Posted by jojo_MN on 11/1/13 11:23pm
Msg #490979

Just took a very good look at the SPW website. All NNA!!

I haven't had the time to really look closely at this before tonight. For some reason, I thought this group was put together by Dept of Finances or some other governmental authority. Now after reading the actual website, I see it was all totally put together by the NNA.

Chairman is with First American, President - NNA, VP - NNA.

Taken from http://signingprofessionalsworkgroup.org/ website:

These voluntary Standards include a closely defined metric for background screening, insurance coverage, professional conduct, and training requirements for Notaries to complete in order to obtain a CSS designation. The Standards and the CSS designation will help facilitate the delivery by lenders and title service providers of compliant mortgage signings.

Note: It states "voluntary" standards.

While reading thru the website, it is very clearly the doing of XYZ. What are these title companies going to do when they find they can no longer get their loans closed (especially in the parts of the country that are more rural) because the notaries have finally all said "enough is enough".

I honestly thought this was all as a result of some legislation.

Reply by Lee/AR on 11/1/13 11:35pm
Msg #490981

The SPW website is even registered to the NNA... n/m

Reply by jojo_MN on 11/1/13 11:58pm
Msg #490984

lol n/m

Reply by jojo_MN on 11/1/13 11:50pm
Msg #490983

Scripts, etc. wow.

If we, as veteran NSA's (Notary Signing Agents) don't know how to explain these documents to borrowers after all these years, then we shouldn't be in the business. I have successfully overseen over 5,000 loans since 2002, and I know that many of you have signed way more than me. There is no way that I will be taking any of the classes to get the "certification" by the NNA. If anything, if we were already certified by them, we should automatically get their certificate with the new CSS designation. IMHO

Reply by LynnNC on 11/2/13 12:34pm
Msg #491022

jojo wrote: "There is no way that I will be taking any...

...of the classes to get the "certification" by the NNA."

When I look at the list of TCs and lenders that have bought into the CSS certification, you will probably have no choice if you want to get any business.

The only chance that we have of not having to follow what appears to be a mandate, is if the IRS gets wind of the control that NNA and others want to have over us independent contractors.

Borrowers certainly won't think of us as professionals and have confidence in us if we have to sit in front of them and read a script.

Reply by MikeC/TX on 11/2/13 12:43am
Msg #490987

After reading the Standards document, it became apparent to me that this whole thing is not intended to help or support the notaries - it is meant to support the hiring parties. It also puts the status of "independent contractor" into play, because it seems to be doing exactly what the IRS has said you can't do with an independent contractor - control how they do their job. I may be wrong on that, and will leave it for the tax professionals to correct me.

As far as resisting or ignoring these new rules is concerned, I think that you have to realize that this is the way the wind is blowing today. If you want work in the near term, you will probably have to go along with this because the major companies have bought into it.

Long term - if the rules are challenged in court, I don't think they will stand. The NNA has set themselves up as the arbiter of all things related to notaries public, but I'm not aware of any state that has agreed to give them that standing. State law trumps anything an organization like this wants to do, so dictating "standards" without permission to do so will probably not stand.

Reply by Lee/AR on 11/2/13 9:19am
Msg #490992

NNA all the way!
Pay, pay, PAY...

Or do something about it.

Reply by JanelWI on 11/2/13 11:41am
Msg #491014

"State law trumps anything an organization like this wants to do, so dictating "standards" without permission to do so will probably not stand".

I do apologize to everyone in advance...this last statement made by MikeC/Tx and my response is probably better served for the JP forum...but I am going to respond here anyway because this is where the thread is.


Mike, in a Corporatocracy state law does not exist. There is only the state of: Corporatocracy. State and Federal Laws will do what they are told because that is where the money is above all human and environmental cost. This was a problem created by the NNA and thus they have the solution. Quite a good gig for them. You are right, nothing happens by accident...this is the way the wind has always blown.

Reply by CH2inCA on 11/2/13 9:22am
Msg #490993

That's exactly what they want you to think

That they're an official entity representing notaries.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 11/2/13 9:45am
Msg #490996

Hard to do something about it for everyone when you

have posts elsewhere (like LinkedIn) with notaries posting "it's the way things are going to be - if you want to work you'll need to do it"..and the sheeples follow.

