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Notary News

Why You Need Both Online Notaries and Mobile Notaries

As the world appears to be heading more to remote notarizations, you may ask why you need both Online Notaries and Mobile Notaries? Don’t you wish you could just choose one and run with it?

In a quickly changing landscape it is understandable.

But, there are quite a few reasons that is not going to happen. And you need to understand the how’s and why’s that will affect your business. Or, why it does not have to be a big deal, because you have a partner at your side who will take that off of your plate. And let you focus on your core business.

Because, at the end of the day, we all want to focus on our core business, the part that drives the most revenue. And have a partner who can still give you a positive return on investment.

Not All Signings Will Be Remote

The laws are quickly changing, but some things will remain the same. At the end of the day, even once remote signings become more prevalent, some signings will still need to be done in person. You have attorney states, as well as certain types of signings, like living wills and wills, that will have to be done in person.

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Notarizing Someone’s Blood

We’ve seen some strange individual signings, but our tales of the bizarre has a new story. One of which a notary had to notarize someone’s blood for authenticity.

Wait, Did You Say Notarizing Someone’s Blood

This is already the talk of the skate board industry. Skating legend Tony Hawk had blood removed so it can be added to paint. The paint would be used on a limited line of skateboards.

We’re not talking about mortgage or title. The integrity of blood is on the line.

Those skateboards would then be sold at a high price to collectors of skateboards, as well as fans of bloody things.

We imagine the conversation went like this:

  1. Collect blood
  2. Mix blood into paint
  3. Paint neat designs with said blood.
  4. ???????
  5. PROFIT!

And at the end of the day, they needed a notary to certify the blood was authentic, and not some blood from someone pretending to be Tony Hawk.

But the real question is:

Did the notary ask for Tony’s signature in blood for their kid’s wall? We kid, we kid.

Notarizing Someone's Blood

It is All for a Good Cause

If we can get serious for a moment.

This limited edition of one hundred skateboards helps a couple of charities, not the new vampire skateboarding team.

Ordered by bottled water company Liquid Death, proceeds will go to 5 Gyres, as well as Tony’s personal charity, The Skateboard Project.

100 of the fully notarized and bloody skateboards will be sold for $500 apiece.

And that is the story of person who was notarizing someone’s blood.

Sunshine Signing Service

Your Nationwide Notary Signing Service

Increase your efficiency and bottom line with Sunshine’s Mobile Notary Services and Online Notary Services. Sunshine is always there when you need us.

Or Call us at (727) 817-0000

Notary Fees are Decreased in Mississippi

In a defeat to static notaries, Mississippi has passed a bill to lower notary fees in Mississippi.

The changes essentially make the maximum amount that can be charged for a signing to five dollars. That is five dollars a signature for documents notarized.

This may be a blow to storefront notaries, as the benefit of offering notarizations may have decreased as a different loss leader may offer more value.

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Remote Notarizations in New York Expired

We’ve talked quite a bit about temporary rules, and the temp rules for remote notarizations expired in New York.

Lost in the shuffle of the return to our national holiday, the rules allowing remote notarizations in the state of New York expired. All notaries in the state were alerted before the expiration started, but new rules are yet to be issued.

How We Got Here

Governor Cuomo signed an executive order in March of 2020 implementing emergency rules for remote notarization, as well as a slew of other things. All of these were stated to end in July 2021.

The order included things like remote notarization, travel restrictions, a state of emergency, among others. All of those have been rolled back, but only a few, like using online notaries are stuck in limbo. A couple of other orders have already been extended, including paid leave rules.

What is up Next for Remote Notarizations in New York

Remote Notarization Rules in New York Expire

A bill has already been presented to the state Senate, where it has already passed committee. It is expected to be passed through the legislature and signed by the governor, but the exact timeline on that is unknown.

What is known is it will pass. What, if any, changes to the original order remain to be seen, as the bill could still go through some negotiations.

As we move forward it is important to stay on top of things. Expiring rules, new rules, updated rules are all coming, and they will be hard to keep track of.

