Hi: To answer your question, I left numerous messages with the owner of the company, Cynthia Levesque, and also checked with the lender to make sure the loan had closed. This letter (an edited copy of one previously posted here) seemed to do the trick. I assessed a $25 late charge, and insisted that payment be made by overnight courier, or else face legal action. I sent Cynthia this letter, demanding payment within 24 hours (this was after 4 months of collection efforts), before sending it to the California Sec'y of State.
Good luck, and stay away from these clowns!
ATTN: California Secretary of State
Fax: 916-653-9580
From: My Name, Notary Public, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Re: Complaint – Possible Fraud
Pages: 2
CC:
State of California Banking Commission
Cynthia Leveque, Owner, Millennium Signing and Express Services
Land America Financial Group
National Notary Association
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Attorney General
To Whom It May Concern:
The purpose of this fax is to bring to your attention a potential fraud perpetuated against me by a loan signing service based out of Corona, CA.
In my capacity as a Notary Public in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I was contacted by Vanessa at Millennium Signing and Express Services 1307 W. 6th Street Suite 105, Corona CA 92882 (tel: 800-510-7509), on August 8, 2003 to complete a refinance on August 13, 2003 for Land America Financial Group, Inc. Order # XXXXXXXX.
I completed the work assignment as agreed, and invoiced the company per stated instructions. The fee to be paid to me for these services was a total of $50.00, for which payment has not been made. As the invoice is well over 90 days past due, total payment due is now $75.00.
Furthermore a telephone call to Ginny at LandAmerica Financial Group--One Stop (tel: 555-555-5555), the company on whose behalf Millennium was engaged, has confirmed that the loan in question, Loan # VT 1234567 has been closed, and full payment has already been made to Millennium Signing and Express Services.
It is my understanding that, according to federal and state laws, the funds and disbursements incurred by the borrower must be paid.
To date, after numerous phone calls, faxes, multiple dishonest statements purporting that payment will be made, as well as fictitious overnight courier tracking numbers, I still have not received payment from Millennium Signing and Express Services for this signing.
I am aware that your office is not a collection agency. I will, in fact, be turning over to an independent agency the matter of collection.
Rather, the purpose of this fax is to satisfy the question raised in my mind after reading numerous messages on Notary Public message boards, indicating that nonpayment from Millennium Signing and Express Services is a chronic problem. It would appear that Millennium Signing and Express Services, a California company, regularly contracts Notaries Public throughout the US to complete refinance loan document signings and then refuses to make contractually agreed upon payments. This claim is corroborated by the company’s “unfavorable” rating by the Better Business Bureau.
The fact that “Notary Fee” appears on the HUD statement, indicating that the borrower was charged the fee, yet the fee was never disbursed, appears to me to be a violation of banking/notary public law within the state where they conduct business, as well as a violation of banking law with respect to Land America Financial Group, the company which hired them.
It is my hope that your agency will investigate the legitimacy of Millennium Signing and Express Services, to determine if there is in fact a pattern of fraud perpetuated upon Notaries Public, and/or borrowers, in the charging of fees without intention of paying fees, and that you will take the appropriate action.
Together with formal third-party collection, it is my intention to initiate an action in small claims court. In addition, I will bring this matter to the attention of the National Notary Association, Attorney General’s Office of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Southland Better Business Bureau, as well as other appropriate consumer protection agencies.
Please feel free to contact me directly at 555-555-5555 with any further questions. I will be more than happy to provide you with any documentation that you may require, including statements from Land America and fax confirmation of invoices sent to Millennium Signing and Express Services.
Thank you and best regards,
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