Posted by Erwin/CA on 5/30/09 12:08pm
Msg #290502

e docs and e notarizations

I finally bought a laptop and am trying to find out what I need to do to start doing e notarizaitons and e signings. Is there training available out there and how do I get an electronic notary stamp? Any suggestions on what term to use for a google search for information on this subject. Any help would be appreciated.

Erwin

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 5/30/09 12:11pm
Msg #290503

Electronic notary stamp - right now I believe the NNA is the only vendor for that..

E-signings - take the AmTrust webinar...or google "esigning training" for starters...oh..and do you have an aircard? Hope you have the promise of business to support the investment and monthly fee you'll need to pay..

Good Luck.

Reply by janCA on 5/30/09 12:15pm
Msg #290505

As far as I know you cannot use an stamp nor do e-notarizations in California. The Enjoa, (sp)which the NNA sells, is for your journal signatures not for notarizing signatures.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 5/30/09 12:29pm
Msg #290508

Someone better tell that certain organization about it

then - they're offering training in it...and this from Wikipedia:

"Currently eNotarizations are being conducted in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Michigan, California, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, Florida, and Indiana"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enotary

Reply by Patricia Manatt on 5/30/09 1:09pm
Msg #290513

Re: Someone better tell that certain organization about it

Not all Pennsylvania counties are up and running yet however, it has been reported that signings with an electronic seal have gone quite well. Had my electronic seal for two years and haven't used it yet.

Reply by MistarellaFL on 5/30/09 12:46pm
Msg #290511

Erwin, FWIW

You won't need an electronic notary seal for e-signings at this point.
Many of the docs you will see on an esigning can be "signed" electronically,
EXCEPT the docs requiring a signature notarized.
The dot/mtg and other documents requiring notarization are all sent
hard copy for signatures and notary stamp.

Reply by Yoli/CA on 5/30/09 12:28pm
Msg #290507

Jan and Linda are correct. I and other members of the California NSA Network took the Amtrust course. To date, I've only done 3 esignings. I also invested in the electronic seal to be prepared for the "onslaught" of esignings and enotarizations -- California has not yet approved enotarizations so that was a waste. Seems Amtrust is the only lender with esignings.

I have carted my laptop and air card to my esignings. However, when called for an esigning, some notaries have been known to use the borrower's equipment when first cleared with hiring entity.

Good luck!

Reply by MW/VA on 5/30/09 1:06pm
Msg #290512

As some of us have learned through expensive experience, it is sometimes better to wait to see how much business actually comes about before investing in unnecessary equipment.
I had got suited up with a laptop/aircard for e-signings. I ended up taking the early termination hit on the aircard. I now have a Blackberry I can use as a broadband connection for the laptop. So far I've done maybe 6 e-signings total in the last year.
VA has not put e-notarization on board, and I don't know how it would apply to this business.

Reply by Erwin/CA on 5/30/09 1:10pm
Msg #290514

I received two calls in the last week asking me if I had a laptop and did e signings. I was thinking of using the borrowers dsl, cable, or wi-fi network. Most of the people I have done signings for have dsl or cable connections. Or, maybe using Starbucks wi-fi connection for the signings. I need to justify buying the laptop. I'll try the Am Trust webinar and see what they have to teach me.

Erwin

Reply by BrendaTx on 5/30/09 3:40pm
Msg #290527

c'mon MW/VA

* some of us have learned through expensive experience,...*

The ENS offered by that certain website is only $168.00. It's a USB thumb drive with a piece of code on it. The USB thumb drive is probably manufactured at a cost of $1 to the seller. The code is certainly not worth more than $25. The mark up is around $130 on each of these. I don't know why we don't trust that group to get the really good deals for us all...we should. So why we don't all order one right away? The license isn't permanent, but what they hey.

Reminds me of the Enjoa project. For $450 +/- you could purchase an electronic notary journal. The actual stuff that it consisted of retailed for about $100. The mark up seemed to be around $350. Again...we should be happy for this wonderful deal.

Reply by MW/VA on 5/31/09 1:36pm
Msg #290591

Re: c'mon MW/VA

The "expensive" I refer to is the purchase of a laptop & aircard. The aircard I had was $60/mo, and I ended up not using it, so I took the $200 hit for early termination.
I had heard on other forums that those who had purchased the "Enjoa" totally wasted their money.
It doesn't look like VA will put e-notarization into effect this year, so I'll deal with that if & when it comes about.

