Notaries are public servants. One of our primary responsibilities is to safeguard tools and records that can be used to harm others. That's why the message for today is “Double-down on safeguarding notary gear!” Read on for -- Tactics to safeguard your seals, notarial acts, and record book What to do with retired notary seals and record books List of steps to take for lost or stolen notary gear
Are you ready to handle commercial loans as a notary signing agent? There are four standards to meet before you do so.
“Is being a notary worth it if I have a full-time job?" This is a question that has surfaced several times this summer on social media. In a nutshell, heck yeah! Having a side gig or "moonlighting" as a mobile notary at the end of your work day can be rewarding! The final answer, however, lies in one's personal goals and how well that person can penetrate various segments of the local population to be the first notary contacted for service. Today, I will share typical general notary work assignments that I pick up after work.
This week’s tips are for notaries who may be at risk of losing relationships with hiring parties because of errors in their notarial acts, losing their commissions--or worse--may inadvertently perform a criminal act. Because life gets busy and is full of more pressing and interesting matters, notary laws are not top priority to many notaries--I understand that! Unfortunately, the result is that too many notaries haven't developed proper skills. They don't know what they can do and what they can't.There are pitfalls to avoid, but untrained notaries don't see them. They are performing notarial acts as if blindfolded, unaware of the risks and pitfalls that await them and the public for whom they notarize.
Are you a new notary public? Do you feel as if you are -- Swimming around in murky notary laws that are too complicated? Trying to learn rules stuffed with terms that you do not understand? Attempting to make sense of confusing notary group discussions? Unable to get a straight answer on anything? Drowning from information overload? If so, take this to heart: You can't learn it all at once. You really can't! Don't make yourself feel bad because you don't know it all. Let's slow down and take your move into the notary world one small step at a time. Today, I want to go over the barest requirements and most basic skills you need to learn before you slap the Mobile Notary sign on your car and drive off...
There's a notary myth that rolls around in forums and on social media from time to time about notary stamp ink color. It goes something like this: the majority of notaries believe that seal ink must be black. Many believe colors may be blue or black. The truth is that only one-fourth of the 50 states have laws that require notaries to select a certain color. All of the other states can choose from any color of ink that can be reproduced darkly on a copier or when scanned. Notaries who are not restricted to a certain color may select from blue, purple, red, blue, or green in addition to black or blue. If you are not sure what color you...
Many new notaries have contacted me over the years to ask how to produce correctly "notarized copies" of important identification documents such as driver licenses, government-issued identification cards, foreign or U.S. passports. Let's first discuss what the term "notarized copy” actually means. The citizen is referring to the act of certifying a copy of an original document as being an exact copy of the original. Suppose a fictional notary named Tom Teller has been approached by a citizen requesting a notarized copy of a U.S. Passport. The citizen, another fictional character named Mrs. Lola Longmire, knows what she wants and she intends to have it her way: Lola Longmire expects Tom to make a copy of her ID and stamp the copy with...
