Vital Signing, Inc. - The Notary Republic

2006-09-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

If you can’t be first, create a new category in which you can.

That’s the first thing that came to my mind when I read Stuart Posner’s reply to a post on NotaryRotary about proper signing agent attire. Posner, who posts under the web moniker “Signing_Doc”, told an inquiring peer, “over my slacks, I wear a short lab coat (white with pockets) and above the left pocket are the words ‘Doc’ Stuart Signing Agent.”

Doc is a play on “docs”, the industry abbreviation for documents. But Posner carries it all the way—and not just with the coat. His motto is, “I Make House Calls” and he markets to lenders by going to their office and handing out little prescription bottles of placebos to cure “the end of moth ills.”

Posner seems to understand what Tom Peters, management expert and co-author of the 1982 best-seller In Search of Excellence, meant when he said, “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”

This emphasis on differentiation is even more vital now in the face of a cooling industry and an ever-growing pool of signing agents. But, as the NNA brought up recently in an issue of its online newsletter NOW, can you go too far?

Dan Mlotkowski knows the answer to that. Like Posner, he’s branded himself in his pursuits, only instead of a clever get-up, Mlotkowski has opted for none: he’s Naked Dan. Though he specializes as a handyman, he got a notary commission in May of last year to diversify his services. The NNA did a story on him for the Bulletin and received a nasty backlash.

“Every publication has, that has done a story on me.” Mlotkowski says. “Several local papers published pieces and people wrote in that they canceled their subscriptions. They got people wrote in that it’s totally unprofessional.”

Mlotkowski thinks that many readers of publications who feature him have a misconception of what he does. It doesn’t help that most publications treat him as a novelty item and don’t bother to paint him in the context of the naturalist Florida community in which he lives.

“That’s the thing people don’t understand,” he says, “they have two of the biggest clothing-optional resorts here, so there is a crowd here that has a need, know what I mean?”

Mlotkowski knows that whatever his dress or undress, what he does is a job. He’s timely and professional and goes out of his way to provide those around him with what they want.

“To get what you want, you have to give people what they want,” advices Diana Pemberton-Sikes, a wardrobe and image consultant and author of a series of fashion how-to products, including Bussiness Wear Magic, an e-book that brings together business attire, etiquette, and tips on how to arrange your office. “And what they want, at least initially, is someone they can relate to or someone who fits the perceived image of the role.”

And since there isn’t a stereotype of the notary signing agent, who’s to say you can’t give people what they want and make yourself memorable while at it?

Of course, in the Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility, the NNA advices notaries to refrain from advertising themselves in an “undignified and excessively commercial manner.” But to mobile notaries who rely on signings as a main source of income, this silent and dignified stance is a death wish, especially in these times. To them, marketing and differentiation techniques are becoming crucial.

And to them, professor of marketing at Berkley David A. Aaker hits the right note when he says, “branding adds spirit and a soul to what would otherwise be a robotic, automated, generic price-value proposition.”

2006-08-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

The North Carolina Embezzler

Teresa Davis, the elections official for Johnston County, North Carolina, resigned on July 14 after being linked to missing money in an investigation by the Johnston County’s Board of Elections.

According to Peggy Lim, reporter with The News & Observer, Davis learned about the investigation on Monday.

“Yes, money is missing,” Davis said in a statement the day before she finally resigned. “And I take full responsibility.”

Mark Payne, a county attorney, said Davis will begin paying the sum soon, though no specific date has been given.

As with most embezzling schemes, the money is believed to have been taken in small amounts over a long period of time. The Associated Press states Davis took a total of $6,000 over the course of five years and that this sum included notary fees. Lim reports it was $6,290 and also mentions notary fees. Neither, however, specifies what the total is for these notary fees or where they come from. To this end, The Notary Republic contacted the Office of the North Carolina Secretary of State.

George Jeter, Director of Communications said that the Office of the Secretary of State had looked into things and found that no notary had violated any of the State's notary laws and that the aforementioned situation had “more to do with country government policies and expectations.”

Jeter suggested that this reporter contact the county manager Rick Hester for more information.

According to Hester, Davis is a commissioned notary and the money comes from notarizations occasionally performed in her office.

“How that got to be in there I don’t know,” he said, referring to the account of events offered by the Associated Press and Lim’s story for the News & Observer, “things like that are published and people have no basis for saying them. I know [notarizations] didn’t happen a lot, but I’d be afraid to guess. If I was gonna guess, I’d say it was less than $100. There isn’t enough traffic; it’s a two-person office, so it didn’t happen a lot.”

Regardless of the quantity, the act remains. Davis was a notary public and public servant with a duty to the citizens of Johnston County; these roles share a requirement of honesty and strong moral fiber. Davis can pay off the money—it’s winning the trust of the community that will pose the greatest challenge.

Special thanks to Peggy Lim at The News & Observer; Melissa Bradley at elainemarshall.com for putting me in touch with George Jeter; George Jeter, Director of Communications for the NCSOS; and Rick Hester, county manager, for the information and an invigorating game of telephone tag.

2006-07-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

Florida Notary Bill Vetoed!

On June 23, Florida Governor Jeb Bush vetoed HB 567, a bill was designed to combat fraud by requiring Florida notaries to keep a journal of notarial acts.

Currently, Chapter 117 of the Florida statutes governing notaries public does not require notaries to keep journals of the acts they perform.

Gov. Bush was not convinced the bill would succeed in the purpose, also noting that making journals public record could compromise individuals’ personal information such as addresses and telephone numbers.

The Florida Department of State did not issue any statement on its website. When reached for comment, Susan Smith, press secretary for Secretary of State Sue M. Cobb refused to go on the record, stating, “I won’t go on the record because there is nothing to go on the record about.”

