credential is expired, and not allow one to work when it is NOT EXPIRED?And they donāt even want to pay a living WAGE, but make all these demands. See my other post about Car Insurance, signing company saying must have $50,000 per car accident. I am NOT a taxi, I do not transport clients. How is my car insurance any of their buisness ? Ounce again lowering the paying feeās to UNLIVABLE wages.
Funny how that āexpirationā works, eh? The more we let them demand, the more they will demand. I seriously doubt that others in this biz (LO, TC/SS employee, the new guy in the mailroom) have a BGC every year.
I have seen others post about this āearly renewal/expirationā businessā¦Iām surprised nobody has called them out about it with the proper authorities. I might find a way to start with the DOJā¦not like theyāre not well known there. There has to be some recourse for all of you that have been faced with this
Let me know what you find out, and I will join you in this pursuit.
Hi @Tisino - if this post was addressed to me, I do not intend to do anything as I have no dog in this fight. I should have more clearly stated my post by saying āMaybe find a way to start with the DOJā
Apologies for any misunderstanding
My BGC expires mid-January. I start getting those BGC renewal notices from all those hiring companies about 60-90 days prior to expiration. Initially, I was interpreting many of those reminders to say my profile was NOW inactive due to expiration. I was wrong. After careful reading and calling and speaking directly with those companies, it was made clear that it actually says my BGC was about to expire and if I didnāt renew in time then my profile would be statused as inactive.
I received my first reminder for January 2025 in October 2024. Years ago, I created a folder in my email titled āBGC requestsā. When I get my renewal verification every year, I then just access that folder and reply to each of those requests with my renewal. Easy peasy.
My BGC is through the NNA and their BGC vendor, Backgrounds Online. It usually takes them less than a week (approximately 3 days) to run and generate my BGC.
We must remember ā¦ the NNA is a for-profit entity and will gladly take our hard-earned money every chance they get. 
No need to make them richer any sooner than necessary.
Agree. And an āalertā. NNAās BGC co. usually gets it done in 3 days. However, if you donāt get your report within 4-5 days, it means somebody dropped the ball and you MUST start figuring out who/what/why and get whatever went wrong straightened out or your BGC just sits in limbo. The NNAās BGC co., Backgrounds Online, will send a request to appropriate party ONCEā¦they never follow-up if receiving party dropped the ball.
I have had this happen several times, Mostly itās BGC co. & NNA who mess up. Last year, BG Online sent request to wrong place; county told them the āright placeā andā¦ nothing. When I inquired, I was told āwe physically send a person to county to check records and said person wonāt be there for another weekā. Got the report later that afternoon. Note that I was told one thing by county and another contradicting thing by BG Onlineā¦and because I got it same day, seems that BG Online was the prevaricator and that they quickly did what they were supposed to do. Then it takes a day or so before NNA catches up and posts on their site. Generally, itās gone well, but, when it doesnāt, itās a real circle of blame.
@JSMnotary My direct experience mirrors the experience you conveyed in your original post [OP]; i.e., in general, most of the title companies will send notices at 60 days prior to expiration of the BGC & indicate => if they havenāt received the new BGC at the 30-day mark prior to the expiration, then they will place the Profile in Suspension/Inactivate, etc.
The end result is that each & every year - over the past few decades - the BGC renewal deadline moves backward one month.
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When I first began, nearly 2 decades ago the BGCs were only ārenewedā at the time of the Notarial Commission renewal (once very FOUR years).
This industry standard was appropriate & should continue to be appropriate.
However, subsequently, it was altered by the for-profit organization (referenced above) to once every 3 years.
After a few additional years, the interval was abbreviated by them again to once every 2 years.
For the past multiple years itās been once every 11 months, due to the fact that the Profile will be Deactivated/Suspended, etc. if the title company doesnāt receive the renewal BGC 30 days prior to the current expiration date.
In general, my contention was (& continues to be) that āleopards donāt change their spots.ā
Are there exceptions to this adage?
Of course there are . . . but itās OVERKILL to subject everyone to an annual BGC & annual re-certification when most have a proven STELLAR track record . . . especially considering the continuing downward spiral of ridiculously LOW FEES that are proffered within our business sector.
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Invoking these types of REQUIREMENTS & STANDARDS while taking NO ACTION WHATSOEVER (other than creating Collection Letter Templates) to be of support to Notaries Public/Professional Signing Agents against the non-paying/glacier-slow paying/bargain basement fees truly is unconscionable.
Warning Amrock and Service link will suspend you from receiving orders if you donāt renew as least 7 days before expiration.
I agree, SADLY TRUE ! They have us at their mercy.
Renew what, exactly?
@jnewberry ā Happily, that has not been my experience. 
Exactly! You must remind them (some a little more so than others) that we do not work for them. Iāve recently had a company contact me and we had a very long engaging conversation. Without an attitude I was able to explain the situation on my end and he stated he had never considered everything. Didnāt expect to hear from him againā¦two weeks later, a nice assignment with higher $ than Iāve ever received. Ok, I think Iām losing out on some assignments in this area (very rural and everyone wants to do this job at least for a few months until they lose too much money) but I repeatedly say, āIām not doing this for a favor!ā The good ones get it and honestly, they are the only ones I care to deal with!
The ādata diversā are on a sell program. Thses checks are often faulty and can do a lot of damage. Often used for corporate owned apartments. Another john smithvhad a crminal past or an eviction and you, with clean credit, dont get the apartment. I run across this as a real estate broker working for banks. If i commit a crime it automatically goes to our state bureau of investigation, but asset managers still require the checks. I had to go to lexus nexus to get stuff off.
I have to get a US Treasury (IRS) BGC annually. I get this done in the fall to be ready for the up coming tax season. This year the BGC came back saying Iām dead. My mother passed in January '24, my middle name is my fatherās (passed in May '23) first name is my middle name. I had to sign an Affidavit, send a copy of my DL, and last form 1040 as evidence Iām still on this side of the rainbow bridge.