How is it that the NNA says it “needs” to raise member prices? No one’s raising Notary commissions to my knowledge and mostly a continued effort to decrease a reasonable fee. So in this environment, the NNA has decided to gouge us even more.
“Unfortunately, due to rising inflation and other economic pressures, our suppliers have significantly increased the cost of notary supplies” and they say they give free product “our mission has always been to support notaries with the tools and resources they need to succeed—including free notary supplies, free education, and ongoing member support”. I have never received free anything from the NNA. THEY ARE A MONOPOLY! Most title companies require the NNA. Other competitors are not nationally recognized. If you try to buy your E & O directly from Merchants, they won’t sell it to you, only through the NNA. This sounds like Anti-trust. I’ll be writing my congressman but not sure it’ll do much good.
Will refrain from commenting on NNA as I’m not a member BUT…a little hint….you can be a basic free member of Notary Rotary and buy your E&O through them. Their Signing Central, although older, is a great resource for researching companies as you get actual feedback from the notaries who’ve worked with them.
I’m in WA State and have been using Western Surety for Bond and E&O Insurance for few decades. When I try to list them on NNA website as my provider, they block information because I’m not using their suggested provider which to me is a biased move.. Doesn’t matter because when I work with other notary brokers, title, etc. they ask for information.
The NNA has NEVER done anything for notaries and the NNA NEVER will. You do not have to have an NNA membership to buy E&O or bonds through the NNA. Also, you can get a NNA LSA certification without being a NNA member. You purchase your background check when you pay for your LSA certification. Hope this helps.
I’m with Western Surety as well. Very easy to reach and work with. I’m an NNA member because one of the services wants it. But I buy things at NNA that expire at different times of the year.
In my direct experience, this has also happened to me in the past. At that point in time, I reached out via phone & queried the NNA on the topic and they promptly updated my Professional Signing Agent [PSA] listing to accurately reflect the E&O coverage and amount.
You may want to give that a try (if you haven’t already done so . . . )
Please indulge me. I do not depend on companies to raise my fees; I am the one who sets them. My decision to transition from being an employee to becoming a business owner was specifically to ensure that my personal worth and the value I bring to the table are not determined or dictated by any employer. As a collective entity within this industry, we have, unfortunately, allowed ourselves to become overly susceptible to the persistent pressure exerted by the consistently declining fees that have become so commonplace in our field. The concerning reality is that as long as various companies are still able to successfully complete signing orders at these exceptionally low, almost unsustainable, market rates, this detrimental situation will unfortunately continue to persist and negatively impact notaries, both now and in the future. I want to be very clear that I do not place any blame whatsoever on the NNA for the current circumstances; after all, they, like any other business entity operating within this economic landscape, are fundamentally in the business to operate as a profitable organization. Reflecting back on my career path, when I initially entered this particular industry back in the year 2015, I was genuinely astonished and somewhat taken aback by the underlying rationale and the methods employed in determining and setting the fees for our services, especially when compared to what I had previously observed and experienced in other professional environments. For example, here in Florida, we are legally permitted to charge a fee of $10 for each individual notarial act that we perform and, in addition to that, we can also add additional charges for administrative tasks and for any mobile operations that we may be required to perform. However, what I have observed over the years is that many companies are strategically bundling multiple notarial acts together within a single signing order, all in order to ultimately meet their pre-determined fee quotes, regardless of the actual work involved or the costs associated with it. By doing this, these companies are able to significantly maximize their own profit potential at the expense of the notaries who are doing the actual work. These same companies have actively promoted the concept that notaries can increase their earnings simply by focusing on securing and handling a very large volume of signing orders, seemingly without regard for the quality of the work or the costs involved. In reality, however, this approach has often inadvertently led to a situation where our labor, essential supplies, and other critical operational costs are, in effect, being heavily discounted, which further exacerbates the problem and perpetuates the cycle of low fees and unsustainable practices. Therefore, I have consciously made the decision to accept a naturally occurring drop in the volume of signing orders that I handle, while at the same time maintaining and even increasing the higher fees that I charge for my loan signing services. To further combat the companies’ position and their methods, I have also actively sought out and implemented various ways to diversify my business model, thereby reducing my overall reliance on loan signing orders as the sole source of revenue for my business.
The NNA membership is worthless. You get nothing for it. They don’t even advocate for us. If anything, they advocate against us. I didn’t renew my membership after the 1st year and am still able to purchase everything else they sell, at the same price as members can. Everything these days is a money grab……EVERYTHING!
Thank you for comments. I did reach out by phone to have them update my information and have found need to perform this task annually due to website issues. After first few years no longer wanted to mess with the process. Appreciate your suggestion.
Hi chelle, I still find most of the online signing agencies want to see your NNA membership. And you won’t get any business without it. No field or opportunity to enter any other association. NNA is the only option. This is a monopoly in my opinion. They have no competition and dictate their prices and probably manipulate to squash any real competition. Needs to be investigated.
They only care that you passed the NNA exam. They don’t care if you are an NNA “member” or not. You can take the NNA exam and Background Check without being a member.
Hello Mike. Been a loan signing agent for 16 years and work for major companies across the nation. Not one company requires a NNA membership. What companies like to see is the LSA certificate with background report
I was only a “Member” when I started in 2019 and never again. It doesn’t help or hurt your chances of getting booked for signings don’t waste your money there are other sites to use.
You’re right. And why is it that title companies only accept the NNA Certification? The NSA has no choice in the education they receive or the amount they have to pay for it. How financially convenient for the NNA.
Honestly once I received my initial education and certification from them I went on by my business and have been thriving without their further guidance.
I have e been doing signings for over 3 years and have never ran into an issue of not getting signings for not being a NNA member. I live in Pennsylvania where we are fortunate enough to have our own association. Yet, I’ve never been asked either way If I’m a member of an association or not. I didn’t even renew my certification with hem this year. Only my background check and I still get plenty of work. Their certification IMO is a joke anyway. There was a question or two I’d miss every year because the answers they wanted didn’t match PA notary law.
Accurate statement 