A Notary or Loan Signing Agent is a specialist who handles loan document signings. An ideal Notary Signing Agent has a working knowledge of the loan signing business, and the varied documents found in loan document packages.

A Notary Signing Agent’s job is help borrowers execute their loan documents. The borrower must sign and initial their loan documents where required, and may have to provide additional information for the lender. The Notary Signing Agent is responsible for the completion of the loan documents. They ensure that every signature and initial has been completed, and that the requested borrower information has been provided.

We have a whole page dedicated to How to Become a Notary Signing Agent!

Most states do not have specific requirements for Notaries to fulfill before they can become Notary Signing Agents.

Instead, signing services, title and closing companies, escrows, and banks have their own set of standard practices and desired qualifications for the Notaries they hire. The loan signing industry recommends the following steps to increase your chances of being hired by a wide range of companies.

How to Become a Notary Signing Agent

1. Notary Signing Agents must be commissioned as a Notary Public in their state.

2. Take a Notary Signing Agent Certification Training Course. Once you complete the course and receive your certificate, you will officially be a Certified Notary Signing Agent.

3. Take and pass a  Notary Public Background Check.

4. Purchase a minimum $25,000 Errors and Omissions Insurance policy.

5. Sign up with notary directories, signing services, title and closing companies.

6. Start working as a Notary Signing Agent!

If you are already a commissioned Notary Public, then all you have to do is take Notary Signing Agent training!

Our $45 Notary Signing Agent Certification Training Course lets you become a Notary Signing Agent in under 3 hours.

A “Certified” Signing Agent has taken Signing Agent Training, and received a certificate through the course vendor. This certificate proves to closing and title companies that the Signing Agent is competent at handling loan signing documents and performing loan signings.

Our Free Notary Signing Agent Training Blog contains free articles to help you learn the basics of working as a Notary Signing Agent. Here you can brush up on your knowledge of the 10 Steps to a Complete Loan Signing, take an in-depth guide through a typical Refinance Loan package, and learn how to better present loan documents, ensuring an easy, organized flow of loan documents.

If you are hoping to become a certified Notary Signing Agent for free, you may have a hard time finding a free certification course.

Notary.net offers an extremely affordable $45 Notary Signing Agent Certification Training Course. This is a much more affordable option than most other companies offer.

A Notary Signing Agent’s duties are to:

1) Verify the identity of the signer;

2) Ensure that the signer completes all signatures, initials, and dates;

3) Notarize the documents that require notarization; and

4) Return the completed loan package to the closing agent.*

*The closing agent is usually a closing or title company, a signing service, an escrow or a bank.

As of September of 2022, the average income for a Loan Signing Agent in Illinois was around $90,000 a year, according to ziprecruiter.com.

Salary.com posits that the average Loan Signing Agent salary in Illinois is $41,000 a year.

The more signing services you sign up with, the more opportunities you will have to be offered jobs, which are typically referred to, in the loan signing agent business, as contracts.

To be a successful Signing Agent, you must be assertive. Assert yourself and get your name in front of as many closing and title companies and signing services as you can. Include a detailed bio about yourself, your Errors and Omissions coverage amount, your experience with loan document signings, and whatever else you think might benefit you.

Some websites are specifically built to help you be seen by more signing services, title companies, etc. These sites include snapdocs.com, notaryrotary.com, 123notary, and notarycafe.

There are tons of different websites to help borrowers find a Notary Signing Agent nearby. These include notaryrotary.com, snapdocs, and notarycafe. Notaryrotary.com is 100% free to use.

Notary Signing Agent Essential Supplies Checklist

Smartphone

This is the best way to communicate with clients and make sure you don’t miss calls.

Printer

Many lenders will not accept documents printed by an inkjet printer, because they print too slowly and the ink does not permanently bind to the paper. We recommend a Laser/LED Multi-Function Center (MFC) with Full Duplex capability and Networking. A Brother printer that can copy, fax, scan, and has duplex (double-sided) print capability with two paper trays is best. This way you can print both letter and legal-size paper without changing paper in the printer tray.

Internet and Email

Some clients will send loan packages by PDF attached to an email. Loan packages can also be sent to your email and be accessible via link.

Calendar

Sometimes you’ll get one appointment after another. There is nothing worse for your business and your reputation than accepting an appointment and then having to call the signing service and apologize for double booking yourself. Using a calendar is an essential tool to keep you organized.

Notary Journal

A notary journal is not required by law in all states. However, we highly recommend keeping a notary journal to help protect yourself from potential legal action.

Thumbprint Pads

California notaries are required by law to get a thumbprint every time they perform a notarization. This is not the case in all states.

Notary Stamp

Your notary stamp is the absolute essential for a notary. You definitely want to keep a backup stamp with you whenever you’re going to do a signing. If your stamp breaks or runs out of ink, your entire business will have to wait until you get a new stamp.

Writing Pens – Black and Blue Ink

Most loan documents will need to be signed in black ink; however, some companies will require blue ink. The Signing Service or Title/Closing Company will inform you of this requirement. If the ink color is unspecified, always default to black ink.

Notary Tax and Expense Log

It is absolutely essential that a Notary Signing Agent keeps a record of any money they make from Title/Closing Companies and Signing Services, since they will not take taxes out of whatever payments they issue. It is up to the Notary Signing Agent to report their earnings to their state and the IRS.

