Posted by JLG/CA on 12/10/10 11:10pm
Msg #364673

CNSA...improvements needed for testing?

i would like to see the testing requirements for becoming a CNSA to be more difficult. it's rather basic and in many cases, available online and open notes. most other certifications have CPE requirements, experience requirements or more regulated testing.

wishful thinking ;(

Reply by desktopfull on 12/10/10 11:56pm
Msg #364677

Why doesn't mean anything, just separates you & your money. n/m

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 12/11/10 5:25am
Msg #364688

Best one I had was oral/conversational ...

...and I think I've taken them all (i.e. the most commonly known ones). This is the same way our network ascertains the knowledge of new members, too. You could have a stack of books, a laptop & a 4G Smart phone at your disposal and none of it's of any use during an hour of 'shop-talk'. You either know it, or you don't, and it's going to come out in that conversation. Of course, it assumes the person making the determination has an industrial-strength knowledge of their own. =O

The written or online tests have a second issue - the first being that people can cheat, the second being that every test I took in this manner had wrong information, most often having to do with the differences between various state's notarial acts.

Reply by kcg on 12/11/10 7:42am
Msg #364691

Re: Best one I had was oral/conversational ...

Agree Renee. And I'll add my own 2 cents.

When I took the online course and passed, I was woefully ill-prepared. As I'm sure we all were unless you worked in the industry and had a working knowledge of how this operates. After a few mistakes, which by the way taught me good lessons, I bought the TSR Training Guide and learned each document. Then I sought out the smartest people (like Renee) I could find and asked questions. This is on-the-job training. Unfortunately.

Probably one of the greatest assets you could have in this business is *thoroughness* - on each and every assignment. Read the instructions even though you've read them before. Companies change things. Look at the documents before you head out to make sure they print perfectly. Scan through them to see where the signatures/initials will go. What is the document? Read enough of it so that you can tell the BO what you are handing them. Watch them sign....look at the doc after they hand it back to you. Review every document BEFORE you leave the table. Get to the courier (or box) ASAP. Look at your label and then look at the box before you drop it. Make sure a UPS package goes into a UPS box. Make your calls/texts/emails asap to let the hiring entity know the job is done.

You can't learn this in a book. Some people are too slipshod. I think you have to be "anal", you have to be a "detailer", you have to be in "control". You have to be able to "handle" people and situations. If I'm in a doctor's home or a drugstore clerk's home, I am genuinely glad to be there and I let them know it. I make the effort to make them feel they are very important...because they are.


And you have to love this business. If you don't and are just looking for a way to make a little extra money then all the education in the world will not turn you into a top-notch CSNA.

Reply by Dorothy_MI on 12/11/10 9:02am
Msg #364703

Very well said, both of you

Especially the part about "LOVING" the job. If you truly love the job, you will do whatever necessary to become good at it. If someone is in it for the money, they just won't care.

I totally agree, that a good conversation with someone will tell you much more than any test. When I first started as an NSA, it was common place to have a phone interview. It not only tells you about the person's knowledge, but also what kind of people person they are, how they handle situations and generally if you want them to represent you at the closing table. We've all known people that are very "book smart", but still have a hard time when it comes to actually doing the job (and not just in this field either).

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 12/11/10 8:12am
Msg #364693

I'm suspecting you've been having some problems

with the notaries you (or your company or whatever company you're associated with) have been contracting with lately.

Rather than request more stringent testing for all notaries nationwide (although for loan signings I tend to agree that there's a lack of education out there) may I respectfully suggest you more closely vet the contractors you hire...perhaps you should be looking into their credentials more - I saw one yesterday whose profile stated she had experience in all types of loan signings - she's a newly commissioned notary in 8/2010. Now, granted, she may have prior mortgage experience in a prior life - that should be mentioned - she makes no mention of prior loan experience so it begs the question - how experienced can she be in 4 months?

And keep in mind "you get what you pay for" - pay a few dollars more for the notary/signing agent who brings 10-15-20-25 years closing experience to the table - it pays off in the long run.

MHO

Reply by JLG/CA on 12/11/10 10:41am
Msg #364713

my post is unrelated...

to a company experience. it seems no one will let me live down that i'm not an employee of a ss but that i've been recently contracted to improve their bookkeeping.

i post because of my experience in the industry and i run across things that spark my interest.

i'm entering a new industry and it was suggested that i obtain certification, since without it there is not a way to gage my experience aside from what i tell people. the requirements to become certified were 2 years verifiable experience, passing a prometric proctored test and then completing a certain number of CPE units each year.

it just got me thinking about the CNSA certification. there have been improvements (in CA) for notaries, both new commissions and renewing, but not for the CNSA.

Reply by James Dawson on 12/11/10 10:50am
Msg #364714

Re: my post is unrelated...

Well I don't know if you are aware of requirements by certain companies but that certainly seems the way to go. I am in the process of trying to become Fidelity qualified notary which isn't necessity that easy. Sponsors are lined up but I don't have the number of signings yet......that is a test in and of itself.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 12/11/10 3:02pm
Msg #364728

Message Deleted

This message has been deleted by a forum moderator.

Reason: Author Request - Special Exception

Reply by James Dawson on 12/11/10 3:37pm
Msg #364730

Re: my post is unrelated...

Looks like a P/M under disguise...LOL. Anyway as far as TRG.....Did you like the size of the package? What about how soon you got paid? Faxbacks, handholding Etc. The funny thing about them is it depends on who calls you (scheduler that is) you fee can very by $25......IMO

Reply by CopperheadVA on 12/11/10 3:51pm
Msg #364732

Re: my post is unrelated...

Oops - yes it was meant to be a PM! The package was small - CitiMortgage, around 50 pages. Docs arrived in the nick of time for the appointment, I remember. Pretty easy and quick appointment.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 12/11/10 11:16am
Msg #364717

Okay Jessica..I'll apologize - never meant that you

can't "live it down"...however it must be said that, IMO, your recent posts have been basically critical of Signing Agents (or notaries or whatever anyone wants to call us) - critiquing their bookkeeping and now certifications. You're not speaking from a notary/signing agent perspective...IMO you're speaking from another ... if you want to "live down" your SS affilitation I suggest you stop posting like one.

What you're missing here is that notaries, accountants, tax preparers, realtors, brokers etc., etc...are all state-regulated. However, there is no state regulation or oversight of signing agents for the most part (somewhere I recall seeing them mentioned in a particular state's laws - can't remember which one though...MI comes to mind....along with those TPL states being specific that notaries can't sign loans without a TPL)...IMO, and seriously just my OPINION, the term "signing agent" is probably nothing more than the brainchild, an invention, of the NNA which caught and others ran with it.

Certification is not necessary, IMO, for someone to perform this job. What IS strongly *required* is a working knowledge of the documents involved in a given transaction - and I mean WORKING knowledge - not the rinky dink "certification" tests I see on some sites. They don't mean a thing as far as I'm concerned. Again, the person's background, experience and credentials should carry more weight than some of these "certifications" floating around. And for that, companies get what they pay for.

I guess, after reading this, we agree, don't we?...