States, Counties, Online Notarizations and Complications

New complications are as states move to go forward with online signings.

As states move to approve their versions of RON signings, it has come up across the country where specific county or local laws prohibit things like the way recordings are legally performed. This is now leading to a move to get specific counties to jump on board.

But, that is easier said than done, and certain states could have ongoing issues.

There are still limitations to the usefulness of RON, and it remains to be seen if these limitations will recede over time. While all counties in Oregon now accept electronic recording of documents notarized by the traditional in-person method, not all counties accept documents notarized by RON.

JD Supra

A Tad Bit Confusing

Maybe more than a tad.

The variety of laws regarding online signings and the variety of hurdles remain significant. While there is no doubt what direction we are headed in, the path to the destination may seem like the Wonderful Wizard of RON.

As we continue to travel the maze, we would recommend you get any training and/or licensing you need. You will need.

How Can You Avoid a Potentially Invalid Signing

Complications for Online Signings

To be honest, there is probably no perfect solution.

But, work with your clients, the ones who do business there. They cannot operate if the signing is invalid, so they are quite invested in the situation.

You can try to check by using a search engine, but that may be futile. Even if you find what you are looking for, does not mean you understand it.

But, we would recommend to know your area. Even if that means calling or going personally to ask. It may not be the core of your business, but it sure would seem that you know your business if and when it comes up. And if you are properly networking in the community, it will come up sooner or later.

Imagine being able to step in and rectify a problem before it starts. Now that kind of expertise and customer service will go a long way into making you their go to notary.

Sunshine Signing Service

Your Nationwide Notary Signing Service

Increase your efficiency and bottom line with Sunshine’s Mobile Notary Services and Online Notary Services. Sunshine is always there when you need us.

Or Call us at (727) 817-0000

Make Sure to Notarize as You Go

Sometimes we all need a reminder, but make sure you notarize as you go.

Make sure you have all of your I’s dotted and your T’s crossed before you go to a signing.

Stamp on Site

Remember, as they always say the customer comes first, but in reality, the law comes first. Not having everything you need for a signing can make you afoul of the law.

We’ve been made aware of too many notaries who are not notarizing on the go.

You cannot wait until you get home to stamp a document!

Not only is this just plainly unprofessional, it leads to a host of problems for the notary, including the fact it is illegal.

Additional Issues Arise for Those Who Don’t Notarize as They Go

Time and money. Two of the things most of us cherish.

But, if we don’t notarize as we go, we lose both.

Not only do we lose the time of having to go back to make the signing legal, we also have to waste the time of our signers, who are probably not going to be happy about it. And they will and do complain about it.

Stop and Notarize on the Go

Time is money you could have used to perform another signing or a myriad of other things that are more important to you than fixing a signing.

And that same time is money as well, for our signers.

Error Rate Rises

To be the best, you have to do the best while making your signers feel comfortable and happy.

We’ve talked about how to be a go to notary before, and getting our signings right the first time is a big step in the right direction. It will even help you make more money.

Let’s face it. If your error rate goes up, the confidence your clients have in you wanes. Whether they are private clients, or a signing service such as ourselves, it moves you down the list of notaries they want to use.

Bad signings reflect badly on you, and will make your partners less likely to work with you in the future.

The Deadly Trifecta

Okay, this grew. I don’t know the gambling term for five.

Some things we never want:

  • Wasted Time
  • Wasted Money
  • Wasted Effort
  • Increased Error Rate
  • A Lack of Faith from our Clients

So, please, don’t wait until you get home. Get your signings right and notarize on the go.

Sunshine Signing Service

Your Nationwide Notary Signing Service

Increase your efficiency and bottom line with Sunshine’s Mobile Notary Services and Online Notary Services. Sunshine is always there when you need us.

Or Call us at (727) 817-0000

Federal Judge Bans Eviction Moratorium

A federal judge in Washington DC struck down the national eviction moratorium across the country on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Fiedrich of the District of Columbia ruled that the CDC does not have the authority to create and enforce a law regarding evictions. In other words, it is outside of their purview.