Audrey O’Kelley, Executive Communications Manager at the NNA told The Notary Republic that the governor’s decision had come as a surprise.

“The NNA supported the bill,” she said, “as it supports all actions to protect the notary and the public. Also, in trials, only the portion relevant is made available. That is why the FBI is in support of the NNA’s position on keeping journals.”

She mentioned that in California, where a thumbprint is also required, notary journals go a long way in fighting fraud.

When asked about the supposed potential for privacy violations, O’Kelley stated, “We do encourage our notaries to keep journals under lock of key. But the journal itself is not a public record—the notary journal is not covered by the US public records law.”

At the time he vetoed HB 567, Governor Bush signed HB 1145 into law, which makes “In God We Trust” Florida’s official state motto. Good thinking—with no record of notarial acts, God’s just who Florida will have to trust if any records come into question.

Read the bill at FLSenate.gov.

2006-07-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

Performing Closings in Utah

According to the website for the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office, one of the key facts notaries must remember is that notarizing real estate settlement documents for a title agency when a title escrow agent is not present and one is not a licensed title escrow agent, is illegal. A signing agent who engages in this act is acting as an unlicensed title escrow agent.

However, in a position letter from the Utah Insurance Department written on May 28, 2006, Darrel G. Powell, Director of the Market Conduct Division, addresses the issue to Fran Fish, Director at the Utah Lt. Governor’s Office:

In the past, the Utah Insurance Department has required a notary notarizing a title escrow settlement document to be licensed as a title escrow producer. The Title and Escrow Commission reviewed this practice and determined that the process of obtaining a signature, and the notarization of that signature, on a title escrow settlement document was not part of the duties included in the scope of the title escrow producer license.

Effective immediately, if a notary is only obtaining a signature, and notarizing that signature on a title escrow settlement document, there is no requirement for the notary to be licensed as a title escrow producer. Obtaining and notarizing a title escrow settlement document does not include explaining the content or purpose of a document being signed or the handling of any escrow settlement monies, or any other duties performed by a title escrow producer.

If a notary is asked to do anything other than obtain and notarize a signature on a title escrow settlement document, a title escrow producer license may be required.

An article written by David S. Thun for the National Notary Association’s Notary News in May presented the change in Utah limitations for signing agents. However, the page on the Utah Lt. Governor’s website’s entitled Facts To Remember, last revised May 10, 2006, still shows Item 17 in bright red font: “If you are notarizing real estate settlement documents for a title agency when a title escrow agent is not present and you are not a licensed title escrow agent, you are illegally acting as an unlicensed title escrow agent.”

The Office of Lt. Governor Gary G. Herbert was contacted regarding the inconsistencies between the page and the statement released by the Utah Insurance Department and the National Notary Association. Dorian Ashton, Office Manager for the Lt. Governor, informed The Notary Republic that she was not aware that the website had not been updated and stated that she would direct the matter to the appropriate party.

“It may take a few business days,” she said.

Special thanks to Vice President of Operations Ryan Edwards for the story and Gerri Jones with the Utah Insurance Department for help clarifying the issue.

2006-07-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

Redefining SOS in Wisconsin

Doug La Follette has been Secretary of State for the state of Wisconsin for 28 years. He’s the second longest serving current state-level Secretary of State after Secretary Bill Gardner of New Hampshire, who’s been serving 30 years.

But Secretary La Follette may not be there much longer: fellow Democrat Scot Ross has risen to the challenge, saying the office of the Wisconsin Secretary of State has become marginalized and is today nothing but a shadow of what it once was.

If elected, Ross’ main goal is to use his position to lobby for change in who handles elections, a power that belonged to the Wisconsin Office of the Secretary of State until 1974. Now the duties rest with the state Elections Board, whose members are appointed, not elected.

That is Ross’ dream: to bring back the glory of his state’s Office of the Secretary of State by making it directly accountable in all matters relating to state elections. La Follette is not too sure the legislature will go for that. With the Elections Board in place, he doesn’t see a need for it.

“The election process is certainly broken in places like Florida and Ohio,” La Follette writes in his website. “Clearly, having a paper trail and open voter registration are important safeguards against that kind of nonsense.”

Secretary La Follette’s campaign site shows that he is far more concerned with environmental and social issues than shaking up the the administration. The earth is a big concern for La Follette, who holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Columbia, was a former assistant professor of chemistry and ecology at the University of Wisconsin, served as Public Affairs Director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, as a national board member of the Friends of the Earth and authored the 1991 book, The Survival Handbook: a strategy for saving planet earth.

His website is more that of an academic than it is that of a politician, showcasing his articles, memberships and academic honors simply, on a soothing green background. Ross, on the other hand, has a design-oriented page that features his future plans, a catchy motto (Ross Across Wisconsin!), a quotable bio, news regarding his campaign, a press kit and high-resolution photos, and an e-mail update feature.

La Follette accepts contribution checks by mail; Ross uses PayPal.

As the country hurls itself further into the age of technology, perhaps Ross is the change the Wisconsin Office of the Secretary of State needs. A straw poll showed that 297 fellow party members at a recent Democratic convention agreed. La Follette only received 205 votes.

In an article for the Wisconsin State Journal, reporter Phil Brinkman writes Ross’ opinion on the current Secretary of State: “Ross, 37, said the seven-term incumbent has become ineffectual and hasn't done enough to prevent poaching of the office's duties by other departments.”

Still, there is something to be said for La Follette’s almost zen-like politicking. When discussing his campaign account—which totals $9,000—he said, “I can’t imagine a reason why people would give [Ross] money [for campaigning] when they could be doing something more important.”

