Posted by Scriba/NM on 7/27/13 1:18am
Msg #478206

Requests to Post NNA Article (Upcoming)

In answer to the PM's and posts, here is the revised version of the Letter to the Editor that Mr. Thun indicated he would be including in the next NNA Magazine.

I read with great interest your article entitled "You are Crucial to the Loan Signing Process." I could not agree more. We are crucial. Unfortunately, no one else seems to really believe that. It's one thing to go to a convention and hear these speeches, but in reality they are simply a bunch of words, in my opinion.

The people who are making these speeches are the same people who are NOT paying Notaries what they are worth when the Notary accurately performs the services they were engaged for. Additionally, Notaries are put through numerous hoops due to all of the new regulations caused by the "financial crisis," as they like to call it. This crisis was created by lenders in great part, and some of the same people who also conveniently own title companies and the subsidiary "signing services" they have created.

Notaries have had to take protective action by joining websites to list their experiences, both good and bad, for other Notaries to view in hopes they will keep them from becoming victims of criminal enterprises.

The Notary is crucial, as he or she makes appointment calls, prints documents (often 300 pages at a time due to increasingly bloated loan packages) drives to the signing, spends their time with the borrower, reviews the documents, takes them to FedEx or UPS, drives back to the office and maintains records of every transaction. Yet, for all of this "crucial" work, they only wish to pay a notary $100 for the entire signing including e-docs. Some companies are currently offering notaries $45 to $75 for a signing, including e-docs, which is borderline absurd. This is not proper pay for a "crucial" part of the loan signing process.

Simply stated, what Notaries want to hear is what is going to be done in face of all of these new regulations, and how (and when) is the notary going to be properly compensated? I am talking about the notaries who are out there that are supposedly so "crucial" to the loan signing process.

Reply by rolomia on 7/27/13 5:27am
Msg #478210

No offense, but why is this relevant?

The majority of said magazine's readers are fellow NSA's who've yet to realize the writing on the wall. XYZ and it's magazines no longer provide much value to our industry. The only members of our profession who will even care about this issue have little power to affect change that benefits NSA's. Thus, writing about obvious problems only wastes our valuable time. And, why preach to the choir, anyway? Did the author have nothing better to do? Real change will only occur when more newbies cease accepting lowball offers, en-masse (which, we all know will NEVER happen). So, what's the point of the article, anyway?

Again, it wastes the readers time and offers no real value. The points addressed in said article, while valid, are already known to any NSA that has spent even five minutes in this industry. If the article's author hasn't figured that out, they aren't really paying attention and have no business writing said article, in the first place. Personally, I would like any mention of said entity or it's publications to be classified as advertising and deleted from this forum. We've wasted enough of our valuable time reading about them. NotRot provides much better discourse on the issues addressed in said article, anyway. JMHO

Reply by Lee/AR on 7/27/13 7:28am
Msg #478215

Was posted in response to requests to do so in an earlier

thread. I, for one, appreciate that someone has taken XYZ to task on the 'stuff' they have promoted in newsletters and at their recent convention.

Reply by Notarysigner on 7/27/13 8:09am
Msg #478217

Ditto agree n/m

Reply by Yoli/CA on 7/27/13 9:36am
Msg #478219

Thank you, Scriba.

Thank you for taking the time to write your response and for posting the revised version.

I, for one, am an NSA who agrees with your stance on this issue and appreciates your initiative and passion in taking that organization to task. If more of us followed your example, perhaps they would pay attention and take notice that the fees they've previously promoted are not adequate and that some of the firms they use as keynote speakers at their conventions are the companies who abuse the notaries by either low pay or no pay.

Reply by CarolF/NC on 7/27/13 10:10am
Msg #478224

DITTO the Ditto. Thank you n/m

Reply by JanetK_CA on 7/27/13 3:27pm
Msg #478248

Re: No offense, but why is this relevant?

I disagree with your position, primarily because I believe the NNA magazine reaches a much, much wider audience than just those who read this forum.

I'm not very hopeful that it will change the thinking or business operations of many (or any) signing services, but in my dreams, I'd like to think it might open some eyes at a few title companies here and there. More importantly, though, I think it might give some valuable food for thought for other notaries who might be seduced by the XYZ promotions to encourage more of their readers to get into loan signing as a way of expanding their businesses.

If people are willing to make the commitment it takes to be successful (both with conducting signings and financially), they will do it anyway. Others may decide it's not worth it and can save themselves lots of money, time and aggravation. Regardless, it's bound to be helpful to those who do take the leap to have a better understanding of what they're getting into - and hopefully they will also be less likely to become victims of some of the bad players among the signing services. This potentially helps us all.

Reply by 101livescan on 7/27/13 10:01am
Msg #478222

LIKE! THX for taking the time to do this! n/m

Reply by GOLDGIRL/CA on 7/27/13 3:54pm
Msg #478251

I really love this letter ... the original was better (a masterpiece, in fact but I realize it had to be sized down because of limited publication space. And yes, it may be preaching to the choir and yes, the NNA doesn't give a crap about NSAs except when it comes to wringing $$ out of them; but if only a few unenlightened subscribers read this letter, it would open some eyes ... wide! And maybe word might start to get around. I wish I had seen this before I launched my time in the NSA field. As it was, I learned all this and more the hard way. I don't think any words this honest and real have ever seen the light of day in anything the NNA has anything to do with.

It's an excellent summary of our working lives. And maybe instead of spending all their time and effort trying to screw the notary out of a working fee or figuring out how to pay them as little as possible and still get the loan notarized, maybe a few TC reps might actually think about our side of the story after reading it. I'm not holding my breath, though. As for SSs, the majority are hopeless.

Most of all, I would hope it will wake up and change the thinking of some of the huge numbers of knucklehead notaries who don't value themselves, can't comprehend their selfworth or have been so beaten down by the "criminal enterprises" that they have turned into doormats.

Reply by 101livescan on 7/27/13 4:31pm
Msg #478255

Couldn't have said this any better than you! Hip hip hooray n/m

Reply by Louis Pescarmona on 7/27/13 5:47pm
Msg #478264

Bravo!, Scriba

Reply by rolomia on 7/27/13 6:19pm
Msg #478267

Yes! Bravo. Agree. I'm just not holding my breath

The NNA will say that it cares about the NSA. They will even hire wide-eyed, bushy-tailed Notaries to manage the phone bank. But, said notaries won't ever reveal the NNA's true agenda, which is to increase their revenue and political power by convincing lenders/TC's/SS's that they (the NNA) are best positioned to beat down (whip), ensnare, demoralize and control the mindset of new and existing NSA's so that said lenders/TC's/SS's can pay yet even lower fees. It wouldn't surprise me if the NNA signs up said lenders/TC's/SS's on a sliding scale commission, wherein the NNA gets a percentage of the revenue they save said lender/TC/SS if then when the NNA does fulfill said unstated mission. And, new NSA's will be convinced that they need the NNA. Thus, the NNA will be able to manipulate said NsA into buying the NNA's educational materials so that said newbie will perform at a basic level acceptable to their hiring party, all while spending their hard-earned, low pay on NNA products. Sounds like a win-win scanario (SCAM), doesn't it?! LOL