Can anyone confirm that this is the form we as notary signing agents are not suppose to fill in and stamp? I think that it is but I’m not sure. I tried to access my NNA NSA training portal because I remember a copy of the form being in there but the NNA is having issues with the training portal right now. Any help would be appreciated!
Can you provide a link to the form (with no personal information filled in) or add a picture of it? There are many forms with similar titles, so there is no way to be sure what form you are referring to.
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Where’s the form?.. no need to have names.
That’s part acknowledgment, and part notary information. So far I haven’t received anything like it ti fill out.
Is it part of a package?
I’ve seen this before - Fill it out where indicated (your info, borrower ID info) then sign, date and complete lines under your signature - DO NOT AFFIX YOUR STAMP/SEAL!! This is not a notarial act - all you are doing is “acknowledging” that you examined the borrowers’ aforementioned ID and copies are attached.
If they come back at you for the seal you let them know it’s illegal for you to affix your seal to a non-notarial act. Period. Don’t let them pressure you into doing it.
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I have done as LindaH suggests, fill it out but don’t use my notary official stamp. I regard it as a letter that explains how I performed my notarial duties.
I also add a statement, “This sheet does not contain any notarial act.”
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@BluePenNotary Yes it’s part of the package
@LindaH-FL thanks for the clarification! I wanted to ask before filling the form out because the NNA warns against affixing our seal to a particular document and this looked like the document to me.
Understood thanks @ashton
There IS another document that’s provided sometimes by another company that asks the notary to sign and stamp - once again it’s one where no notarial act is done…just verifying that notary ID’d the signers. Big no no - no notarial act, no stamp.
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I am consistently thankful for this platform. As a new notary I’m almost certain I would have put my stamp on here. The wording can easily confuse you or make you second guess yourself.
It has the state of county of verbiage. Then the part about my hand and seal.
Attention to detail is what it is, along with a learning curve for some of us.
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One important element missing - the borrowers/signers’ signatures - you notarize signatures, not documents. Now, if your signers were signing it and THEY were acknowledging then yes, you’d stamp - with a proper, state-appropriate cert. In this case, this is your statement that you reviewed the ID provided and are attaching copies.
Hope this helps.
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Yes it does. It Makes perfect sense, and your response is spot on, which confirmed my final thoughts as well. I will admit I did read it twice and had to think it through. I had the light bulb moment.
Once I see the document I will never forget it now
Thanks
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That wording does make me uneasy. As I said before, I regard the form as a letter explaining how I performed the notarial acts in other parts of the package. Nothing wrong with providing such a letter, at least in my state. Theoretically, I could put “State of Vermont, County of Rutland” at the top of all my Christmas cards, but it does tend to give most people the idea it’s an official document of some kind.
Similarly, I could close all my personal or professional letters with “Witness my hand and seal”, with the same risk of confusion. But I think it would be wrong to write “Witness my hand and official seal” on a document with no notarization, because my personal seal (which could just be the word “seal” printed on the page) is different from my official notary stamp.
So I would probably strike out “State of ____, County of ________” and “and official seal”.
I stamp the form that asks for a stamp, then draw a line through it and initial.
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This page asks you to notarize your own signature.
I would complete this document as a Signing Agent and even strike through the Notary Public Signature, initial the change and write Signing Agent for my title.
I would not provide the Stamp nor would I complete the Commission Expiration Date or my Commission Number. In the places, where they ask for my Notary information I write This is not a Notarizeable Document.
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As a general rule you should never sign anything in your official capacity (“Notary”) unless that document has a proper notarial certificate. I have gotten into the habit of crossing out “Notary” and entering “Signing Agent” or “S.A.” on any documents that contain “Notary”. FNF has a document they have been using for years that asks for a stamp, then 1 paragraph below explains how they will turn in any illegal notary actions. Loan Depot has a Notary QC Document that is full of the word “Notary” and the signature line says “Notary”. Actually, now that I think of it, I am not sure that anyone has a truly “Clean” doc set, I find myself fixing docs constantly. My pet peeve is notarial certificates missing the VENUE!
Short story: This industry for being as heavily regulated as it is, IS FULL OF PROFESSIONAL MISTAKES! Always Err on the side of caution, in the end, you are an individual that might need to fight legally with a company that has in-house counsel and 10’s of millions of doll hairs.
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@dcaldwell striking out Notary and entering Signing Agent is a great suggestion. Thanks for your input!
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@Ashton I ended up striking out both of those statements and initialing. Thanks!