What’s more important to Secretary Doug La Follette?

As he announced in a press release on June 7: “Protecting our state’s marvelous environment is very important for our children’s future and our tourist industry.”

While the office of the Wisconsin Secretary of State may no longer be the authority in overseeing elections, La Follette hasn’t been sitting around his office: the Wisconsin Secretary of State has kept busy furnishing public school libraries with funds acquired through the Wisconsin Public Lands Commission as well as fighting for proper forestry practices, clean water, and the preservation of Earth Day, which he helped fund in 1970.

This election is going to be more than just about the people running for office—it’s going to redefine the role of the Wisconsin Office of the Secretary of State.

The primary is taking place September 12, 2006. The winner will take on the winner of the Republican primary on November 7, 2006.

Got press on your state’s Secretary of State? E-mail the editor.

2006-07-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

What’s the role of a state’s Secretary of State?

The Secretary of State (or, in the cases of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the Secretary of the Commonwealth) is an official in 47 of the 50 state governments who is either elected at the general election or appointed by the governor.

In Alaska, Hawaii and Utah, states that do not have a Secretary of State, the duties of Secretary of State fall upon the Lieutenant Governor.

These duties vary from one state to the next, but they can—and often do—involve the following:

serving as the state’s chief elections official;

chartering businesses; keeping all records within the state (state’s constitution, formal copies of legislation, executive orders, state regulatory agency regulations and interpretations and in some states, civil acts and land transactions and ownership records);
issuing professional licenses;
issuing driver’s licenses;
regulating the activities of lobbyists;
maintaining the state museum;
maintaining the state’s historical records;
monitoring the use of public property;
administering pardons (in some states this only means affixing the state seal to the governor’s proclamation, in others, it involves sitting on the Board of Pardons alongside the governor);
administering notaries public;
encouraging commercial relations with other countries;
and keeping and deciding where to affix the official state seal.

For more information about your state’s Secretary of State’s duties, access Wikipedia’s listing of all 47. The names in blue also feature articles about individual Secretaries. If you have information about your state’s Secretary of State that you can provide to Wikipedia, please visit their articles for creation page.

2006-07-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

Notaries and the BBB

Signing companies depend on notaries to carry out business. In an effort to lessen misunderstandings, many companies have placed procedures and notary resources online. Disputes, however, still occur; many of them involve payment.

Notary Beware, for example, was created “to provide Notaries with a ‘one stop’ web site to voice THEIR opinion” about companies who do not engage in fair and ethical payment practices.

“I do not have time to log in to every notary web site and read all comments on a particular company,” Linda Kauffman, the author of the site writes, “hence the creation of this web site.”

Notary Rotary and GoMobileNotary offer discussions of companies who don’t pay or don’t pay on time that one can access by running a search of their forums with code words like “no-no” and “avoid”.

Still, notary boards and awareness sites can only do so much, which is why many notaries have turned to the Better Business Bureau to arbitrate their disputes. The BBB, which was founded in 1912, is an organization based in the United States and Canada that provides company reliability reports and offers complaint resolution between consumers and companies through arbitration and mediation.

Although BBB often refrain from dealing with employer-employee disputes and disputes concerning fees where no misrepresentation is involved, the Los Angeles bureau does take complaints from notaries.

“We take their complaints all the time,” says Gary Almond, Vice President of the Los Angeles Bureau. “The LABBB handles notaries because they don’t have the benefit of the Labor Board. The way it’s handled varies from state to state and bureau to bureau, but we do handle them here.”

To place a complaint, customers must refer to the bureau in the area of the company about which they are complaining. Notaries are advised to work with reliable signing companies and check whether the bureau in their area accepts notary complaints. To find a bureau, access the main BBB site’s city and state search engine at: http://lookup.bbb.org

2006-06-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

A Phobia-Inducing Notarization

The headline read “Notary: why can’t I sign my own name?” Amazing! Had notary tips from the National Notary Association broken into the mainstream? Had Dr. Gail Saltz, a contributor to NBC’s Today show, writer of Anatomy of a Secret Life: The Psychology of Living a Lie and author of the column bearing the headline taken an active interest in the notary public’s role in America?

Actually, no. Saltz is a psychiatrist with New York Presbyterian Hospital and the column, called Relationships Thursday, seeks to answer questions about people’s relationships, not notary FAQs. This column, released this week, discussed a notary's development of a phobia after notarizing some documents for a strange attorney. Now whenever the notary sets out to notarize any documents, he or she experiences similar anxiety, shortness of breath and a racing heart.

Saltz responds that it’s possible that the notary is uncomfortable with strangers and has developed a type of performance or social anxiety that prevents him or her from performing notarizations in front of others. She also sites that the notary may be resentful over having to perform notarizations with which he or she does not agree, as a result of being a notary public for his or her place of employment. Saltz also brings up the possibility of unresolved conflict with authority figures in the notary’s past.

Read Dr. Saltz's column!

2006-06-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

NNA 28th Annual Conference Wraps Up

Ours is a constantly changing market and the National Notary Association is committed to keeping notaries educated. The last weekend of May, more than 1,000 notaries representing 37 states, dignitaries representing 23 nations, and leaders in the industry got together in Washington D.C. for the National Notary’s Association’s 28th Annual Conference. The main topic was that of the role of the notary in today’s technologically advanced industry.

The conference touched on the NNA’s Model Notary Act, which has been revised to provide guidelines for electronic notarizations. These guidelines originated with the establishment of the National eNotarization Commission, a panel comprised of notary-regulating officials, attorneys general, representatives from the Department of Justice, the FBI and FTC. The revisions as they apply to e-notarization appear in Act III.

