Posted by Elizabeth Kays on 6/30/07 9:03pm
Msg #197926

who to call?

So if the docs have an incorrect ss#, or someone's name is spelled wrong, or has the wrong middle initial( all have happened this week), who is the person to contact? I have been calling the loan officer. I feel stupid to ask them, but I want to make sure I am doing it right for them. I mostly travel to rural areas, so once I am there I want to do everthing I can to do the closing. Secondly, I am a notary signing agent. Yet some of the packets have documents in them that must be filled in by the borrowers. Shouldn't this all have already been done? I had one last night that I had never seen before, and it needed to be filled out, and I had no idea what to tell them to do. And I don't think it is my job too. Yes I am new at this, but I am trying to do a good job. Are they actually expecting me to explain all the documents? I am not comfortable with that yet, if I was I would be a mobile closing agent right? In my training, I was told that I am just there to notarize the docs, and that I could be placing liability on myself by explaining things. What is actually expected here?

Reply by christiSocal on 6/30/07 9:13pm
Msg #197930

To begin, with call the person who hired you. Personally, I have found , more often than not that LO's don't know much about the docs. There should be a no. for the title co, you should get more info from them. If you can't get anyone, I'd go ahead and have the borrower strike the wrong info and initial the correction. You can NOT explain docs (that's UPL) You can read the name of the doc or show them where to find whatever they are questioning.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 6/30/07 9:27pm
Msg #197932

Yes, you could be placing liability on yourself by "explaining" the docs. But it is not explaining if you are "identifying" the docs. "This is the settlement statement, which shows the costs associated with your loan" etc.

Calling the lender or title company is a good idea, however I know that some signing services do not want you calling the lender etc but want you to go through the signing service itself.

No, you cannot tell them how to fill in documents that need their input. Was that the "statement of information" form? Usually if the borrower reads the document they should know what they need to put in the spaces.

Reply by liz/IN on 6/30/07 9:32pm
Msg #197933

Often my signings are late in the evening and I just get a message at the title company. But I have been given a # for the lo who wants to be contacted when the loan has closed. So they are my only contact. Plus, they are the ones who have final doc approval right?

Reply by liz/IN on 6/30/07 9:42pm
Msg #197934

Also another newbie question...almost every signing I've done the docs arrive late. I tell them that since these are rural areas it will take me about 45 minutes to an hour to get there, yet the docs arrive like 30 minutes before the signing. Last night I had to ask that the settlement statement be resent because when it was scanned in it was crooked, and some of it wasn't coming through. Then the closing was a purchase and required extra preparation of the docs. Then it was a very rural area, with not very well marked roads. The customer had already called the lo and title company to check on me. I had already tried to call them, but rural area= not great cell reception. The closing went well, but they had alot of questions, and docs to fill out, and it took a long time. When I called after the closing, the lo was annoyed that it was so late, ans questioned me about being late. I wanted to say...well if the docs had arrived correctly and in a timely manner it would have helped. I barely have time to look through them before I have to leave to get to the closing on time. Is this common?

Reply by Renee on 6/30/07 10:11pm
Msg #197935

HI,

This is very common. This is the time to hold onto your moxy and make another call to the SS or title company. Let them know that if the papers are not on time, which s/b about 1.5 to 2 hours before the appointment time, that you cannot gurantee the arrival time to the appointment. I also let them know that I will call the borrower and let them know that their appointment time is not guranteed because I do not have documents.

Not getting documents on time causes you to rush. When you have to rush, the possibility of making a mistake increases. Just like you experienced already, 30 minutes before the appointment does not feel fair.

Sometimes this has to do with time zones; others the size of the document and the travel thru the gateway; mostly, its that the SS or title company is under pressure, make a time commitment that is impossible, and then you are the one who is to "save the day."

Hang in there, it's a fun business.

Reply by Paul_IL on 6/30/07 11:32pm
Msg #197945

I always give a time when I will need the docs on all eDoc closings. If the docs are not in my inbox at the specified they have 3 choices; reschedule for the next day, contact another closer or pay my late docs fee if they want me to do the closing at the scheduled time. I am tired of everyone passing the buck on late docs, the LO blames the processor, the processor blames the title company. Funny how the borrowers are always under the impression that it is our fault!

For closings after normal business hours I have started to require the LO's cell phone number. I let the settlement agent know I need the number and they will usually get it for me. I had one LO that refused to provide his cell number, he called me telling me I did not need it as there would be no problems. I called his manager who was happy to give me the number and said that he would start supplying the numbers for all after hours closings.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 6/30/07 10:14pm
Msg #197936

Liz
Unfortunately late docs are not uncommon in this business.
I remember having one where the appointment was for 4pm, and I had about 6 or 7 signings that day, but there was only the one that was edocs. I told the signing company I would have to have the docs no later than 1pm as I had other signings. 1pm came and no edocs. I called SS again and told them if I didn't have the docs within the next 30 minutes they would have to find someone else as I had other signings. At 7:30pm I am sitting with a borrower going over the loan docs and my cell rings. It is the lender on the edoc signing telling me that he is sending the docs over right away. I tell him it is too late, I was at a signing and I had others to do and I would not be home until after midnight. he was upset with me, told me that I had already agreed to do the signing. I reminded him I had agreed to do the signing at 4pm and it was now 7:30.
The next day I got a call from his supervisor asking me why I didn't do the signing. I told him why. He wanted to know if the other signings were for his company. I told him they were not. He then accused me of not being a team player. I called the signing service, and they were on my side and said they would call the LO.

Reply by Lee/AR on 6/30/07 10:18pm
Msg #197937

Yes, this is very common. What you need to do is give the hiring co. a cut-off time that you're comfortable with. And, while the LO has the most riding on your performance, they are usually the most clueless and NOT the place to go for answers. When you accept a 'late-night' signing, ASK for an emergency contact # 'just in case'.

Reply by liz/IN on 6/30/07 10:28pm
Msg #197939

ty so much for all of your answers. I have been feeling so pushed all day about last night's experiences, and I appreciate your time and experience. Several of my recent closings, one of the parties has been in a big hurry, and since I am new, it makes it so difficult to be so rushed and late. It's not really my fault, but I don't want to blame the title agency because I would like to be hired again. The customers last night said they had been pushed into doing the closing that day, and had other plans. So rush rush rush....

Reply by CopperheadVA on 6/30/07 10:32pm
Msg #197940

IMHO, it is now the norm that e-docs are abused with respect to getting them ready with plenty of time to spare for the appointment. It is now UNUSUAL (at least for me) to receive docs several hours ahead of time. Even when I have received docs early, even the day before sometimes, I print and then lo and behold about two hours prior to the appt I get a call that the docs need to be redrawn.

I had four appointments on Friday, first one at 1:30 PM. Docs didn't come. I shuffled my schedule not once, but twice, and then got tough and told the TC that I had other appts and had waited on docs long enough. "But we're sending docs right now!" I offered for them to get another notary or I could close their deal at the end of the day. They chose the second option. Docs finally came in three parts - at 5:00 PM, 6:12 PM, and 7:09 PM. I got to the appointment just after 9 PM and then what happens? You guessed it! Paperwork was wrong and borrower refused to sign!

It's gotten to the point that unless you have a printer in your car with a laptop and aircard, you cannot do many same day appts due to late e-docs. And most of the doc packages I have gotten lately are very sloppy. Three of the four appts I had on Friday had problems with the docs.


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