Colorado Springs Notary - Leon Austin

Just when I thought I could take my business clothes off for the day and relax, I got a call to do a RESPA signing this evening in Colorado City. My first thought was, are they sure it's Colorado City, and not Colorado Springs? That's a bit out of my territory. I'd feel like a poacher.

It's south of Pueblo, almost 70 miles away. It's not that it's too far. It's just that there are a lot of notary signing agents in Pueblo, which is a lot closer.  But if the company is willing to pay the additional travel fee, I'll go anywhere.

There isn't much to see along the way. It's almost all prairie. The last time I was down that far was when I drove to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is an even more uneventful drive. But business is business. I'm not going there for sightseeing.

I was in a hurry almost from the time I left Colorado Springs. My agenda was to get the signing done, then head back to Colorado Springs as quickly as I could, and hopefully get the documents to the UPS Center in time for the 7pm pick up, so that they could go out this evening. I just made it.

Sorry I don't have any photos to share. Like I said, there isn't really that much to see. The population is a little over 2,000. You could drive through the town and not even know you'd been there.

But I always try to find the positive side of everything. Someone in a remote location was able to get his loan documents signed, and a notary signing agent made it possible. That's what this business is all about -- providing a convenience to the borrowers.

The reason that notary signing agents make confirmation calls to the borrower is that we need to make sure that we have the correct time and place of the signing. It isn't always the same as what is on the instruction sheet that we receive. There are also instructions that we need to give to the borrower, such as having a photocopy of their ID, explaining our role as notary signing agents, etc.

Last night I did a closing for a borrower who lives in a condominium. If it weren't for the fact that I made a confirmation call, I wouldn't have known exactly which condo she lived in. I was given only an address, but no unit letter for the condo.

Today was another example when a confirmation call was important.  Although in this situation, I was not allowed to make a confirmation call. These were my instructions:

A large part of what a notary signing agent does is follow instructions. So I didn't call the borrower. I just showed up, as instructed.  This is what I encountered:

I called on my cell phone to let the borrower know that I was at the gate. But he was on the phone.  He was signing the loan documents while someone with the lender gave him instructions on how to sign them.  My role was simply to notarize the documents that needed notarization.

I called the signing company and let them know the problem. I waited several minutes. Finally the borrower called me and gave me the access code.

Notary signing agents are supposed to follow instructions. But the next time someone instructs me to NOT contact the borrower, I will disobey.  The confirmation call is too critical to simply arrive at the closing unannounced.

One of the keys to success in this business, and almost any other business, is getting repeat business.  If you get called once to do a closing, will that same company call you again? If you did a good job, chances are that they will. That's your goal: to get called again. Repeat business.

If you didn't do a good job, they may not call you again.  It's possible that they will at some time later in the future. As long as you didn't do something that was horrific, like failing to show up at the closing because you got drunk, arrested, and thrown in jail.

However, there's one way to ensure that they will never call you again. You severed ties with them.  You told them that you didn't want to work with them again, and to remove your name from their list of notary signing agents.  You may have been feeling pretty defiant at the moment. You may have been hurt.  You may have felt mistreated. 

Whatever the reason, you created a situation where there is no turning back.

Things are slowing down in the loan signing business.  Notary signing agents are going to find that now, more than ever before, they will have to maintain good relationships with the companies with whom they are working.  Be a little more tolerant. More flexible. Less demanding. Less of a pain in the a$$.

You have a lot of control of your destiny as a notary signing agent.  As long as you maintain those good relationships, there's always the possibility that you will be called again. 

But once you burn a bridge ... you can never go back.

On the front page of the recent NSA Today (Vol. VI, Issue 1, Fall 2007) is the article: Strong Commercial Market May Help NSAs.
 
According to Notary Signing Agent Frank Marcial, the fees for Commercial Real Estate transactions for NSAs can range from $300 to as much as $700. This is considerably more than the fees paid for residential mortgage loan closings. He also says that the signings usually take less time because the parties involved are already well versed on the loan documents and have been advised by legal counsel.

What will it take to get involved in these types of transactions?

According to Debra Erickson, senior commercial escrow officer for First American Title, notary signing agents must be extremely precise and clear.

A couple of the tips that were provided for pursuing commercial real estate business:

• Become certified
• Become familiar with the documents

I have posted a few articles that NSAs may find helpful with regards to those tips:

Becoming familiar with commercial real estate documents:

Commercial Real Estate for Notary Signing Agents

Becoming certified:

How to pass the NNA Certified Notary Signing Agent exam

Good luck

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"Yes, I do.", I replied, without hesitation.