The 124-page document defines notarial terms and standardizes the requirements for people who seek the position of notary public the application process, the courses and education required for the position; the manner in which entries are to be made in a bound or electronic journal and the wording on the certificates for notarial acts; procedures for change of status such as name or address; and the handling of sanctions by officials, both for notaries public and those who undertake the duty of a notary public unlawfully.

The Act preserves the requirement of a seal in electronic notarization to strengthen the connection between electronic and traditional paper-based notarial acts. An interesting aspect of this act is its deliberate ambiguity: “Certain visual components of traditional notary seals (e.g., serrated border, rectangular shape, inclusion of state seal) may not translate into an electronic seal, although some electronic document technologies may allow their inclusion.”

Though the act proposes that everyone who seeks to be commissioned as a notary public and electronic notary take classes and an exam, the Act leaves it open to each state to find the programs they think most suitable.

As a whole, the Act seeks to be neutral, focusing on defining the role and standardizing the office of notary public, instead of endorsing any particular form of notary training or program or the kind of electronic technology used to perform e-notarizations.

Still, the NNA wasn’t shy about showing off their groundbreaking Electronic Notary Seal Program and Enjoa electronic notarization platform at their e-notarization lab.

"If I were to tell you that the road is wide open for you and that it will be all sunlight and a carefree existence, then that would not be truthful," NNA President Milt Valera said during his State of the Notary Office address. "The road will be wide open for you only if you properly prepare yourself. You must strive with every breath to become the most professional Notary Public you can be."

Valera announced that Los Angeles will host the Association's 2007 Conference May 30-June 2. Next year's Conference theme, "50 Years of Leadership, Professionalism and Trust," celebrates the NNA's 50th Anniversary of service and education to America's Notaries.

2006-04-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

Introducing The New Work Order

Vital Signing, Inc.®’s IT team has worked around the clock to bring our notaries a work order that is clean and easy to navigate.

The new format renders the work order into an interactive index through which notaries can access different parts of the work order, including special instructions for the signing, associated documents that are often executed incorrectly for the client, the BCND, and more!

By clicking on any link in the e-mail, you will immediately access that part of the work order. Once there, a helpful navigation bar under the company logo allows you to browse the rest of the work order without having to go back to the e-mail.

Having the work order divided into sections like this makes it far more accessible when you’re looking for something specific, like instructions or the BCND. And each page also features a print-ready option for easy printing for the notary on the go.

If, for some reason, the links do not work on your work order, please contact us at (951) 343-3131. The old orders are still available: if you would prefer to receive those, please let us know.

For all other comments, disses, suggestions about the work orders, hit up our forum and take our survey!

2006-04-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

The Shape-Shifting 1003

The Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA) form was revised in July of 2005. Many started to use the revised form immediately, but it won’t be until July of this year that the revision will completely replace the old 01/04 revision. This new version, which has otherwise seen no change in terms of data content, now requires the borrower to also sign at the top of the first page.

The revision and subsequent transition have made it a little confusing for notaries to properly execute this form.

To view the larger version, click on the thumbnail.

However, keep in mind that mortgagees may adjust the URLA formatting as they see fit in order to make the document easier to understand and fill out, or to reduce the number of pages:

To view the larger version, click on the thumbnail.

Because the document may vary, studying the form before the signing can be extremely helpful. As always, look over the form after a signing to ensure it has been filled out accordingly after the signing.

***

Another concern that has arisen with the form is the variety of different instructions being given to signing agents regarding whether the co-borrower should sign the 1003. As displayed in the image, the form requires the signature of the co-borrower if he or she is applying for joint credit. However, some lenders and signing companies are asking notaries to have the co-borrower sign regardless.

To avoid confusion when dealing with this, a signing agent should contact Quality Control and advise in regard to the situation. Letting QC know that the 1003 does not apply to the co-borrower and that they will not be signing gives QC an opportunity to contact the lender to verify their specifications. It also helps during the fax-back review because it confirms that the co-borrower’s signature was not carelessly overlooked during the signing.

2006-03-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

Occupational Hazards

Daily, mobile notary signing agents go to foreign locations to meet with people they do not personally know. This makes them extremely vulnerable. A recent search for the incidence of violence to notaries brought me to an article in the Realty Times. Though the article refers to incidents that occurred to realtors, it does shed light on a potential threat. The horrifying series depict the stories of two women who were attacked when alone with potential clients who turned out to be dangerous predators.

Per the article, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), estimates that 70 real estate agents were killed on the job between 1980 and 1992, the last year for which statistics are available. No statistics found confirm the violence suffered by notary signing agents, but that does not mean that crimes do not happen or that they’re not a possibility.

Understanding the Issue

When these sorts of things occur to people, victims are heard saying, “I didn’t know—it came out of nowhere.” Most of time, however, experts agree that crime doesn’t happen out of the blue. There is a process involved within the criminal—he or she takes the time to create a situation in which the victim can be overwhelmed. This is why so many self-defense specialists suggest that people don’t only consider training in defensive strategy and carrying objects for protection, but also that they learn to tell the signs so that they may avoid being put in that situation entirely.

Most websites that were researched in the creation of this article agreed on the importance one often-forgotten human characteristic: instinct. As intangible as it is, this trait often described as a fast, unpleasant reaction in the viscera is one of the most useful human traits when it comes to protecting ourselves from becoming a victim.

People have been taught to question everything and unfortunately, this often includes our intuition. Marc MacYoung, better known as the WWF’s “Animal” is the co-author of a very useful site called No Nonsense Self-Defense. MacYoung stresses that people must listen to these feelings.

