MORE RESOURCES
LOOKING FOR INFO ON OBTAINING YOUR NOTARY SIGNING AGENT BOND AND E&O INSURANCE IN WASHINGTON?
Contact Rebecca Jacobs at ANS of Washington: http://www.ansofwa.com/
ATTORNEY & NOTARY SUPPLY, INC.
200 Mill Ave S., Ste 410
Renton, WA 98057
(425) 271-6353 | (800) 572-1689
Other sample loan documents can be found online on many mortgage, banking/finance websites, and government websites. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in particular offer examples you may find helpful as you practice handling loan documents as a Notary Signing Agent.
CFPB: https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_buying-a-house_closing-forms_guide.pdf
HUD: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/model_documents
Check out this old NNA article on signing agent prices: "The Truth About Notary Signing Agent Fee Discussions"
(Reading the comments section of NNA's articles can be helpful too)
Ignorance of the law is no defense. We are all responsible for understanding and following the laws and rules of our profession:
Get email updates from the DOL Notaries ListServ:
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Chapter 42.45 RCW ~ REVISED UNIFORM LAW ON NOTARIAL ACTS: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=42.45&full=true
Chapter 308-30 WAC ~ NOTARIES PUBLIC:
https://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=308-30
Chapter 18.235 RCW
UNIFORM REGULATION OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS ACT https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=18.235
RCW 18.235.130
Unprofessional conduct—Acts or conditions that constitute.
http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=18.235.130
These laws also pertain to Notary Signing Agents in loan signings:
- The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires financial institutions – companies that offer consumers financial products or services like loans, financial or investment advice, or insurance – to explain their information-sharing practices to their customers and to safeguard sensitive data.
- The Truth in Lending Act (TILA) protects borrowers against inaccurate and unfair credit billing and credit card practices. It requires lenders to provide you with loan cost information so that you can comparison shop for certain types of loans.
- The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) provides consumers with improved disclosures of settlement costs and to reduce the costs of closing by the elimination of referral fees and kickbacks.
- TILA/RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) simplifies the information by combining four forms into two easy-to-understand documents: the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure. WATCH A VIDEO ON TRID: https://www.bancserv.net/fntg/TRIDTraining/ClosingDisclosureSigningAgents.htm
- FACTA (Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act) is an amendment to FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) that was added, primarily, to protect consumers from identity theft. The Act stipulates requirements for Information privacy, accuracy and disposal and limits the ways consumer information can be shared.
- Uniting and Strengthening American by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act Form is used to help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities. Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies every customer.
- Uniting and Strengthening American by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act Form is used to help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities. Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies every customer.
- What is PRICE FIXING and why is it illegal? Price fixing is an agreement (written, verbal, or inferred from conduct) among competitors that raises, lowers, or stabilizes prices or competitive terms. Generally, the antitrust laws require that each company establish prices and other terms on its own, without agreeing with a competitor. When consumers make choices about what products and services to buy, they expect that the price has been determined freely on the basis of supply and demand, not by an agreement among competitors. When competitors agree to restrict competition, the result is often higher prices. Accordingly, price fixing is a major concern of government antitrust enforcement. (https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/dealings-competitors/price-fixing) ANTITRUST LAWS PROHIBIT COMPETITORS OF ANY PROFESSION FROM GETTING TOGETHER TO SET OR DISCUSS FEES. WE SHALL ADHERE TO THIS AS WELL IN OUR NSA 101 WORKSHOPS. EXCEPT FOR STATUTORY NOTARY FEES, DISCUSSIONS ABOUT NOTARY SIGNING AGENT FEES ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Disciplinary actions of Notaries in Washington:
https://www.dol.wa.gov/business/disciplinary/disciplinarynotary.html
NOTARY FRAUD IN THE NEWS:
Utah man dead in wife’s freezer for a decade left a [notarized] note saying she wasn’t the killer: https://www.theolympian.com/news/nation-world/national/article238473868.html
Sinclair woman facing 80 years in prison for forgery:
Hawaii Corruption Trial Focuses On Alleged Fake Notary:
https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/hawaii-corruption-trial-focuses-alleged-fake-notary#stream/0
Notary public charged with forgery after businessman discovers suspicious activity:
Notary pleads guilty to fraud, St. Pete man claims his house was stolen:
Grandmother charged with forging custody documents in Pike Co. massacre returns to court:
Men who bilked immigrants get prison time " worst case of 'Notario' (notary) fraud this state has ever seen":
https://mailtribune.com/news/crime-courts-emergencies/men-who-bilked-immigrants-get-prison-time
Scam artists target immigrant communities, promising legal status for cash:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-immigration-notary-fraud-met-20170529-story.html
Warrensburg lawyer pleads guilty in fraud case involving deceased woman's home ...lawyer was arrested and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor fraud charge for notarizing a document when he didn’t witness the signatures on it:
Before you accept an assignment, make sure you are covered as a NOTARY SIGNING AGENT (800) 572-1689