I received a call this morning from a man who needed a notary to notarize a Power of Attorney for his mother who is in one of the hospitals here in Colorado Springs. He asked me if I am a mobile notary. I told him that I am.  He asked me if I worked on Sundays. I told him that I do.

Being available 7 days a week is something that I take for granted.  For the people who need a notary on the weekend, it sometimes comes as a surprise.

It shouldn't.

Life doesn't get put on hold on Saturdays and Sundays.  They are still days on which people need services. Doctors, nurses, policemen, firefighters, and people in many other occupations are working on Sunday.

So why not notaries?

If you are considering adding a wireless router to expand your computer network, and think you'll need to hire a computer expert to do it for you, save your money. It's so simple a child could do it. Perhaps that's not the best example, since children already know more about computers than most adults. But it really is simple.

I bought a Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router (Model No WRT54G) today at OfficeMax. I went with Linksys at the recommendation of the Comcast technician who installed my cable system. And also because Linksys is a division of Cisco Systems -- a name that I'm already familiar with. Another reason is that the diagram on the package gave an indication of just how simple it would be to set it up.

The first thing you do is insert the setup CD into your computer. The on-screen diagrams show you step by step exactly what to do. You can't make a mistake.

After installing the power cord, you connect your modem (white cord) to the wireless router. Then connect the wireless router (blue cord) to your computer. The software does the rest. Just sit back.

There are a few decisions it will ask you to make, such as how secure do you want your network. I chose to have high security so that I'm not worried about someone outside tapping in to my network. It will automatically generate an encryption key, so that if anyone wants to use your wireless network, they will have to know the 24-digit encryption key. In my business as a notary signing agent, I have to not only safeguard my information, but also safeguard the information that I receive from the title companies with whom I work.

Once the setup is completed the software will test your internet connection. That's it.

The next step was adding my laptop computer to the wireless network. This too was very simple. Just click on the 'Actions' tab:

I had a choice of either transferring the wireless configuration information using a cord from the main computer to the laptop, or with the use of a USB flash drive. I chose to use the flash drive. It seemed simpler. And it was. The diagrams show you exactly what to do. Just plug the flash drive into the main computer. The wireless network program gets copied to the flash drive. Then remove the flash drive and plug it into the USB port on the laptop computer. Click on the program that was installed on the flash drive. It transfers all of the information from the main computer to the laptop computer. Voila. The laptop computer has a wireless connection to the internet.

I also configured my Palm T|X so that I can access the internet using the wireless router. I was even able to log on to ActiveRain from my PDA.

It seems that there is no limit to the number of computers that can be connected to it -- either wireless or with the use of a cable.

So that's it. Setting up a wireless network is so simple, it's child's play.

Good luck.

That's the situation I found myself in today.  I called the borrower to confirm the appointment for his closing tomorrow. He told me that another notary signing agent made a similar confirmation call to him. 

There's obviously a mistake.  Both of us can't show up tomorrow. One of us has to be taken off the assignment.  I called the title company. There was a mistake.  I don't know the details. I was simply told that I will do the closing.

It doesn't make me feel good.

It's not that I don't want to do the closing. I do.  I feel bad that there was such a mix up. How could it have happened?  The borrower finds himself in the middle of all of this. 

I mostly feel bad for the other notary signing agent.  He is going to get a call telling him that there was a mistake, and that he won't be doing the closing. 

How do you explain a mistake like that?  It's the kind of mistake that should never happen.

Colorado notary law is very specific about the official signature of a notary public. There can be no deviation.  In addition to the notary seal, and official notary signature, the notary must include the expiration date of their commission.  Even that must be worded properly.  According to Colorado Revised Statutes 12-55-112 (3) (Source: LexisNexis(TM)):

This is how it should appear on a document:

However, in the closing documents for a closing that I'm doing today, I noticed this wording in the notary certificate:

It seems like a small thing.  One word. Why not just write the commission expiration date beside it?  Because it doesn't conform to Colorado notary law.

Instead of writing my commission expiration date beside it, I left it blank and wrote out the words: "My commission expires ..." in a different location. There are perhaps other ways to correct it, but the wording must be specific -- no deviations.

If you want to achieve the CNSA (Certified Notary Signing Agent) designation, certified by the National Notary Association, you will have to pass an exam and pass a background screening. The exam is designed to test your knowledge of mortgage loan closing procedures, general notary laws, and your state's notary laws and procedures.  It's a 3-part exam. It consists of true or false and multiple choice questions. You have to score at least 80% on each of the three parts in order to pass the exam.

