Posted by pjc on 7/11/07 5:28pm
Msg #199449

am I legally bound

to shred docs that I've printed but the signing went south? I have a home shredder and the almost 300 pgs would gag my little machine!

Reply by taxpro on 7/11/07 5:33pm
Msg #199450

I leave it up to the title company. They can pay me $25 to shred them, or I'll Fedex the unsigned package back to them, using their account number of course. Their choice. I would never just put them in the trash.

Reply by TRG_wy on 7/11/07 5:35pm
Msg #199451

I pull all pages out that have SSANs on them and also the 1003 for shreding. The rest are trash. Tried saving them to burn in the fireplace during winter, but they do not burn well.

Reply by thnotary_NY on 7/11/07 5:41pm
Msg #199454

Ask if they want them back, some do some don't. I think if you feed just a few at a time, your shredder can handle it There will be even less if you take the time to sort out the ones that don't have an ss # and maybe even a name, there's a lot of *reading* material in those pagkages.

Reply by Sharon Taylor on 7/11/07 5:58pm
Msg #199459

Not a lawyer, but you are IMHO, also morally bound

Those documents contain tons of sensitive information about the borrowers, everything an identity thief would love to see and use. It is worth investing in a good sturdy home shredder. You need one to shred your own stuff anyway.
Then as others suggested, go through the pile of papers. About half will be "boilerplate" docs that do not have sensitive information on them. Toss or burn those and shred the rest. Or there are places that will shred paperwork for a modest fee - our Mailboxes offer that service. Not sure what they charge as I haven't used them yet, but I'm thinking about it as I had a double loan with over 125 pages in each package cancel after docs were printed but before I left the house, leaving me with some 500 pages to get rid of. And yes the title company paid me for printing them.
I would certainly think a borrower would have a good case against a notary who did not exercise due diligence in protecting and disposing of paperwork containing his/her sensitive information. Even if I were not legally bound, I would most emphatically feel a moral responsiblity!

Reply by NCLisa on 7/11/07 6:28pm
Msg #199464

TC's and attorney's don't shred!

I've worked for a total of 5 TC's and 3 attorney offices, and not one shredded anything at all. It went into trash bags, and into the dumpster behind the building.

I shred docs with SS #'s, but nothing else, as I don't have hours every week to stand in front of the shredder.

Reply by ZeeCA on 7/11/07 6:38pm
Msg #199467

Re: TC's and attorney's don't shred!

every law firm I have worked with has locked shredding bins and than big trucks come w/ shredder and shred on site and a secretary or clerk goes out and watches the whole thing...

Reply by Becca_FL on 7/11/07 6:56pm
Msg #199469

Re: TC's and attorney's don't shred!

Yep. I worked for a TC that just dumped everything in the dumpster out back. >>>scary<<<

About a month ago the news reported that a dumpster in downtown West Palm Beach was filled with hundreds of peoples personal information. As it turns out, the dumped docs came from a out of business mortgage broker's office. So much for GLB.

Reply by BrendaTx on 7/11/07 6:58pm
Msg #199470

Re: TC's and attorney's don't shred!

My office shreds everything. EVERYTHING. Our shredder is huge. The only thing in our trash cans every day at 5:00 is wrappers from whatever we ate. Cans, glass, and plastic bottles are recycled. It's like there's hardly ever any trash! 14 people and our daily garbage is less than one kitchen sized can.

Note to shredder users: The quickest thing to muck up a shredder is a Post It Note.

Reply by Marlene/USNA on 7/12/07 1:11pm
Msg #199581

2nd quickest thing is address labels! n/m

Reply by JanetK_CA on 7/11/07 9:47pm
Msg #199494

Re: Not a lawyer, but you are IMHO, also morally bound

There's probably also a liability issue here. If one of our borrowers becomes a victim of identity theft, wouldn't you want to have an established procedure in place to be able to confirm that you weren't negligent and couldn't have contributed to it? I don't toss out anything that has a name or address on it, let alone a SS#. Most tc offices I've been in have locked shredder bins or a heavy duty paper shredder. (I've been sorting and tossing boiler plate stuff, too.)

Reply by ZeeCA on 7/11/07 6:14pm
Msg #199463

my answer would be... if these were YOUR docs that someone had... how would you want them disposed if the TC said for you to dispose of them?

Reply by Becca_FL on 7/11/07 6:42pm
Msg #199468

I use a shredding service that offers monthly pick up for just $35 per month OR drop off service for .12 per pound with a $30 minimum. I've got four legal sized paper cases full and ready to be dropped off. I usually make a trip to the shred-it depot twice per year. Another nice thing about the service is that I get a signed and sealed certificate stating that the docs were destroyed completely in a secure facility.

Reply by LJ on 7/11/07 7:04pm
Msg #199473

I shred the docs that have name, sensitive info on them, then recylce the rest. Our schools in our town have recycle bins in the parking lots that the teachers use also. I also get rid of any magazines that way also. One bad thing about the bins, every once in a while a kid will set the bin on fire and run. My husband, being chief here, gets woke up in the middle of the night and goes puts it out. Happens every couple months.

Reply by Stamper_WI on 7/11/07 7:09pm
Msg #199475

Ilike what Jojomn does

She has a developmentally disabled girl that comes in with her aide and shreds every now and then.

Reply by Ndwa on 7/11/07 8:06pm
Msg #199486

Ditto Becca...

Except mine have a minimum of only $10. I just sorted mine last couple weeks, got 4 boxes in 7 months. I wouldn't want to shred that much paper?

Reply by John_NorCal on 7/11/07 10:31pm
Msg #199501

Shouldn't this be part of your privacy and

security procedures. If it's a large package I alwaiys ship back to the title company at their expense. If it's a small package I'll shred everything that has a number or namke on it. That also goes for any pages that I print by mistake. Above all you need to protect any personal information.

Reply by Elizabeth Soliday on 7/11/07 10:42pm
Msg #199502

Never had that problem, fire pit in my backyard or fireplace in the house takes care of it. Maybe it's time to get one of those nice patio fireplaces and claim it on your taxes as a business expence.

Reply by Larry/Ca on 7/11/07 11:09pm
Msg #199508

I personally think that....

having a shredder and using it is a responsibility to protect personal information that comes with this job. I have a heavy duty shredder that will take 24 pages at a time and it only cost $79 at Staples. A small investment for the comfort of knowing that nothing leaves my possession that would compromise the personal information of me or anyone else.

Reply by pjc on 7/11/07 11:23pm
Msg #199510

Re: Thank you to all, now

Iam retrieving docs, pulling the sensitive ones and shredding them.

Reply by BakersfCA on 7/12/07 2:03am
Msg #199525

I use a shredding service.. my shredding pile was growing

out of control!

They give me a trash can with a lock, it cost me about $200 for the year. I throw everything in it. All my junk mail and confirmations that I printed and it is mostly filled with unsigned docs that cancelled at the table. They come by once a month in their shredding truck and shred everything in front of my house.

It definitely beats sitting and shredding paper with my 10 page at a time shredder. Plus it's another right off on my taxes.