Made mistakes

Hi all, I’m new! I’ve done 6 signings in the last week, one of the signers called me and said his title company told him we missed adding in a few dates and an initials spot. I’m really bummed I tagged every page and rechecked everything, I reached out to the signing company that hired me he said they had not been notified yet they will let me know. So will I just have to go have the signer fix these few spots and scan back do you think? Now I’m really scared if I made mistakes on the other packages. How long before they reach out normally?

If you don’t make mistakes, you will never learn. Also this is NOT a crime to get nervous about. So Relax , learn and live all over again. Worst, they may never call u or pay you. So what, there are other fishes to fry in this ocean of signing services… Some day you will become a champion.

I still do miss some, especially when customers end up being extra friendly and talkative.

That said ,

BELOW is just my rant !!

Once upon a time, loan docs were very simple, HUD , MORTGAGE , NOTE. Thats it.

Then came the housing market scam , and crash, Govt got involved.
Mortgage officers had to be licensed. Mortgage lenders had to be licensed.

Then came compliance, risk , lawsuits etc, You get the idea.
So that got many “SUITS” involved in Jobs addressing “Risk & Compliance” . Now jobs and thus paperwork and an entirely new work flow got created due to past issues and future perceived fears.

So , we ended up with MORE PAPERWORK.

Initials in page, usually not a deal breaker legally unless a newbie lender’s processor / just graduated attorney, that wants to over glorify docs. Not needed from any compliance point or TRID/TILA / RESPA point of view . I once had a loan processor ask me , WHY the instruction pages of form 4506 and 5 Pages of Instructions of W9 Document was Not included. ?? Duh !!!

CD/ ALTA / NOTE/MORTGAGE/ Notice of Right to Cancel are the MOST Important documents to make the loan consummate.

Other docs are from Compliance perspective of lender and some lenders or title companies with too many layers of management, whose only job is to send tons of email / meetings and add paperwork & create the feel extra value, contribute to bulk over some unforeseen “risk” etc. Pure nonsense IN MY OPINION

Then , there is a document called ERRORS and CORRECTION Agreement or Power attorney in the signing package.
If that was properly signed and notarized, that document gives the lender / title or who ever it was issued to address issues like this. EXACTLY !! Missing initial/ missing date, and other typographical errors.

So You are fine… Just move on and get better at catching errors.

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Thank you! I did remember the errors and corrections page so I was really hoping we were good on this one but I do really want to know what I did wrong so I dont do it again! One more question- if a non critical doc does not have a date on signature line- should I err on the side of caution and have signer place date there?

NO is the answer in one single word. But the long answer is …

Date / right beside signature is a GOOD HABIT , just like Washing face and brushing teeth right after waking up. But IS it mandatory. Unless your parents enforced it and it becomes a habit. Right ??1

Likewise, if “DATE” is not printed, no need to introduce it, but then again no harm.

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Everyone wrecks their first bike. No issues there. It’s just going to happen, why? Because no two loans, lenders, title co’s are alike or do things the same way. This is why every assignment you get will come with “special instructions”. Just follow those and the rest is in the packet. Some lenders/title Co’s will tell you specifically not to have them date where it doesn’t ask for a date. If it asks for a date, then have them date it. I personally do not “add” anything to their docs or “assume” what they may want, because it CAN hurt not only you, but the borrower as well. If they want you to have the signers initial all 16 pages of the mortgage, not only will (should) they tell you too, but there will be a spot in the lower right hand corner of each page for them to do so. While others don’t require it at all. I also have a firm policy that I don’t have borrowers sign any blank lines unless its in the instructions to do so (usually required signatures have the signers name pre-printed under the line), and they should sign as that name appears. Most “smart” signers wouldn’t sign a blank line anyway without asking questions, which then I would break out the ole’ cellphone and make a call to confirm.
This is the perfect example to those that believe these loan packets are “boiler plate” that its far from the truth. Yeah the governments portion may be, but definitely not the lender/title/escrow portion. You will see as your experience grows that the Government merely just tells the banks what they can and can not do, not HOW to go about it, which is why you will see several different variations of a patriot act form, or even an E&O agreement, and many other variations of the same form.
Also remember, banks not only have to comply and conform to Fed and state laws and regs, but they have to comply and conform to their own institutions corporate policies and procedures as it relates to lending as well. Like notary_narayan stated, some people at these title companies just like emails and paper, while others just require the bare minimum to seal the deal. This is why you will see one VA refinance packet at 208 pages and the other at 117.
Also on a side note being you are fairly new… When accepting assignments (especially through a signing service) some vendors will want you to "accept’ a 24 page T&C agreement for a $75 job. Please don’t just hit “accept” without reading first. Some of them really try and dictate how you should run your business when they should be just giving you their expectations in order for you to get paid. Same goes with the 14 page “special instructions”. If it takes me longer to read the instructions than it would to do the actual signing, then its on to the next one for me.
This is a good place to reach out to experienced signing agents and keep in mind, we all come from different states and some language/topics may be state specific. Good luck.

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if u made a bunch of mistakes NO they don’t reach out they just don’t use u anymore. I have cleaned up and resigned too many SA messes.

If they continue to use u ASSUME all is well. I check my docs prior to closing when signer hands back to me then when finished and one more time before I drop.

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Thank you. It turns out that some of the dates the signer wrote weren’t very clear. Date was 1/27 and some of his looked like 1/22 . There were no documents that needed my attention thankfully!

