Posted by 101livescan on 2/8/13 2:33pm
Msg #454810
FASS Email Alert re. Photographing ID's on Smart Phones
TO ALL FASS SIGNING AGENTS: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
First American Title Insurance Company has determined that as a matter of good policy and procedure the practice of a Signing Agent Photographing the borrower’s identification using their personal phones is to cease immediately unless expressly required by state regulation.
Please communicate to your Signing Agents immediately.
You are not required to reply to this notification.
THANK YOU
However, my local title companies are happy to receive these when no photo copy is available at the signing.
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Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/8/13 2:43pm
Msg #454813
I think that's a good idea - I agree with FASS
I know I would not let anyone take a pic of my license with their phone.
Let the borrowers get the copy and fax or e-mail it to title themselves - then they're the master of their own privacy..
JMHO
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Reply by Linda Spanski on 2/8/13 3:00pm
Msg #454815
Photos of IDs = bad idea
FASS's realization that this is a bad practice should be a wake-up call no everyone who asks us to do this. It's a breach of privacy for the person ID'd and leaves the photographer vulnerable if the signer's identity is ever stolen. Plus, it's one less task we have to be responsible for.
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Reply by ReneeK_MI on 2/8/13 3:05pm
Msg #454819
Boy, been waiting for something on this to come up.
I've never, would never, nor would I ever let anyone take a photo of mine. Borrowers are all pretty much grown ups, I don't make their requirement my problem. I ask, I remind, I hand over a fax number, but I will not take a photo of their ID.
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Reply by Barb25 on 2/8/13 3:15pm
Msg #454825
Re: Boy, been waiting for something on this to come up.
"I don't make their requirement my problem"
Exactly, Renee. They have certain responsibilities in getting the loan. This one of them. Don't have it. Here is the fax number. When you get it, fax it over. Will it hold up your funding, you ask? I don't call and ask them. Here is their phone number.
The other day I had borrowers who really didn't have time to be signing the paperwork. I smiled and said in that case let's see if we can get this done as quickly as possible for you.  Really???
Can we sign for them?
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Reply by JanetK_CA on 2/8/13 5:04pm
Msg #454856
Re: Boy, been waiting for something on this to come up.
I agree with all of the above (at least up to this moment...  ) I've never liked the potential liability of having an electronic copy of a borrower's ID on my equipment. They may not mind, but with the volume of people we come in contact with, sooner or later someone could become a victim of ID theft that may have nothing to do with us getting their ID copy - but who are they going to remember?!
Like Renee said, we should be dealing with grown-ups. I'm happy to say, however, that more and more I'm talking to people who state that they gave a copy of their ID to their loan contact person a long while back. As it should be, IMO.
There was a thread about this recently that I didn't have time to comment on, but I believe checking that someone has adequate ID should be done by someone at the very beginning of the process, before so many people have expended tons of time and effort in getting to the closing. That's not the time to discover that they don't have proper ID! At that point, everyone then perceives it to be the notary's problem to figure something out... As the old expression goes, that's "bass-ackwards"!
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Reply by Beverly Kinlaw on 2/9/13 6:25am
Msg #454948
Re: Photos of IDs = bad idea
My sons gave me a "scan wand" for a Christmas present. Am loving it for sure!!!
Compact, easy to use and scans ID etc really well.
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Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/9/13 8:03am
Msg #454951
Scans them to where, Beverly?
Your laptop? Your phone? This scan wand is no different than taking a picture with your phone.
Again, something else I, personally, would not allow anyone to do with my ID. It's enough that all the PII has to be recorded on the Patriot Act forms in the package.
JMO
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Reply by EileenHI on 2/9/13 11:16am
Msg #454975
Re: Photos of IDs = bad idea
I have always been very uncomfortable doing this (even though I only did this 3 times last year). The borrowers were fine with it and it was me that was uncomfortable. After printing the id, I would delete from my phone. All of a sudden, two months later, I hit something on my phone by mistake, and up comes the DL of a borrower that I had deleted the two months prior. Won't do it any more.... very uncomfortable.
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Reply by Ronnie_WA on 2/8/13 3:02pm
Msg #454816
Has always been my policy. I sign a contract with the title company agreeing to protect the borrowers' confidential information. Smart phones are very easily hacked and sometimes we lose them.
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Reply by desktopfull on 2/8/13 3:10pm
Msg #454821
That is why I only use my Sony camera, or have them use
their own phone and email the picture to me. I can check my email on my phone to make sure the picture is clear.
