Posted by Notary/ME on 4/21/10 9:29am
Msg #332678

Nations Direct

So they are still at it. 3 calls this week already. $70 was their highest offer PLUS they want the entire package faxed back. What are they thinking. Is anyone actually doing this? I suggested, nicely, that they up their fees for professional work. The caller said that they get $90 from the Lender to which I replied and you want $20 for a phone call and I get $70 to print 280 pages, travel 80 miles, perform a professional closing, and fax back 140 pages? That just doesn't make sense does it?. I obviously didn't take the job and understand everyone is trying to make a living, but really now. Who is kidding who here? The way I figure, if we take that kind of job, we are paying to do their closing. Not me.

Reply by MW/VA on 4/21/10 9:52am
Msg #332685

This company infuriates me. They undercut everyone to get volumes of work, then pay insulting fees. I've never worked for them & wouldn't. IMO they hurt the entire industry!

Reply by ML/PA on 4/21/10 10:03am
Msg #332688

Part of the problem is that there are many signing agents who accept these fees. I called a title company yesterday who I used to get volume business from and I know they are still busy. I wanted to verify that all my info was current, etc. because I seldom get calls When we got to my fees he looked up the area and informed me that the going rate accepted in my area is $45-75!!!!! As long as people in this industry are willing to accept practically nothing of course these companies will continue to pay that. This business is definately not what it used to be. I'm thrilled when I hear from my premium title companies who call me 1st ,no matter what my fee is.

Reply by Scriba/NM on 4/21/10 5:35pm
Msg #332787

As previously stated, there are "notaries" out there who accept any ridiculous fee that the signing company proposes. That's who Nations Direct loves to work with......someone who will drive forever, print ridiculously huge packages, fax things back and work for practically nothing. I used to work for them in 1999, through 2001 and believe it or not they paid $75 for a signing and $25 for edocs (this was in California). I even went by their offices and met some of the people there in 2000. Later, there was a management shake-up, one family owned two signing services, and they were later merged and then fees started heading downhill as they kept making absurd deals with lenders and title companies to get the loans signed for next to nothing. I finally told them to quit calling, until they get their fees back up to a normal level. As we can all see, this never happened - the part I can't understand is that these so-called notaries can't even see they're getting robbed, and could care less. From what I have seen, there are a great number of them that aren't worth even $45. Very sad.

Reply by Jessica Ward on 4/21/10 10:05am
Msg #332689

I worked for them once when they were desperate. They met my fee of MUCH higher than $90. They called me three times for an eclose to make sure I was using blue pens and three times to make sure I was dating the RTC properly.... but it as a refi on an investment property... with no RTC. I kind of got snarky about that and they still keep calling me about other jobs.

I finally asked why they keep calling me--it's because they don't have any other closers who can work in the morning in my area. Everyone is evening-only. (Sounds like folks who're subsidizing their notary work with another job... )

::ugh::

Reply by ikando on 4/21/10 6:29pm
Msg #332802

It's my opinion that those who are "evening-only" notaries are able to use the printer, paper, fax, etc. of their daytime employer to subsidize their after hours signings. When you have fewer expenses, you make more money...even at $45.