In his somewhat labyrinthine website, MacYoung offers a treasure chest of information on how to prevent and deal with situations. While these are not immediately applicable to the task of a mobile notary, they are very much important things that every person should take into consideration:

Pyramid of Personal Safety offers information on how to take precautions in the form of steps.
The Criminal Mindset is an important chapter in recognizing traits and patterns one should look for when dealing with suspicious individuals.

Randy LaHaie offers another free site full of information on self-protection. His Seven Principles of Self Defense serve as a strong foundation for the myriad articles he offers online about safety and self-defense. In particular, his piece titled The Nuts And Bolts Of Awereness details what to look for in situations to avoid becoming victimized.

As Sun Tzu once said in The Art of War: know thy enemy and thyself and no victory is beyond your reach.

Arming Yourself

Having knowledge of how criminals work and what psychological and physical precautions one needs to take is half the battle. The second half is making a decision about how to further your defensive tactics. Many notaries on the topic in NotaryRotary brought up the use of pepper spray and other non-lethal weapons.

LaHaie offers various topics to consider before committing to any self defense gizmo. But it’s not enough to have one such gizmo. One must know how to operate their chosen weapon and what to expect once it has been used on an attacker. To this end, MacYoung suggests the Kelly McCann video Minimum Damage, Maximum Effect: A Complete Guide to Use of Pepper Spray, Less Lethal and Improvised Weapons (VHS $34).

Being aware of your state’s stance on your chosen self-defense weapon or method is also very important, as is knowing the difference between fighting and self-defense. No Nonsense Self-Defense’s chapter on legalities deals directly with the difference between fighting and defending yourself, a distinction that will make all the difference after the fact.

While mobile notary agents can’t be 100 percent safe when undertaking signing assignments, knowing they are at risk, what to look for and how to deal with potentially dangerous situations greatly reduces this risk.

2006-03-15T16:58:00.000-08:00

Explaining the Borrowers' Certification of Notary Duties

Vital Signing, Inc.® has started including a document called the Borrowers' Certification of Notary Duties (BCND) in its packages for notaries. This document, though short and seemingly nothing but one more page to print, is, in actuality, a crucial document for notaries.

Because the liability is great when it comes to the execution of loan documents, notaries have to take extra steps to ensure that they cover themselves in all aspects.

“It is very important that the notary executes the Notice of Right to Cancel properly,” says Vital Signing, Inc.® president Cory Barber. “By signing the Borrowers' Certification of Notary Duties, borrowers are certifying that the notary has performed his or her duty.”

That means that, in signing the BCND, borrowers are certifying that the notary provided a copy of the Truth in Lending Disclosure, left copies of the Right to Cancel/Rescission Notice and did not express personal opinions about the loan.

Notaries are asked by Vital Signing, Inc.® to fax back a copy of the BCND. A notary, however, should keep the original in his or her files in the event that questions regarding the signing arise.

Filling out the BCND

Following the section describing the statements to which a borrower is attesting upon signing, the following section appears. Please click on the graphic below for the clarification:

Pay close attention to ensure that this document is filled out right. It may not appear important, but it’s extremely helpful in cases when your professionalism and diligence are in question!

2006-02-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

Design Basics For the Online Notary

The internet has changed the way that many of us do business. Now more than ever, people are able to make themselves accessible through the world wide web. But it’s not just about making a page and putting yourself out there. In this increasingly technological environment, a website will be the first impression of you and your services. Some of the most important factors that one must establish on a page, therefore, is credibility, professionalism and competence.

Error-free text will go a long way. But it’s really not as simple as putting up contact information and some references. The web opens the doors to opportunity and a page with nothing on it but contact information is not really going to cut it anymore than a vague resume with a generic cover letter put together using an MS Office template.

The Page Content

The key is to be creative and descriptive and to demonstrate your dedication and professionalism. After all, you are not just going out to meet borrowers representing yourself: you’re going to be representing your client as well. It is the quality of your content—no matter how concise you choose to be—that speaks volumes about you.

Don’t get me wrong: you don’t need volumes. Being too verbose on your index page can turn people away. Think about it this way: someone needs a notary signing agent in this area, they find you through a search and land on your page. What do they want to know?

Contact information
Printing capabilities
Languages spoken
Documents with which you are familiar
How long you have been signing
Fee structure

This should be right up front. In terms of making a business page, you have to think more like a journalist than a notary and try to hit the who, what, why, where, when, how and why right up there are the beginning—before the fold. Don’t force potential clients to click around or scroll too much. Put concise information right up at the top.

If you want to elaborate, you can add a link to more information directly from that descriptive menu. You can find an example of this in the Notary Section of the Vital Signing, Inc.® website. Within the Notary Section, you can select to be redirected to whatever category you want within that page. If you select The Notary Portal, for instance, you will be directed to the sign-up process overview which gives a brief summary of how to join our database. Within this overview a notary can easily find hyperlinked items that direct him or her to other pages that elaborate on each topic.

We live in a fast-paced marketplace: the more you do for your reader to make the experience fast and easy, the more they will like you—even if all you are doing is saving them a few seconds scrolling! Taking the time to arrange your information well will give potential clients a sense of how meticulous and efficient you are.

These are qualities that really matter in your field. A person who won’t take the time to spell-check their content just doesn’t come across as someone who will take the time to ensure that documents are signed correctly. It’s an unfair assessment considering many of you who may be bad spellers are excellent at executing a signing, but it’s not an unlikely conclusion to draw. Always remember that the online world has an attention span of 2.5 seconds: we don’t just judge books by their covers, we tear them apart. A yellow background is enough to get me to exit a window—even before it has finished loading!