Errors and Omissions Insurance

A Notary bond is required in most states. Keep in mind that a Notary surety bond does not protect the Notary. Notary E&O insurance is required by most signing services and closing and title companies.

Sticky Notes

Sticky notes are used to mark errors on the loan documents WITHOUT altering the loan documents unless explicitly okayed to do so.

Notary Certificates

A good notary public always knows when a certificate is needed (when the required wording isn’t present or the document doesn’t have enough room for your stamp). A notary public should always have a supply of acknowledgement and jurat certificates.

Of all the tools to get started, the most important are the smartphone, the computer, and the printer. These tools have helped many people become successful mobile notary signing agents. We strongly suggest you get these tools first when starting as a mobile notary signing agent. All the other tools can come as you have capital. You will find that it doesn’t cost a lot to get your signing agent business going.

Notaries Public in many states are required to have a Notary surety bond filed with their state. Whether or not a Notary Public works as a Signing Agent does not influence the Notary bond requirement.

Yes, if a signing service or title company requires Signing Agent E&O insurance in addition to Notary E&O insurance.

No. For starters, Notary Attorney States require an attorney to be present at, or involved with, real estate property closings. In most of these Notary Attorney States, a notary cannot perform signing agent work unless the notary is also an attorney.

The Notary Attorney States are: Connecticut, Georgia, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Several other states have their own restrictions, which differ from state to state: Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, and Texas.

Click here to view the full list of states that restrict Signing Agent work.

Indiana requires that “Any person who conducts a real estate closing on behalf of a title insurance producer or title insurance company in which a title insurance policy is issued or is to be issued must be a licensed Title insurance producer.”

Source: in.gov

See also: https://inbiz.in.gov/Assets/NotaryGuide.pdf

Indiana resident applicants must meet the following requirements in order to obtain a Title Insurance License:

• Complete not less than ten (10) hours of instruction in a structured setting or comparable self-study on:
  1. ethical practices in the marketing and selling of title insurance;
  2. requirements of the insurance laws and administrative rules of Indiana;
  3. principles of title insurance, including underwriting and escrow issues; and
  4. principles of the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (12 U.S.C. 2608).
• Obtain a certificate of completion from the education provider. This certificate is valid for six months, in which time the application must be submitted.
• Submit an application and the $40.00 application fee either online at www.Sircon.com/indiana or www.nipr.com, or through the uniform NAIC paper application (must be mailed to IDOI along with a check or money order made payable to IDOI). *All license application fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable.
• Pre-licensing education information is required to be submitted by the education provider. Approved provider courses may be viewed through www.sircon.com/indiana.

Maryland requires Signing Agents to have a Title Insurance Producer License.

Source: https://insurance.maryland.gov/Producer/Pages/titleip.aspx

“All resident individuals requesting a title insurance producer license are required to complete pre-licensing education and pass the Maryland title exam. Work Experience can be substituted for course work for which the applicant will be tested. (Reference: §10-104). The completed Insurance Education Waiver Application / Affidavit of Employer must be sent to and approved by the MIA before taking the examination.

• Effective April 30, 2013 applicants will be required to complete 20 pre-licensing course hours. Please note that this requirement is only a minimum, and an applicant may take or a provider may offer additional course hours.
• Once the pre-licensing course is completed and a certificate is awarded, the insurance licensing examination must be taken within 6 months from the date of the certificate. If the examination is not taken, the certificate will expire, and the course must be retaken to qualify for the examination.
• The examination results are valid for 6 months. If the candidate does not apply for the appropriate license within 6 months, the examination results will expire and the pre-licensing course must be retaken to qualify to re-take the examination.”

First-Time Title Insurance Producer License Application Details:

Maryland Initial Title Insurance Producer License Application

“To apply for a license as an Individual Title Insurance Producer, in addition to passing the Maryland Title Producer exam, an individual must:

• pay the applicable fee of $54, required by Ins. Art. § 2-112;
• complete and submit the NAIC Uniform Application Individual Producer;

submit a $150,000 Surety Bond or Letter of Credit; The bond or continuation certificate must clearly state:
– bond company and bond amount
– bond coverage period
– show the State of Maryland as the obligee
– duly executed by the principal/producer and bond  company/attorney-in-fact
* If applicant is an Independent Contractor, the Title Insurance Producer Independent Contractors (TIPIC) waiver form may be submitted in lieu of the Surety Bond.”

Massachusetts requires an attorney to be present or involved with the closing of a property. However, a notary public who is employed by an attorney or a lender may notarize a document in conjunction with a real estate closing conducted by their employer.

Source: malegislature.gov

“A notary public who is not an attorney licensed to practice law in the commonwealth shall not conduct a real estate closing and shall not act as a real estate closing agent; provided, however, that a notary public who is employed by an attorney so licensed may notarize a document in conjunction with a real estate closing conducted by the attorney and a notary public who is employed by a lender may notarize a document in conjunction with the closing of such lender’s real estate loans.”

In Minnesota, in order to perform Signing Agent work you first need to obtain a Closing Agent license. You must first be a Notary Public commissioned in Minnesota, and take a 10 hour state-approved Closing Agent Training Course. 

To submit an application for a Minnesota Closing Agent License, go to pulseportal.com.