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cnaylor
California
32 Posts |
 Posted - 05/31/2008 : 6:30:19 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by jbelmont
I am actually in the process of creating a plan to screen signing services. This plan will be high tech and involve cooperation from the notaries. My plan will not be implemented until 2008. You can find out the details sometime during 2008. Sorry that I can't say anything now, but I want everyone to know that I am working on something that will help protect the notaries from bad companies that don't pay.
Jeremy,
Were closing in on the half way mark.... whats the current status on this?
Craig/CA |
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n/a
114 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2008 : 07:40:01 AM
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Every little bit you can do to distinguish yourself from your competition places you on a higher rung in life. Certifications, without more, does not guarantee the expertise of the individual; however, if I am purchasing light bulbs and one is UL approved and one is not, all other things being equal, I will select UL first.
Burton F. |
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crtowles
California
553 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2008 : 1:59:22 PM
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Well I couldn't have said it better myself AZSigner. Thank You! I make sure everyone that calls into 123notary knows this. It really makes a big difference. I had a couple call in yesterday and they said that they have not received a call in 2 months (which is when they placed their names on the directory) but their friends that were below them had received numerous calls; they could not understand it. When I went to review their listing and their position; even though they were in 5th place they were not certified and their were no notes/information in their profile. I assured them that if they get certified and fix up the listing with notes/more information they would get more calls. Listen up people; they DO READ the profiles. The majority of folks will skip over you if you are not certified. Since the mass of title, escrow, etc are looking here to find their notaries it would behoove everyone of you to be certified by 123. To not do so is destroying your changes of success. Its cheap and for some it is even free. So there is no excuse.
~Carmen |
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AZSigner
Arizona
93 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2008 : 06:50:49 AM
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In my experience, whether or not it's worth getting certified depends on which "certification entity" you're talking about. Certification from 123 is DEFINITELY worth it - no question about it in my opinion. So many companies search for signing agents using 123 so your listing here gets a lot of exposure. When I first joined 123 I was not certified for the first six months and I got maybe one or two calls per month in my area. The very month I got certified, I got noticeably higher call volumes immediately (10-15 calls per month). Someone else wrote something in another discussion topic here about how some lenders/mortgages completely skim over non-certified notaries in favor of certified ones. I believe it.
Certification by the NNA on the other hand is a waste of time and money in my opinion. I paid about $150 for the NNA certification package/test over four years ago, which I passed, but I ask every lender, title, and signing company who calls me where they found me and so far none of them have said "from the NNA/NSA certified database," compared to most of them who say "I saw your listing on 123Notary." Only two of the 50+ signing companies I've signed up with have asked me if I am certified by the NNA. I mark "yes" and fax over my NNA certification which expired in 2006. They've never said anything and they still call me. Needless to say, I will not be spending the $100 to renew my NNA certification because I might as well flush it down the.....well you get the idea.
My advice: just get certified by 123Notary. If you want to look a little better to the whopping two or three signing companies who ask about NNA certification, then by all means go ahead and get it once, but don't bother wasting the money to renew it every two years. |
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dfye@mcttelecom.com
New Hampshire
681 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2007 : 06:25:19 AM
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While certification helps, it still is not a necessity in this industry. 123 notary offered me an incentive to certify so I did. Either way, I was still receiving calls regardless. I have been in the industry for twelve years and the companies know who I am.
Legal Eagle Para Professional Services |
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marwells
Virginia
26 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2007 : 06:41:56 AM
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Certification has been very important to me, both personally & professionally. I wanted the knowledge & credentials to establish my "professionalism". On the other side of things, NNA is drawing a lot of new notaries that are certified/bcg, but still do not have a clue on what they're doing. As with any field, experience counts.
I think it is great the Jeremy is working on a way to screen signing services. They are often the crooks in the business--talk about no criteria. That is why the ss have developed such a negative rep, and I do work for a lot of great ones. |
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Renee
Michigan
549 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2007 : 02:00:18 AM
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I think the only way to really scrutinize a NSA would be by using the "Secret Shopper" kind of thing, or at least some form of live & in-person 'pseudo-signing' even with the NSA's awareness. The logistical headache is obvious, but if anyone really WANTED I'm sure some means could be figured out.
This would provide some kind of snippit into not only the person's technical knowledge, but also their delivery and presentation. It could begin with the scheduling, include a little stress on the pkg being e-mailed a little late ... a real accurate picture BOTH ways, to really see how a person manages with the full scope of the job description.
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jbelmont
California
3106 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2007 : 09:10:27 AM
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| I am actually in the process of creating a plan to screen signing services. This plan will be high tech and involve cooperation from the notaries. My plan will not be implemented until 2008. You can find out the details sometime during 2008. Sorry that I can't say anything now, but I want everyone to know that I am working on something that will help protect the notaries from bad companies that don't pay. |
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jlissem
New Jersey
139 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2007 : 12:22:34 AM
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How about a meathod to screen "Signing Services" so that Notaries
can screem THEM. In N.J., lenders, mortgage brokers,real estate agents,title companies and Notaries are regulated .
ANYBODY with absolutly no qualifications and who does not even have to be a Notary can call themselves a "Signing Service".
They can set up a LLC for a few hundred, job out signings to Notaries not pay them and go out of busines. They then can open up a new S/S atc. etc.
This is a perfect set up for scam artistists |
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jbelmont
California
3106 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2007 : 6:18:39 PM
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| Perhaps there are other methods that could be used to prove a person's competence too. In the airline education business, new pilots have to document flight hours. If we could document the number of signings done and the accuracy rate on those signings, that would be a very important statistic that those hiring notaries could use to screen their potential new notaries. |
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LindaH
Florida
1754 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2007 : 06:21:11 AM
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You said "Certification doesn't prove that you are a specialist or expert, but it proves that you have a basic knowledge of the documents and procedures which is better than nothing."
That's sort of what I was getting at when I said it's a safety cushion for hiring parties...they have an indication the NSA has done SOMETHING to educate themselves in the loan doc process...not just someone with a new commission, a new seal and a lot of energy. As I posted, it shows "this particular notary has been pre-screened in multiple ways as to their knowledge of basic notary AND signing agent procedure.
Linda
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jbelmont
California
3106 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2007 : 05:17:05 AM
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| Certification is not the single most important standard. But, it is one factor of many. It is a way to prove that you have the discipline and knowledge to pass a test that 70% of the others didn't bother with or couldn't pass. Certification doesn't prove that you are a specialist or expert, but it proves that you have a basic knowledge of the documents and procedures which is better than nothing. |
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LindaH
Florida
1754 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2007 : 01:19:53 AM
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I don't feel certification should be the single most important standard by which a Signing Agent is contracted. IMO experience is a far greater teacher than any 15-20 minute online open book test. That being said, I believe certification through various venues gives the hiring entity who reviews the profile the assurance that this particular notary has been pre-screened in multiple ways as to their knowledge of basic notary AND signing agent procedure. It is a safety cushion for the hiring entity.
Linda
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jbelmont
California
3106 Posts |
Posted - 09/18/2007 : 5:15:19 PM
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| Why is it beneficial to get certified by more than one notary agency ( such as ours and NNA, etc. )? There could be many possible answers or arguments regarding this question. |
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Dear Signing Agents,
Question 3 - Why get certified?
1 person liked this post.