The Font Question

This brings me to my next point—presentation. Yes, it’s important to get the reader’s attention, but big whimsical fonts in all-caps are not the answer. They can render the content illegible—not to mention make you look like you’re 12. Take Comic Sans. I cannot tell you how many pages I have seen that use this font. Designed by Vincent Connare when he was with Microsoft, the font was never designed to be a typeface—and with good reason:

“There was no intention to include the font in other applications other than those designed for children when I designed Comic Sans. The inspiration came at the shock of seeing Times New Roman used in an inappropriate way.” That inappropriate way was the beta version of Microsoft Bob. Since then, Comic Sans’s biggest gig has been on the children’s book series The Magic Schoolbus. Tell me, what do we get across from a site typeset in a children’s font?

Font may not be a big issue to you—as long as the message is conveyed in the text, why not, right? The problem with this mentality is that the message is not always conveyed well because a reader must have the font that you are using available on his or her computer in order to read it. Not to mention some fonts are physically painful to read online over extended periods of time.

Arial at a small size is one such font. The interesting thing is that many people do not see a difference between Arial and Verdana. But there is a difference: Verdana was specifically designed by Microsoft’s Matthew Cartner to tackle the problem of sizing on the screen. Arial, you see, is not made to go too small because it doesn’t have sufficient wide-letter spacing or punch-width. Verdana, on the other hand, does. This font can get very, very small without suffering distortion.

Verdana, like Arial and Trebuchet MS, also does away with redundant font features that tend to clutter the screens of readers. An example of a redundant feature is the serif—the little extra lines and decorations we see in fonts like Garamond, Georgia and Times New Roman. These fonts are great for print media because the serifs guide the eyes. But they do not work so well on-screen.

Just remember one thing: no matter what you do, never go above three different fonts on a page. Two is generally more than enough for main text and headers. Picture captions and site rights can be a different size of the same font. And remember to keep consistent. There is nothing that shouts amateur more than a page or publication in erratically mixed font.

The Color Palette

Imagine you have taken all this into account. You know what you are going to say and you know what font you are going to use. You’re half-way there. You still have to make some color choices. This is the tricky part. You don’t have to go all out and spend hours toying with Color Combo like I have been known to do. The key is to understand that font needs to be legible. If you feel you need color on the page, you can get it by adding pictures to your site. You really do not need that bright yellow and red font.

If it’s been too long since you sat down in art class and went over the color wheel, you might find 9rules network’s preconfigured color schemes useful. It doesn’t hurt to surf around, either. Sites like Martopia (blue and orange for contrast over varying shades of gray and white), Apple (slick grays and blues on white), and The American Design Awards (gray hues and cadmium yellow over a slightly textured background for depth) are great examples of good palette combinations.

The Images

While they are not necessary, an image can bring color and flavor to a site in a way that font and colors cannot. When picking a graphic to use make sure that it is somehow relevant to your page: a picture of a natural feature that characterizes your state, perhaps a picture of you, a picture of pen, people looking over documents, people shaking hands, or an embosser are just a few examples.

Just remember a few simple things: your images should be--

relevant
worksafe
not too big
not too distracting
yours, or that you have the rights or appropriate permissions to use them.

Remember to do everything in moderation, as too many images may make the page take too long to load.

For the most part, making a simple webpage of this nature is an easy process. All it takes is a little time and thought. And maybe a few visits to Lyco’s Web Monkey.

Curious about your web design IQ? Take Encarta’s From Arial to Wingdings quiz!

2006-02-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

The Design Commandments

Don’t underline words for emphasis: it may confuse readers into thinking the word is a link. Italics are generally used for titles, so for stick to bold for emphasis. But do it sparingly! Like cursing, using bold too much makes you lose the power of emphasis.

Don’t use all-caps: unless it’s an acronym (like NNA, CNN, MSNBC), there is no need to use all-caps. Emphasis can be achieved with bold and subject headings work better in a slightly larger font. Remember that all-caps in the online world is tantamount to yelling and can make you come across as rude or pushy.

Don’t post pictures of your family: this is also for safety reasons. You don’t know who may be browsing—and really: potential clients don’t need to see something so personal.

Don’t post pictures of your pets or animals: they are totally unrelated to your job, no matter how much you like them. The same goes for your last trip to Maui. You can easily get and set up a page on networking sites like MySpace or Friendster for those kinds of exchanges.

Don’t give in to background music: music is not always work-safe and some browsers do not allow you to mute it or lower the volume. That’s usually an instant exit for me.

Don’t go crazy with plugs: so it’s cool to show you keep up with 50 State Notary and the NNA, but if you mean to put ads on your site, you should consider setting a limit. If you have image editing software, you can resize and crop the ad images so that they are all the same size and line them at the bottom. If you don’t know how and you have more than three or four, you might want to consider creating a links page so your images don’t clutter your index page.

Don’t forget to capitalize: these days, everyone thinks they’re E. E. Cummings. While it’s not unusual to ditch the shift key when you are chatting with friends informally, it is not inappropriate to do so on a professional website. Unless, of course, you are E. E. Cummings. In which case I do sincerely apologize, sir, for assuming you'd died in ’62.

Don’t forget to pay attention to those tricky confusing words: confusing “there”, “their” and “they’re” is an honest mistake—but a costly one. As is confusing “insure” and “ensure”, “affect” and “effect” and “its” and “it’s”. Have a friend look over your stuff, that helps catch the less obvious ones. Or drop me a line!

Do not get too snazzy: not everyone can run java applets and ActiveX controls. The simpler you keep it, the more likely it will be that people will be able to view your page, regardless what their settings and capabilities are.