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I find it VERY ODD that the title/signing service did not contact you. Usually they will have you go back out for FREE to correct any mistakes. I would be very suspect as the borrowers as to what they are actually signing / initialing and if it was actually in the original document package. If I was them I would be checking their copy you left them and comparing before signing anything. :thinking:

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Ya the signer is the one that called said there was an issue with dates, he called back next day said that everything was fine I never did hear from anyone else! It was weird

Never had a title company call the Borrower with Notary mistakes - not appropriate procedure. Title contacts Notary and instructs you with the fix.

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Hello Heidi, don’t get too bummed about this it happens to the best of us. If errors are on you just except it and be willing to do whatever to fix the error and most signing companies will be forgiving. NOTE: Always schedule enough time between signings to check the signatures, dates and notary stamp pages before leaving the table. Heidi we all learn from our mistakes. Move on!

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I agree with the replies here…EVERYONE at one time makes mistakes and that is how we learn to not repeat them! Every mistake I have made, I can trust I would not repeat it again! Just make sure you fix your mistakes IMMEDIATELY and everyone will be happy! My instructor gave me the best advice ever and I will share it with you: Never leave the signing table without checking each page for anything you may have missed! :slight_smile:

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Actually, the correct answer to “adding a date” is NO…especially on the Note when it is not asked. Only date documents where it asks for the date.

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Except on the note…if it says no date then DO NOT date it. Some companies will reject it if the borrower dates the note. Only a few actually say “date” on the note.

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In the five years I’ve been doing loan signings I have never had a signer call me and say we missed signatures, or initals. The title company should notifiy you either the day they receive the documents back . or the day after that. If you haven’t heard anything from the title company within a couple of days I won’t worry about it.

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Whois “They” that is rejecting a Valid and Signed Promissory NOTE !! Just becoz it has date ??
Technically , YOU promise to pay , from the date you signed. SO if not had two days earlier and you signed today with todays date, then you are LEGALLY OBLIGATED with the promise to pay from TODAY !!

Always a VERY GOOD HABIT to put the DATE right next to the SIGNATURE . Always !!!

Adds another layer of security to your signature, every time you sign. So that is NOT A DEAL BREAKER.

So If I was the borrower and if my LOAN PROCESSOR says , NO loan for you bcoz of date on NOTE, I will put them in the corner timeout !! with a Dunce HAT !! Call my mortgage office who took in my app and ask him, do u want to earn your commission on this or ?? Do u want me to take my bizness elsewhere. Talk to your supervisor and get rid of the processor.

Coz the processor, get paid even on mistakes and even when they kill deals and make a company lose income.

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You do whatever you need to. I’m too busy to deal with re-signs of the note is dated and title/lender have a fit.

Here’s a couple examples of emails or instructions specifically received re: dating notes

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This screen shot says , NOTE , Mortgage / Deed of trust . Which is it?
If the entire session is RON, loan closing and all electronic signatures will have a date & perhaps even a TIME STAMP.

Question: Would a NOTE signed in a RON session be without it??? Every digital certificate stamp is dated and time stamped. So, the argument here kind of is strong.

I have in the past , had quite a few NOTEs dated and they all pass. It all depends on the post loan processor, who makes a fuss outta it. And it needs a closer who can challenge their false assumptions.

Many loan processors go by this. >> “Hey , I did not see Date printed, so No date”

Read this about note: and the concluding arguement. How in times of dispute , a date beside a signature always removes ambiguity.

Is a promissory note with no signature date defective? — Property Legal Counsel.

As closing agents, we must strive to expand our knowledge and sometimes even challenge established practices.

I rest my arguments and drop the mike.

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That link deals with promissory notes lacking any date at all, but the notes we see are always dated… by the lender… at the top of the document. :slight_smile:

Some lenders don’t mind the borrower adding the date again next to their sig, some actually require it and then some (most, I would say) will go ballistic if they happen to notice it. There could be a thousand reasons why for any of these preferences. The “why” is above our pay grade.

IMHO, the root of why a lender would not want the date re-added by the signer, likely stems from legal technicality problems that can arise when there is a mismatch between the Note’s pre-printed date and the signer’s added date (not as a mistake, but when they are actually different). Lawsuits can be initiated by someone alleging that the start date of calculating interest is not clear as to which date controls the transaction (anybody can sue anybody else for any reason remember). This sounds petty, but it can be argued to the extent of rendering the entire deal defective. I would be shocked if some savvy attorney hasn’t prevailed against a major bank with an argument of this sort, leaving the lender out of multiple six or seven figures. Lender’s have armies of attorneys exclusively handling these types of minutiae, and if a group of millionaire attorneys decides that their particular institution’s best practice is to not allow added dates by the signer, then that simple instruction is all we get to see about it. Other lenders may decide differently, or perhaps haven’t given the matter any thought at all and are just a lawsuit away from implementing the rule themselves. So again, we’re not told the “why”. It’s not our place.

It’s not the title company’s call either. Not the processor’s. Not the loan officer’s.

As an unrelated example, wait a few months and I can just about assure you every single bottle of Gorilla Glue will have the added caveat of “Do not apply to hair” and soon after that other glue manufacturers (if they’ve been watching what their competition does) may also. People unfamiliar with the backstory can argue all they want about why that odd statement has to be on bottles, and wonder why other brands might not have it, and think Gorilla Glue is silly, but the GG attorneys will know why, and the graphic arts department will have to add it to their label designs whether they like it or not.

Lastly, after all this, let’s say a signing agent really is right and knows more than the lender about the necessary elements of a Note. Do you really think defending your position will fair well for your business? Seems to me a pyrrhic victory in the making.

If it’s not illegal, do what the written instructions say. No less, no more.

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Well said, Jester. Thank you