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Reply by Ronnie_WA on 2/8/13 3:17pm
Msg #454828
Re: That is why I only use my Sony camera, or have them use
Email gets hacked. If they want to do that, I advise them that email is not secure and it is done at their own risk. I could lose my camera so I don't do that either. I have privacy paranoia after meeting so many individuals that have been victims of identity theft.
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Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/8/13 3:17pm
Msg #454829
I don't even do that - if they can take a pic, they
can e-mail it directly to title - I don't want a pic of their license in my phone OR my camera. They're told in advance, during the confirmation call, that the copy is needed - it's on them now.
JMO
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Reply by Barb25 on 2/8/13 3:19pm
Msg #454831
I never did understand why the notary took responsibility if the borrower didn't have it available.
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Reply by pat/WA on 2/8/13 4:38pm
Msg #454850
What is the difference?
If you pick up a photo copy of the ID, you can scan it or photo copy it and do just about anything you want with it. This is the same if you take a photo of it. So what is the difference
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Reply by BrendaTx on 2/8/13 4:45pm
Msg #454852
Re: What is the difference?
It is a lot easier to lose a cell phone full of pictures than a copier that is within the bwr's control. I used to do it, but now that bwrs are more technically savvy and have the equipment...it's their baby to manage.
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Reply by Ronnie_WA on 2/8/13 4:57pm
Msg #454855
Re: What is the difference?
When that DL copy I collect leaves my hands, I have no further responsibility for what happens with it. I don't have the liability if my email is hacked, or my phone or camera is, lost since there is no record of it. If I haven't scanned it, or done just about anything I want with it, no one could prove that I was responsible for the information falling into the wrong hands, since I wasn't. JMHO
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Reply by pat/WA on 2/8/13 5:32pm
Msg #454859
Re: What is the difference?
There is no proof that you didn't scan it or photocopy it.
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Reply by Ronnie_WA on 2/8/13 7:28pm
Msg #454887
Re: What is the difference?
And there is no proof that I did
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Reply by Barb25 on 2/8/13 6:08pm
Msg #454866
Re: What is the difference?
Are you saying if I pick up a copy of the ID I could do what I want with it? True.. But then I could do what I want with their loan docs also. Right? What if they gave me a check to put in the package?
The point is they are responsible to provide the copy IMO and I am responsible to place it in the package with the docs and the check if there is one and send it off to the "whoever the label is addressed to" .
My job/ ended.
What else? What ifs? With all due respect because I don't understand.
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Reply by Marian_in_CA on 2/8/13 4:42pm
Msg #454851
Good! I've always felt that was a poor practice...
Make the photocopy of their own IDs. Or, as a matter of last resort, I carry a simple photocopier in my car...the kind that doesn't have a hard drive or maintain a record of anything it copies. For those that wonder, it's a Canon PC170.
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Reply by Barb25 on 2/8/13 5:59pm
Msg #454863
Re: Good! I've always felt that was a poor practice...
Marian, you are an enigma. I hope you take that as the compliment it is intended. I have come to admire you on this forum even when don't agree with you. Which I am going to leave out of this. LOL. I am convinced there will be a day that you will run for some public office at the State level in CA and I can only be sorry I will be unable to vote for you because I don't live in CA.
Now hopefully you can appreciate my humor but nonetheless I mean all of this. I don't think anyone puts as much into "this" as you do. Research, Customer service, Quality assurance, whatever. No stone is left unturned. You are relentless. Admirable.
Do I agree with you always.. Absolutely NO. As I said before, that is altogether different. And as for the above. I mean every single word of it. Keep up the good work.
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Reply by MikeC/TX on 2/8/13 6:15pm
Msg #454868
Re: Good! I've always felt that was a poor practice...
That is exactly what I did - kept a PC170 in the trunk of my car, and if we needed a copy of ID and the BO couldn't provide it, I would bring it in and run off a copy. I never wanted the potential liability of having a picture of someone's ID on my phone or camera.
The only potential problem - you get caught up in conversation with the BO and both of you forget that their ID is in still on the copier... Had that happen once, and had to make a return trip to give it back. I learned that lesson really quick...
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Reply by MW/VA on 2/8/13 9:25pm
Msg #454915
I've never done it anyway even if instructions from ss say
it's OK. I don't want to be under suspicion or have that info on my home. I carry a small all-in-one to scan & make a copy when they forget to get a copy made.
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