Don’t forget that people are curious: maybe you link your personal page, community message boards, blog or photo albums from your professional page. "Sure, I have nothing to hide," you reply, "And besides, I give everyone my site address, both friends and relatives—this is how they keep up with me! To take these off a link list would be a hassle for everyone." The thing is, potential clients may click around, too. You may not link to anything questionable, but that doesn’t mean another person won't judge you on this information other than that which they are meant to judge you: your ability to perform signings and your experience in the field. Give the linking some thought before you do it.

2006-02-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

VS Approved

One of the most important things that you can establish on your personal professional webpage is credibility. This may come in many forms, but the most important, perhaps, is your list of references: potential customers want to know that you have experience and can handle the job.

Like a virtual résumé, links to associations with which you are involved (such as the NNA) and signing services with whom you have worked go a long way to establish this credibility. But a link is not always telling of your performance and this is why Vital Signing, Inc.® has developed a system of seals: we know the Vital process is a demanding one in the industry and we want to praise our notaries with a mark of excellence that they can display in order to show others that they are capable and professional individuals.

The Black Seal is awarded to all mobile notaries public that are members of the Vital Signing, Inc.®'s mobile notary signing agent network and who have met all the requirements and qualifications involved. For more information about these requirements, visit the Notary Sign-Up Portal in the Notary section of our site!

The Green Seal is given to those notaries that the Vital Signing, Inc.® Quality Control department has ranked “first” in our database. These are notaries who have worked with us for a while and who consistently follow procedures and rise above the call of duty. Curious? Click to read or listen to Vital Signing, Inc.®'s procedures for mobile signing agents!

Finally, the Blue Seal is given to the select notaries that not only are rated best by our Quality Control department, but who also have a record of over 100 excellently-executed signings with Vital Signing, Inc.®!

To get more information about the seals, log in to your account. Recipients of Green and Blue Seals will be personally notified.

2006-01-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

The Right Printer

One of the questions we receive most often from starting mobile signing agents is whether they absolutely have to get a laser printer. The answer is no—a signing agent does not need to have a laser printer to work with us. We do, however, suggest that you consider the investment due to the bulk of the signings we get that involve e-docs.

As technology moved forward, the signing industry evolved. With electronic communication came the ability to transmit docs from one source to another instantaneously via the internet and with this came the necessity for instruments that could perform high-quality print jobs. Our Vice President of Operations, Ryan Edwards, confirmed that 75 percent of the signings that Vital Signing, Inc.® assigned in the past six months involved e-docs. This is a considerable number. Though costly, a laser printer would enable a notary signing agent to tap into this aspect of the market.

But before you set out to buy that laser printer, there are a few things to be considered:

The Nuts And Bolts

It’s quite possible that you’d skip the specifics and just get the darn thing. I mean, who really wants to sit and read over the specifications of a line of different machines to be sure the choice you have made is the best choice? No one. But with the quantity of printers available, it’s imperative to keep a few things in mind. And the more you know about what you are buying, the better equipped you are to make a decision.

A laser printer is different from an inkjet. While an inkjet uses ink to create the images and text you see in the printed page, a laser printer uses toner, a fine powder that is sealed to the paper with heat. People erroneously assume that a laser creates the print on paper inside a laser printer. In truth, a laser printer works with static electricity. The laser in the printer is actually used to discharge the static on an insulated rotating cylinder—typically referred to as the drum, which you can see in the image below.

Image credit: HowStuffWorks.com

The pattern of static that remains on the drum—the electrostatic image—serves as a sort of glue for the toner. That is, when the toner roller coats the drum, the difference in charges makes the toner move toward the negatively charged areas of the drum. Paper in the printer passes through another charged roller (generally called the transfer corona wire), becoming more negatively charged than the drum itself and thus enabling the toner to be transferred. On the way out, the paper then passes through a pair of heated rollers that melt the toner into the paper. These rollers are called the fuser and are the reason paper comes out of printers feeling so warm.

The Data Transfer

There are a lot of things at play inside a laser printer. But there are some things that need to be straightened out long before the static in the printer starts rolling. This is the job of the printer controller, the printer’s brain. The controller communicates with your computer through a parallel or USB (Universal Serial Bus) port. (Data transfers over a parallel port are agonizingly slow—your best bet is a printer that works on USB 2.0).

Because the controller is the brain of the printer, it is very important to ensure that your computer and the printer you acquire speak the same language. If you mean to network computers to a printer, you need to be even more aware of computer-to-printer controller language compatibility.

The primary printer languages today are Hewlett Packard’s Printer Command Language (PCL) and Adobe’s Postscript, both of which use geometric shapes to describe a page to the printer rather than dots (as done in bitmap images). The printer takes the shapes and converts them into a bitmap, thus enabling the printer to handle complex imagery that other printers cannot handle.

While PCL is the standard for many laser printers, most Macintosh printers use Postscript, which is usually used in desktop publishing and graphic design. One can usually upgrade PCL to Adobe Postscript with a software driver if they so desire.

A good thing to look for, too, is the memory buffer: a lot of manufacturers cut costs by limiting the amount of memory they give a computer. If your printer does not have the buffer to store all the data the computer is sending its controller, it will have to cache it. That is, the printer will have to come back to the host computer for data about the print job time and time again, thereby slowing a print-job. When looking for a printer, it’s a good idea to ask how much extra memory costs and whether you can upgrade to a generic brand of memory or whether you need to have the manufacturer’s upgrade.

Getting Savvy

Consumables are the costly part of both laser and inkjet printers. In the case of laser printers, in addition to toner (which needs to be changed less regularly than ink cartridges), the drum needs to be replaced periodically as its surface can wear out and therefore deteriorate the quality of an image. Look out for printers that include the drum in a toner cartridge—this makes the toner cartridge far more expensive.