Reply by Notarysigner on 11/2/13 10:38am
Msg #491006

Then it means they will be responsible check this out

" .......... attorney advised SS/owner that asking the notaries to sign this form could easily lead to identity theft and the signing service can and probably would be held liable. It would subject them to lawsuits if any of their notaries suffered from identity theft."

Sounds interesting and hoping to see a reversal real soon as the roaches will recognize there is poison (release request by whoever) being distributed out they in FNF land.

Reply by garyw148 on 11/2/13 11:37am
Msg #491013

I just received the following from JMT.


While no exact date was set, it was inferred that the industry would prefer to have these changes implemented by mid-2014. This will require a tremendous amount of work for all of us involved in the document signing business. The new designation for notaries will be CSS (Certified Signing Specialist) and that designation will require some work and some expense for all of us. You will not need a CSS Certificate to be issued by every individual lender, title insurance company, or signing service. One certificate will be accepted by everyone.
As of today, no one has been approved yet to issue CSS Certificates. There is a process that JMT (and any other company that is interested) will have to follow in order to qualify to issue them. JMT has started that process and we expect it to take a minimum of 60 days to receive approval to issue them. It may take longer because, frankly, the test questions that the notaries will have to answer on the certification test have not yet been finalized.
The following websites will allow you to see what was just announced on Tuesday of this week and allow you to see what is coming to our industry in the near future. I would suggest you look at them in order.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20131029005730/en/Industry-Leaders-Announce-Mortgage-Signing-Standards-Improve
http://signingprofessionalsworkgroup.org/
The SPW (Signing Professional Work Group) has not established a timeline for implementation, but it was stated and the goal is to have everything functioning by mid-2014.
One important thing to remember: DON’T PANIC! We will keep you informed as this comes together and begins to reach the implementation stage throughout the industry. There are a lot of things that the SPW has not finalized and it is going to take some time. We just want to assure you that we will be ready and that we will help you be ready.
We will try to establish a method, possibly a Question and Answer blog, to discuss issues as they come up.
I appreciate the concern that you may have about this change. When I first heard about it Tuesday, I was concerned as well. After I had time to consider some of the possibilities of how we could address it, I felt comfortable that it would be manageable.
It will take work and some expense for all of us. JMT will strive to help keep both to a minimum. It is not our intent to profit in any way from providing the means for our associates to clear this hurdle, but it is our intention to provide what you need at cost.
Sincerely,
Lloyd Pace
President
JMT Financial Services, Inc.

Reply by Carol Christian on 11/2/13 1:02pm
Msg #491023

Re: I just received the following from JMT.

I received this one as well and while I don't do much work for JMT(primarily because they don't meet my fee), I find it interesting that some of the SS will probably use this as a means to "weed out" some non-certified Notaries and pressure those who want to work to complete the certification. I agree, if you already completed the course work with NNA, then you should not have to pay to complete again. Also, if you look into the website for this Signing Professional Workgroup (that is posted on NNA's site), the cost is $1000 to join! Are you serious??? For what?? There has got to be something wrong with this picture and those of us who have an ounce of sense will band together to see what is behind all of this. Just my 2 cents of thought after doing this for over 16 years....

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 11/2/13 2:06pm
Msg #491027

I think the $1,000 fee is for signing services to become

associates - I don't think that's the fee to notaries.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 11/2/13 4:38pm
Msg #491038

Re: I think the $1,000 fee is for signing services to become

I didn't see anything that indicated that notaries are welcomed as members. Membership is for companies that hire notaries. As I see it, the SPW is geared to controlling notaries in order to provide lenders something they can document to show proof of "compliance" with federal regulations directed at protecting borrowers' non-public information.

Sounds very reasonable on the surface. But in doing so, it seems that our own rights to protection of our non-public data are being trashed with the overly-broad authorizations we're required to sign.

Reply by CarolF/NC on 11/2/13 1:19pm
Msg #491026

Meet the Leadership...


http://signingprofessionalsworkgroup.org/about/leadership/

Reply by Marsha Group W Consulting, LLC on 11/4/13 10:42am
Msg #491191

Re: Meet the Leadership...

I'm sure the Title Companies/Lenders will complain and try to find cheaper Notaries, but we should all stick together and raise our fees to cover these new requirements if they come to be. I have closed well over 4,000 loans and feel that I am a professional already and I will not read a script or memorize one. I have never had a complaint about the way I close loans now and will not change the way I am doing it (if it isn't broke, don't fix it).