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lacked the legal authority to impose a national eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling could potentially impact millions of households that have fallen behind on rent.

Fast Company

Challenge Incoming

The Department of Justice has indicated that they plan to appeal the ruling. They have now appealed the ruling. The Biden administration has said that they are reviewing the ruling and considering their options in regard to the ruling.

The Justice Department has asked the judge to put a stay on the ruling while the appeals process plays out. No response has been given on whether or not the stay will be granted. The judge has now temporarily stayed the ruling.

Judge strikes down Eviction Moratorium

The Biden administration has indicated it is attempting to pass a 50 billion dollar relief package for renters and landlords. During the moratorium it was declared that back rent would be owed when the moratorium was lifted, though no good process has been set forward, and industry analysts have indicated it will be very difficult to collect back rent for those who could not afford it, or used their stimulus funds for other expenditures.

State and Local Impact

The federal order will not preempt certain eviction moratoriums at the state and local levels.

But, expect more appeals to be filed in those locales based on this ruling. Though a complete list of local and state regulations regarding the eviction moratorium is outside our purview, one of the states whose moratorium will stand is New York.

The ruling will not affect New York’s laws because they are more stringent than the federal measure, said Sen. Brian Kavanagh, D-Manhattan, who sponsored the moratorium legislation in the Senate. “It doesn’t have any direct effect at all,” he said.

Democrat and Chronicle

The Argument for the Moratorium

Proponents of the eviction moratorium are varied.

Some say that any evictions will make the Covid crisis worse, making the virus easier to spread. They assert that is why the CDC has the authority to enforce the moratorium as it affects public health.

Others assert that during a time of crisis it is unethical to allow evictions. Many of them believe that a rental property is an investment, and that the landlords chose to take that risk.

The more fringe proponents believe that rent is unethical altogether.

The Argument Against the Moratorium

For those who support ending the moratorium, they say that while renters have been provided stimulus, landlords have not. And there have been no provisions enforcing renters to use any of the money from stimulus checks or the expanded unemployment to pay rent.

Some landlords have been hit harder than others. Most have been willing to work with renters to get through the pandemic by updating leases or allowing renters to pay what they can afford. Others have stated they have tenants that are abusing the eviction moratorium altogether, with no plan to pay rent, or use any of the stimulus funds to pay rent.

Regarding the investment argument, landlords have asserted that the moratorium goes beyond simply opening up their risk in investment. They say that if the units are empty, then that is the risk they take in the investment. But, since the renters are allowed to stay in the properties, the landlords are forced to pay additional losses that fall outside of what their investment should entail.

It should be noted that some areas and leases require the landlord to also pay utilities and other costs, and they should not be forced to do so, as many landlords find themselves in the same financial predicament of their renters. Their have been a number of court allowed evictions across the country for abuse of this. In one, tenants ran up $2,000 of utility costs in a single month to spite the landlord.

The Job Market and Unemployment

As the economy has rebounded, many employers are looking for workers. Local business owners we have spoken with say they have job openings they cannot get applicants for.

Others have indicated that the few applicants they have had, have no interest in the job. That they have basically asserted in job interviews they are only doing so to meet unemployment requirements.

While we’ll admit that some of this is anecdotal, the job problem is very real.

The coronavirus pandemic forced many businesses to close their doors and turn away customers and employees, but as many of those businesses and restaurants begin to reopen, they are looking for employees to fill available positions as they keep up with increased demand for their goods and services.

CBS 4, Miami

The Effects for Notaries

This was always going to boil over at some point.

For notaries, better or worse, this will result in a large amount of foreclosures across the country. After those foreclosures will come a lot of property sales, most likely much larger than the amount normally seen.

This can be seen as a financial positive for notaries.

This may be slightly tempered by the drastic increase in the price of properties during the crisis. Some economists have argued that Covid has created a bubble in the housing market. One that may lead to another crash in housing prices.