Also note that many websites sell recycled toners. They can refill cartridges or remanufacture them by replacing the drum or some other component. These can save you between 25 and 50 percent on consumable upkeep. Just be sure that you get these from a trustworthy source that is willing to stand behind its products: if your printer breaks down and it turns out to be a problem caused by a third-party cartridge, the printer manufacturer will not cover charges despite the warranty.

Speaking of warranties: they vary considerably in terms of coverage. It’s much better to have a short warranty that covers everything than a long one that is weak. Make sure you get a thorough explanation of everything that is covered and that the warranty includes on-site support. Laser printers are heavy and you do not want to be trekking back and forth with it, exasperating the state of an already malfunctioning one.

The Specifics

A lot of manufacturers will tell you the cost per page by saying that an average cartridge will print this many pages at this percentage of coverage (usually 4 to 5 percent). Keep in mind that the toner that comes with the printer may be a starter toner that comes with less toner than the toners you can buy in the market, so check not only the specifics for toner in the printer, but the individual toner cartridge as well.

Printers come with a wide array of resolutions. According to our E-mail department Supervisor Andrew Casas, the standard 600 by 600 dpi (dots per inch) is sufficient for printing docs.

A standard printer prints at a speed between 15 and 20ppm (page per minute) but more upscale printers go even faster. Keep in mind that some manufacturers refer to ppm as the speed it takes a blank page to run through the printer. In this regard, the only real way to know what you are getting is to test-drive the printer yourself or browse printer reviews online.

When you consider the printer specs on ppm, check warm-up time, too. This doesn’t seem significant now, but it is if you consider that some printers require up to 30 seconds to warm up every time they go idle.

Check whether the printer you are getting allows for an additional paper tray. This is especially helpful in terms of volume printing—you do not want to have to keep feeding the printer paper while waiting for docs to finish printing. While you are at it, check the printer’s output paper tray capacity. Very often we forget that printers cannot keep half as many papers in the output tray as it can in the input tray. You do not want to stand around collecting papers when you’re printing docs.

The Wrap-Up

Obviously, there is a lot to consider when you decide to go for a laser printer. But there are many advantages to having one. Not only is it more economical in the long run than an ink-jet, but it also allows you to tap into the market of e-docs. As more manufacturers get in the game, the prices continue to drop. A laser now starts at $300. That’s a lot of money, but with a few signings under your belt and some knowledge about what you’re looking for, it’s more than a worthy investment.

Read our E-mail department's list of tried and tested laser printers!

2006-01-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Inception of
The Notary Republic

In August, Vital Signing, Inc.® did something unusual in the document signing service industry: it hired an editor.

“We have spent many years establishing an operational infrastructure,” says Cory Barber, President and owner of Vital Signing, Inc.®. “Now we are at a stage where it’s time to get serious about promoting our product and developing a dialogue with those with whom we do business. So in a way, it was natural progression to seek out someone with a background in communications.”

This newsletter was born somewhere along the way of the development of this new focus, as a means to provide you with company and industry information, new features and bulletins and a bit of entertainment.

In order that we cover topics that are relevant to you, the newsroom encourages readers to interact with us via e-mail, comments on the blog, or discussions in our forum.

The Name

Many have mailed asking whether the title of the newsletter is an accidental error intended to read “notary public”. It’s a play on words that ties together notaries and common name for a publication, “the republic” (e.g., The New Republic, The Free Republic, The Arizona Republic, etc.).

Interestingly, this error bears a surprising 27,500 results when Googled—almost as good as when one types the common error “Untied States of America” but not quite (the latter renders 360,000 results). But then again, there was a book written about that. Wonder whether Juan Enriquez got mail from people wanting to know whether he’d noticed the error?

The Point

“Though familiar with the Vital process, the newsroom is not part of operations, so that also allows for a more objective perspective of things.” Barber says of the newsroom's mission.

The newsroom will serve as an ombudsman between readers and the company—that is, we will act as your representative to Vital Signing, Inc.® when issues arise; research and provide information in response to queries; and generally serve as an independent source of information, explanation and updates.

“The newsletter is the perfect vehicle to initiate discussion,” says Barber. “We hope readers enjoy it and become active in the process.”

For those wishing to stop receiving the newsletter, an opt-out option is available at the bottom of each e-mail in accordance with the CAN SPAM Act of 2003.

2005-12-22T13:27:00.000-08:00

New Site, New Features

The development of our website has been a very intensive and exciting process. Our in-house IT team has combined a clean and easy-to-navigate page with an array of new features.

The site includes a Press Room offers more specific company news, reproduces articles or excerpts of articles in which Vital Signing, Inc.® has been featured and shows our schedule of events and conventions! The About and Services section discuss the company, its services and history clearly both for clients and notaries who want to get more familiar with us.

Our new site includes a specialized Notary section for those who want to know about being a notary, a section for notaries that are not yet with Vital Signing, Inc.® and a section for those notaries that are with us and need to trouble shoot. We even have a new Live Support feature now, through which notaries and clients can communicate with a member of our Customer Service, E-mail and Quality Control departments.

The Notary Sign-Up Portal does not merely give an overview of the process through which all notaries have gone to sign up, it also includes valuable information for notaries already with us, such as the list of tried and tested laser printers that was put together by our E-mail department.

We now also feature a Notary Forum for notaries to ask questions about procedures or to discuss relevant topics or give article feedback and suggestions. Please drop by, register and post--the newsroom will strive to get back to you as soon as possible!

Take the time to browse the official Vital Signing, Inc.® at www.VitalSigning.com!