For the first two parts, it helps if you have the book Notary Signing Agent Certification Course, since the test is based on the material in that book. The book is divided into three parts. Here is a brief outline:

Part I: Notary Public Principles and Practice
- The Notary's Role
- Screening the Signer
- The Notary Journal
- Performing Notarial Acts
- Notary Liability

Part II: Notary Signing Agent Principles and Practice
- The Notary Signing Agent's Role
- Preparing for Loan Signings
- Presenting Loan Documents
- Processing the Signing Papers

Part III: Appendices
- Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility
- Practice Certification Examination
- Questions for Further Learning

This outline is based on the edition that I have (2nd Edition).  There is a more current edition with an additional chapter. You can download the chapter from the NNA website if you don't have it.

For the section on your state's notary laws, it helps if you have the Notary Law Primer for your state.

You can also find the notary laws for your particular state on the National Notary Association website. Go to the Notary Signing Agent Section. Click on 'State Law Summaries'.

From there you will be taken to a page that has a map of the United States.

Click on a state to get a PDF file of the notary laws for that state.

While you are in the NNA Notary Signing Agent Section, there is a lot that you can learn by reading the articles in the 'Signing Agent News' section. Just click on 'Signing Agent News'. You may also want to spend some time reading the 'NSA Now eNewsletter.' There are currently 81 issues online. That's a lot of information about the notary signing agent profession that will help you to learn and become a more professional notary signing agent.  Also browse through the 'FAQs'.  One of the questions is, 'What is the difference between a closing agent and a Notary Signing Agent', the answer to which is very important:

"Closing agents prepare documents, disburse funds, and coordinate the consummation of a real estate transaction. Notary Signing Agents work for closing agents; they are involved only with the signing and delivery of loan documents. Signing Agents do not draw up documents, disburse funds or provide abstraction of titles. They act mainly as couriers and impartial witnesses for signings."

Read the rest of the questions. The answers to them may also be beneficial to you in passing the CNSA exam, such as: "Which days are considered "business days" for the purpose of calculating the three-day right to rescission date on the "Notice of Right to Cancel" document?"

After you pass the exam you will receive a certificate in the mail, and you will be entitled to use the CNSA designation. You will also be eligible to order the CNSA lapel pin, business cards with the CNSA logo, and other items.

My personal thoughts on certification: get experience first.

It is possible to pass the exam without ever having done a loan closing, and without ever having seen a loan document. There are Certified Notary Signing Agents who can attest to that.  They took a seminar to become a Notary Signing Agent, and then took the exam to become certified.  They have a theoretical knowledge of loan signings, but no hands-on knowledge.  My advice is to first get experience doing loan closings. Then take the exam. How much experience?  That's hard to say. It depends on the types of closing assignments, the closing situations you have been in, and more. 

You will find that the questions on the exam are more relevant to you if you have experience.  And you will have a greater sense of pride and satisfaction when you achieve the Certified Notary Signing Agent (CNSA) designation, if you have experience.

So now that you know what it entails, I hope that you pass the exam.

Good luck.

"Expanding horizons through the power of one-to-one friendships."

That is the motto of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization -- the oldest, largest and most effective youth mentoring organization in the United States.

What has that got to do with notary signing agents?

The roles are very similar. The role of the notary signing agent mentor is not to "teach" or to "train". A mentor doesn't pick up where the signing agent's training left off.  It's unfortunate that many notary signing agents believe that a mentor is someone who is responsible for "training" another notary signing agent.  I say unfortunate, because they are missing the true meaning of what the role is of a mentor.

Being a notary signing agent mentor -- just like being a Big Brother or Big Sister -- is giving unselfishly of your time to form a one-to-one relationship with a notary signing agent.

a positive role model

One of the primary purposes of being a notary signing agent mentor is to be a positive role model.  It's a big responsibility.  A notary signing agent mentor is like a beacon -- a guiding light to another notary signing agent.

a relationship

You will be a 'kindred spirit' to another notary signing agent -- someone who cares.  You are the person they can turn to when they need someone to talk to -- someone who will understand what it's like being a notary signing agent.  No matter how much a notary signing agent knows, and no matter how well-trained they are -- it's good to have someone to talk to -- someone who will give them feedback.

In the words of Oprah Winfrey on the role of a mentor:

"A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. A mentor is someone who allows you to know that no matter how dark the night, in the morning joy will come. A mentor is someone who allows you to see the higher part of yourself when sometimes it becomes hidden to your own view.

I think mentors are important and I don't think anybody makes it in the world without some form of mentorship. Nobody makes it alone. Nobody has made it alone. And we are all mentors to people even when we don't know it." - Oprah Winfrey

Being a notary signing agent mentor does not mean that you are aiding and abetting "the enemy".  You are aiding and abetting a friend.

"Nobody makes it alone."

And if you believe that you can make it alone ...

Good luck.