Reply by Vince/KS on 5/30/09 1:13pm
Msg #290515

I did my first e-sign 4/10/08 and wrote about the experience (Msg #243125). Since then I’ve only done another dozen or so of these. Many companies want to make sure you have the ability to do them, but not any I can think of are offering assignments for them on a regular basis to we as individuals - with or without a reasonable fee. So far, the investment in the air card and monthly fee for it has not paid off.

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 5/30/09 1:18pm
Msg #290516

esignings and eseal are totally different things.

When you do an Amtrust esign (they're the only ones doing them right now), you won't actually be notarizing anything electronically. All of the documents that need a notarizzed signature are done the old fashioned way. You're just toting along your laptop so that the borrowers can electronically sign some of their documents. In most cases, it's ridiculous because it's a lot of extra work for the notary. They tell everyone it cuts time down... and it does for THEM. What they don't realize is that it's an extra burden on US because they want us to print backup copies anyway. My fastest signing appointment ever was actually an Amtrust e-sign, ironically enough. But it was an unusual situation so I don't really count it.

That said, I'm fine doing them. I don't mind doing them and it's easy enough... but it does confuse a few people. I'm often asked, "Well...why can't I just do this all electronically or all on paper?" Yeah well... I have the same question.

I do not use an air card... I actually have bluetooth adapter for my laptop which connects to the modem in my Blackberry, so when I get to an appointment, I just enable the bluetooth on the BB and when I open laptop at the appt, it connects me automatically. It took some trial and error to get that to work, but now it's great. As long as I have a signal for my phone, I've got internet access.

Now as for the e-seal...

You can buy an electronic notary seal for CA right here at NotRot just as you would buy any other seal. And contrary to popular belief, you can use it as you would your regular seal... but ONLY if you know what you're doing... and most mobile notaries likely won't need it. I called the SOS and asked about it and they told me was perfectly fine.

To use your e-seal you would also need your signature in an electronic form, too...and you would place them on documents just as you would any other notarization. Don't forget, of course... that the person still needs to be right there.

A mobile notary could do this, actually...but you'd really need to know how to handle secure document files, have a signature/thumprint and a printer with you...


You do not necessarily need to use the NNA's equipment...but you really have to know what you're doing if you don't.

Now, the FHA is shopping around right now for bids from lenders for an entirely paperless process. Their goal is to have at least one by the end of the year, I think, for a pilot program. I posted about that awhile ago. See http://www.cujournal.com/btn_article.html?id=20090407SSIWGRDG

If that's the case... notaries with e-seals are going to be in high demand. I decided to buy an e-seal a few weeks a go after reading this, and just got my authorization from the SOS... I may not use it right away, but my current commission is good through 2012 so you bet I'm going to be prepared for it.

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 5/30/09 1:27pm
Msg #290517

Let me add something else...

As far as e-signings so, I do pay an extra $10 a month to Sprint to have that Phone As a Modem option for my Blackberry. It's way cheaper than an air card.

Also, I have my laptop with me a lot anyway because of my other work as a virtual assistant. That's why e-signing is no big deal to me since I already have the equipment anyway.

It has come in handy on a few non esign appointments when I needed a copy of an ID or some other paperwork and the bwr "forgot" to do it. With my laptop,I also have a mobile 'Neat Receipts' scanner that is just amazing. My husband had renamed my briefcase "The Mary Poppins Bag" for a reason. LOL

Reply by Dennis D Broadbooks on 5/30/09 2:45pm
Msg #290523

AT&T Doesn't Charge for the PAM Feature...

...& I'm paying $30.00 per month for their data package.

Reply by Jose Gutierrez on 5/30/09 1:30pm
Msg #290518

Marian, as far as the Blackberry...

I wanted to go that route, but verizon charges 43 dollars for the data plan plus 15 dollars for the broadband.
Wow! in that case I would just purchase their broadband plan for my laptop for 59.99 and I will keep my cell phone free in case I get more calls during an esigning. How much do you pay for your BB plus the data plan plus the broadband use? Thanks

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 5/30/09 2:24pm
Msg #290522

Re: Marian, as far as the Blackberry...

Jose, my plan with Sprint is all messed up! It's a long story, but with Sprint I pay $30 a month for the Blackberry Pack and $10 for the Phone as a Modem add-on. However, I also get a 25% discount, and that helps a lot! So in addition to my calling plan (also discounted), I'm only paying $30 a month for the Blackberry service and the PAM. Now, I realize that I have a good deal here and not everyone else can get that discount.

As a grand total, I pay about $100 a month. That includes my husband's phone, too. He doesn't use his phone much, so he just shares my minutes on a Family Pack plan... and when he calls me, it doesn't impact our minutes, which is really nice.

