Q.

What is a Notary Public ?

A.

The court defines a notary public as a “public ministerial officer”, an agent for the state, and a witness of notarial writing and signatures. A notary public is an honest, moral and responsible member of our society. They are appointed by the office of the Secretary of State to witness by an official seal and written acknowledgement, or jurat, the signing of documents as well as administer oaths.

Q.

Why are documents notarized ?

A.

To deter fraud. An impartial witness ( the notary ) ensures that the signer of documents are who they say they are and not impostors, the notary make sure that signers have entered into agreements knowingly and willingly.

Q.

Why use a Signing Agent?

A.

Why should your clients take a day off work to come to your office, a loan officers office, a title company, or a bank to sign a set of loan papers? Using a Signing Agent (a Mobile Notary Public who specializes in loan executions to meet with your clients at their convenience will make the transaction much smoother. Call on a Signing Agent who will travel to your clients home, office, or any other location, at the time of your choice or your clients choice to sign their loan papers.

Q.

May any document be notarized?

A.

Yes, must contain:

• Text committing the signer in some way
• An original signature (not a photocopy) of the document signer
• A notarial "certificate" which may appear on the document itself or on an attachment.

The Notary fills in the certificate, signs it, then applies his or her seal to complete the notarization.

Q.

How does a Notary identify a signer?

A.

Generally, the Notary will ask to see a current identification document that has a photograph, physical description and a signature. A driver's license or passport will usually be acceptable. Each signer must either present current photo ID such as drivers license, State ID, or passport issued within the last 5 years; or have two other persons present who will swear to the signer's identity, each of whom has a good current photo ID.