An earlier end to the moratorium, while still popping the bubble, may do so before it gets too large. Most of us remember in 2007 the bubble was too large and left many homeowners under water, compounding the crisis.

Whatever way you personally feel about this situation, it is something that will have a large effect on the notary industry.

Sunshine Signing Service

Your Nationwide Notary Signing Service

Increase your efficiency and bottom line with Sunshine’s Mobile Notary Services and Online Notary Services. Sunshine is always there when you need us.

Or Call us at (727) 817-0000

The New Notary Rules

We stand again in a revolution, but what are the new notary rules?

  • Are we in the new wild west?
  • Are the bars set today going to be the bars of tomorrow?
  • Will the laws be consistent, or are we going to need to pull our hair out figuring every minute change?
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The New Mobile Office

As times change and mobile notaries look towards a new hybrid model, what does the new mobile office look like? Mobile notaries already know how to do business on the go, so what is needed to maximize efficiency in the online era?

How do we do so under the new notary model?

Much Stays the Same

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Alphonse Karr – French Novelist

We still want to do business on the go, if possible. We all want to maximize our business efficiency, as well as profit. And we all would like to do so with the least amount of hassle.

So where do we start?

We all want to still maximize our gas efficiency by taking several simple steps. And we’d like to keep some semblance of a mobile office.

What’s in the New Mobile Office?

The New Mobile Office

You may not have much of a change at all.

Most of us already have our laptops. Some of us already have vehicles with internet, though you don’t have to have a vehicle with internet as long as you have a recent smart phone. The fact is, most of us already have everything we need.

If your vehicle does not have wi-fi (mine does not), you can set your phone up as a mobile hot spot and connect directly to it. Of course, if it does, you can just connect directly to it.

Keep it Quiet

The biggest issue we may run into if we want to do a remote signing on the go is noise. It won’t do you any good if you are drowned out by traffic, trains, parades or just loud areas.

So the big question will be how you track down quiet areas within the route(s) you would normally take for your business. Hopefully a quiet place you won’t get interrupted in during your signing, be it a security guard or anyone else.

This may even be a place that is only quiet part of the day, but we may be looking at places like:

  • Parks where you have an out of the way area.
  • A quiet portion of a large parking lot, or maybe one at night where security won’t be there to interrupt.
  • A rest area.
  • Where your current mobile signing is. People are used to contractors doing computer work before or after a job.
  • A friend or family’s home.
  • Or anywhere else you can find that is nice and quiet.

New Equipment

With any new venture comes new equipment. A mobile office for online signings may not require much, but there are a few things you may want to look at.

  1. Drop Cloth or Background – If we are in a vehicle, we may not want to advertise it. So we may want to use a drop cloth, or maybe a background that is a little prettier, behind us. Make it look like we are in a closed office, or maybe a beach in Hawaii.
  2. New Light – If you end up doing a signing in the evening, or you surround yourself with a drop cloth, you are probably going to want to look into a light. Vehicle or laptop lights are great, but they tend to not provide that nice bright and even light you would have in an office. With LEDs, lights don’t use up much energy, so you can easily get one or two that will make the mobile office look like a static one.
  3. Noise Cancelling Microphone or Headset – Let’s face it. This goes beyond mobile. Have we ever met any kind of office that is perfectly quiet all the time? Client communication is key. Ideally, we’d like them to understand us, and vice versa, just as well as if we were in person. Even a face to face at Starbucks. So a noise cancelling microphone or headset may be the best way to keep out unwanted noise. Just realize if you are twenty feet from the train tracks it won’t do much help.

Recently we were asked if we really should go mobile for online signings. And the answer was simple.

I may prefer to do a signing in the office, but I prefer money more than that.

Sunshine Signing Service

Your Nationwide Notary Signing Service

Increase your efficiency and bottom line with Sunshine’s Mobile Notary Services and Online Notary Services. Sunshine is always there when you need us.

Or Call us at (727) 817-0000