Reply by BrendaTx on 5/30/09 1:54pm
Msg #290519

Re: e docs and e notarizations - Marian - very good info

I am still trying to get my head around this. I learned a lot from your post, but have a question:

Now...when you say signature in electronic form, do you mean like a picture of your signature in a *.jpg or like a little snippet of cryptic information which states your name and so forth which is laid out in place of the notary's signature.

I think it is the former. I have been researching this because I want to know about it. What I found in previous research was on the nna website and it was something like a seal and a digital signature; the signature was not a picture of the notary's actual signature.

Will continue to try and find that again.

News flash, though....the NNA will not be the only place to purchase an electronic notary digital seal forever. I know of at least one other venue that is working on it. More details as they occur.

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 5/30/09 2:54pm
Msg #290524

Re: e docs and e notarizations - Marian - very good info

Brenda, I think it depends on the type of system used.

For example, those of us in CA (any maybe other states) who purchased their bond through NotRot here will likely see how the electronic seal works. In this case, it's an actual image of the notary's signature.

From what I've seen, it can be a standard image file that you just drop in place, or it can be that kind where you sign each time using a biometric signature pad, like you would at stores when charging to a debit/credit card.

Personally, I prefer the later. In that way, each document would capture my raw pen signature just that once, as if I were signing any other document with a regular pen. The NotRot seal lets you copy the eseal to you clip board and past it in to a document. At least that's what I'm pretty sure it does... I haven't purchased it yet.


The guys at http://www.topazsystems.com seem to have some good alternatives to the NNA's offerings. But one worth looking at is at http://www.wwnotary.com

Also, I understand that when one buys the ENS from the NNA... it's only good for a year and you have to buy another one. Heh... anyone surprised by that? LOL

Reply by BrendaTx on 5/30/09 3:14pm
Msg #290525

Re: e docs and e notarizations - Marian - very good info

It gives me a headache. All of it.

The part about the signature is especially nerve-wracking.

So maybe there are three types of signatures...
The picture.
The raw/written signature on a signature pad.
The digital signature.

Marian, you're not old enough to remember, I don't think, but for some of us this sounds an awful lot like
- Betamax vs. VHS -- nothing like having a Betamax when VHS took the market
- AT&T's Unix PCs (Great systems, but no software written to support them once MS Dos took off
- The expensive mid-1980's PC with the 80286 processor...the "AT" as it was called.

I talked to my BFF at the local title company the other day about e-everything. In spite of the fact that the title co. is gearing up to offer e-signings in their brick and mortar walls, no one is using an electronic anything over there.

Once a year I like to poke around in these waters just to see what comes up. I can probably rest easy that nothing's going to surface for another year.

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 5/30/09 8:49pm
Msg #290545

HAHA... I'm old enough....Just barely, anyway.

My grandfather was one of the early geeks, a (literally) rocket scientist with NASA/JPL and I knew what a computer was long before most kids. He had a PET 2001 and a VIC-20...those are the first ones I remember. He eventually gave the VIC-20 to use when he got a Commodore 64. I really remember that, too, because I was in 1st or second grade and we had moved in with them temporarily after our house had a fire and was being repaired.

Reply by BrendaTx on 5/30/09 10:25pm
Msg #290555

You are ahead of me, then with computers.

In 1980 I was not even thinking about a PC. It was later in the 80's -- around 1986, before I got the computer bug. My first home computer was a Tandy...but it was pretty modern using 3.25 in. disks and all. My first laser printer was a Tandy, also. It would emulate an HP LaserJet, but it looked lilke a Ricoh laser printer.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 5/31/09 9:15am
Msg #290569

Re: You are ahead of me, LOL...hey Brenda?

OUr first computer??..A Royal!!

Reply by Julianne Akyol on 5/30/09 4:29pm
Msg #290530

Re: e docs and e notarizations - Marian - very good info

"...the signature was not a picture of the notary's actual signature. "

No, from my understanding it is some sort of encrypted binary code that is attached to one's credentials with the state they represent. For ex: jba/fl, Fl state ID#xxxxxx, digital electronic notary seal #yyyyyy. As soon as I "sign" it is time & date stamped with this yyyyyy number on the document.

Reply by notaryinmo on 5/30/09 6:57pm
Msg #290538

Re: e docs and e notarizations - Marian - very good info

Last time I checked with MO SOS, they were in no big hurry to get e-notarizations implemented. By the time they decide to accept e-notarizations, all of you will have all the bugs worked out...lol

Reply by JanetK_CA on 6/1/09 7:15pm
Msg #290738

Re: e docs and e notarizations - Marian - very good info

That makes more sense to me. Otherwise, it seems like it would be too easy to just copy the graphic of a notary's signature.