Posted by sinthetiq on 6/17/06 6:36pm
Msg #126584

NNA/NSA Certification Course, Certification, & Membership?

I am a Notary Public, and member of the NNA. However, I have not had any training. Has anyone had any experience with the NNA/NSA Certification course? Is this worthwhile?

Thanks.

Reply by Anonymous on 6/17/06 6:47pm
Msg #126585

I am also a member as well as a couple other organizations. My certification is not through them. I did not even complete training until after I started signing. The one that I completed really did not teach me anything. I was not pleased. Mississippi does not require any training

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 6/17/06 6:56pm
Msg #126587

No, it isn't worthwhile. The BEST route is to join the Signing Registry, get their Training Guide and be registered with them. (It is also less expensive than the NNA)

Reply by BrendaTx on 6/17/06 7:34pm
Msg #126593

Re: NNA/NSA Certification- What Sylvia said! n/m

Reply by cmd_NH on 6/17/06 8:44pm
Msg #126598

Ditto to Sylvia's response....

SR Training Manual is the BEST!

Reply by Raimond on 6/17/06 11:46pm
Msg #126606

Re: NNA/NSA Certification Course, Certification, & Membershi

You will be able to determine by the time your year is up with the NNA if you wish to renew.

They have many one year memberships, including mine.

Get the SR manual and study it...... read the posts here and use the search button.

Where are you located?

Reply by Pamela on 6/18/06 1:34am
Msg #126611

sinthetiq,Certification Course, Certification, & Membership?

sinthetiq,

I took the NNA certificate course online. I like it. Also, some of the signing companies will ask you (on their application or by telephone), if you are NNA certified! What I dislike is that you have to retake the test every two years to remain NNA certified!

However, I am also a member of the Signing Registry! EXCELLENT! The registry also has assigned mentors! If you want to jump start your career and really know the ins and outs of the business, join the Signing Registry! Buy the training manual ( A thorough step-by-step guide!)!

For instance, I had a problem with a signing company (late, last minute e-docs, lender cancelling and re-scheduling appointments). Called my mentor. She IMMEDIATELY instructed me what to do! With her "know how", I earned twice the money I had originally agreed to!

Just W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L! Please go to the Signing Registry website and READ!

If you must make a choice, it's the Signing Registry hands-down!

Kathy Poston, (the owner of the Registry) is Very Professional, Knowledgeable and Patience!


Pam

Reply by LynnNC on 6/18/06 6:39am
Msg #126622

I believe that it is worth being certified by NNA, as being certified by them is recognized by most companies and being listed as a certified signing agent on their website has been a good source of business for me.

Many on this board recommend the Signing Registry, which is a very good course, but it is not as recognized by a large number of companies as a source of certification.

Another good course has the numbers 123 and followed by the word Notary and being registered on their website is also a good source of business.

Reply by Pamela on 6/18/06 12:07pm
Msg #126659

LynnNC

Lynn,

This year, I have registered with approximately 150 companies (so far)! About a quarter of them asked if I was NNA certified (for which I am). However, if I had to choose between the NNA and the Signing Registry, I would choose the Signing Registry.

Reason being. I would rather be thoroughly trained, have access to a First-rate mentor, and have a reliable handbook to guide me through the "real world" of loan signings!

The NNA is good, as it is a political powerhouse in its membership numbers! And yes, they have very good reference material too. However, the professional and one-on-one "guidance" (which makes all the difference) isn't there!

A "newbie" can be NNA Certified and still do not know what to do once that signing package comes! The Signing Registry's handbook will literally instruct a person on what to do! And when (not "if" an emergency comes-up, there will be a knowledgeable mentor available to help at all times!

The Signing Registry's Mentorship program, unlike the NNA, will assign a "newbie" his or her own personal Mentor!

For example, when the NNA is telephoned, a customer sevice representative will ask all the indentifying questions ("Please give me your memebrship number, address and phone number". After replying, the person on the other end will ask "How may I help you". You state that you have a notarial question. He or she may try to answer it, depending upon the severity of the question. If he or she does not know the answer, your call will be transfered to the notary section ( "Hold on please...I'll now transfer you to the notary section" or "Hold on please, the line is busy..."

Once in the notary section, you will again have to repeat your membership number, name, address, city, state and telephone number! Again, if the question is too hard, the response will be "I'll try and find the answer for you. . .hold on please"...)! Also, try to limit the question to one or two as they are "busy" and cannot "give too much time to one individual"!

And of course, if you are on "hold" at 4:48pm and the NNA closes at 5:00pm (which it does), you will soon hear "Please call back during normal business hours 6:00 am to 5:00pm, Monday-Friday"!

Now this is only for a notarial question! If you have a signing question, you have to begin all over again, so that you can be transfered to the signing agent's section!

However, if there is a notarial or loan signing question (or questions) and the Signing Registry mentor is called (on his or her direct telephone line) at 6:35 pm on a Saturday, the scenario goes something like:

Mentor: "Hello this is Ann!" "
Pam: "Hi Ann, this is Pam!"
Mentor: "Oh Hi Pam, How are you doing!"
Pam: "I'm doing fine Ann. And How are you?"
Mentor: "I'm fine"
Pam: "Ann, I have a few questions on this loan package. . .!"
Mentor: "Sure Pam!"


Again, the Signing Registry is my FIRST choice!

Pam

Reply by LynnNC on 6/18/06 5:33pm
Msg #126727

Re: LynnNC

I also believe that the Signing Registry is great, although the mentor program did not work for me. My point was, that NNA training and membership has it's benefits - I know of many companies who have found my name on NSA and none have, to my knowledge, on TSR.

Myself, I am certified by The Signing Registry, NNA and the website where Notary is preceded by 123 (Why is it, that website cannot be written on this board???). I know that Kathy Poston is well-respected and her course is the one most often mentioned as the best for certification, I found to the practical application sections in the 123 (Notary) course to be very valuable.

Reply by PAW on 6/18/06 6:51pm
Msg #126738

Re: LynnNC

In the over 6 years that I've been doing this, I have only been asked if I were "NNA" certified by two different signing companies. Usually, they simply ask if you are certified, without a brand or organization qualification.

The SR certification, impo, is much superior to the NNA certification if for no other reason than there is a requirement for some field experience. The SR training is (afaik) more complete and definitely less expensive, than the NNA's training course, if you can even get it.

As for getting assignments, the NNA Signing Agent section (an additional membership cost) does get some responses, most from signing services which is a great way to start. The Signing Registry (also a membership cost) is not a "job placement" service, per se, so chances are you wouldn't be "found" on the SR. However, many SR members refer work to other SR members.

Reply by Pamela on 6/18/06 12:11pm
Msg #126660

LynnNC II

Lynn,

I do not know why all the "happy faces" came-up in the previous message!

Pam

Reply by LawrenceOK on 6/18/06 10:48am
Msg #126645

Many of us have our reasons for not promoting the NNA. Some of us (maybe most) on this and other boards agree that the NNA has totally abandoned the principals of it's founders. They have flooded many states with NSA's that don't have a clue what it is to be a Notary Public, much less a Notary Signing Agent.

I have had many a company ask me if I was certified with the NNA, and I have politely told them what I think of that particular certification course. If my 33 years experience is not certification enough for them, then I neither need nor want to work with them.

Take Sylvia's advice and don't waste your money with the NNA. jmo

Reply by Missy_Lulu on 6/18/06 9:43pm
Msg #126754

I have ordered the SR training material since everyone speaks so highly of it. I became NNA certified when I first started. Kelly Robertson that posts on notrot is a trainer also. I'm not familiar with her products or SR so can't give an opinion at this point. Kelly's website is LoanSigner101. I think she is hooked up somehow with the NotaryClasses website also.