Posted by GOLDGIRL/CA on 10/5/13 12:35am
Msg #487084

Response to Val Bradford of EnTitle:

I am always surprised when our “working partners” (in this case a title insurance company), post on *our* forum. I am, however, seldom surprised by the content. It’s consistently negative and threatening, mirroring the demeaning treatment we NSAs have become accustomed to. Ms. Bradford's recent post (repeated below) is no exception. I also am not surprised at the usual attitude of “we paid so-and-so, and so you NSAs can go screw yourself if our vendor didn’t pay you.”

So my message to Val Bradford: Take your intimidation, your threats and your arrogant attitude off our forum. This is our site, and we will post what we want. If you don’t like it, then deal with it in an appropriate manner. We are not interested in your “valued” employees and how much money you have "saved" California consumers. This is not the place to advertise your wares. Believe me, nobody here cares that you are the first direct-to-consumer title underwriter. We care about getting paid for our services, the very services that keep you and your clients in business and allow Americans to buy, sell and refinance their homes. We are particularly interested in unpaid notary fees by ANS. Your company and Ms. Frey may not have any ownership or partnership with ANS, but you did not deny that your company has a business affiliation with ANS, which was run by a convicted criminal. A "former employee" of ANS posted recently that ANS has now declared "bankruptcy" - an often-used scheme to avoid paying what is owed to notaries. This is not our first trip around the block.

By the way, are you in any way concerned that one or more of these borrowers might discover that a title company allowed access to their sensitive personal information to a criminal … a person who clearly has not repented her old ways because she's now withholding thousands and thousands of dollars from notaries, ostensibly to pay for her high-living lifestyle. If I were one of these borrowers, I would be seeing an attorney, asking why my social security number and all my personal and financial information were given to a company now under investigation by the Riverside County District Attorney. These may be “hurtful” allegations, but they are not “baseless.” We would welcome these issues to be addressed through the "other available means” that you referenced. We would be interested to hear from your corporate officers about the vetting procedures you use for your vendors. Perhaps the time has come when the spotlight needs to shine on all parties in the loan signing process, particularly the culpability and accountability of title/escrow providers.



"My name is Val Bradford. I am the escrow manager and office head for EnTitle Insurance Company in California, based in Corona.

EnTitle Insurance Company is a title insurer that has been fully licensed throughout California for years. ENTITLE DIRECT is the first “direct to consumer” title underwriter, and has saved California consumers millions of dollars on title insurance through our 35% less (vs. competitors) title insurance rates.

Sunneshine Frey is a valued employee of EnTitle Insurance Company. Neither Sunneshine nor EnTitle have any ownership, partnership or other affiliation with Accurate National Signing Service. Any signings that ANS may have performed in the past as vendor for EnTitle were fully paid to ANS.

We certainly sympathize with the notaries that were not paid by ANS; especially since these same notaries play an important role in ENTITLE DIRECT. However, we must ask that you cease posting baseless and hurtful allegations against Sunneshine and/or EnTitle Insurance Company. Otherwise, we will be forced to address this issue through other available means."

Reply by JanetK_CA on 10/5/13 1:34am
Msg #487089

Re: Response to Val Bradford of EnTitle: One more thing...

I found a glaring error in this statement by Val Bradford that I think requires some clarification, given the context of this entire discussion:

"Any signings that ANS may have performed in the past as vendor for EnTitle were fully paid to ANS."

Let's please not lose sight of the fact that the people who actually "perform" the signings are the notaries themselves, not the signing service. It's paper and toner that the notary paid for that gets used to print the documents on a printer he or she bought; it's gas that the notary paid for that gets burned to bring those docs to the borrowers in a vehicle he or she pays for and maintains; and it's a big chunk of the notary's time that gets consumed by printing, driving to and from, facilitating the signing, then getting docs shipped back to title -- just to cover the major points. Notaries are also the people who are, in many cases, still waiting to get paid!!

I just wanted to make sure that point doesn't get glossed over - or forgotten.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 10/5/13 2:04am
Msg #487091

One more thing...

I just read Cheryl's post a page to two back stating that Entitle is "one of the good guys". I have no idea one way or another, so I should clarify that my comments above weren't meant to be directed simply at them. The point is meant for anyone - title company employee or otherwise - who has become cavalier about the plight of notaries who are stiffed by the intermediaries who hire them. It's simply a reminder about who has the most on the line relative to getting the docs signed.

I know that the phrase quoted is simply the way most people in our industry refer to this process. I just chose to use that to make a point.

Major kudos and applause to those title companies out there over the years who have stepped up and made sure that notaries who completed their signings properly were eventually paid, even if the signing services they hired were irresponsible!

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 10/5/13 10:46am
Msg #487111

So, let me ge this straight....

I've been a ittle out of the loop this week, and will continue to be, because of asome family issue... so I'm reading this morning to catch up.

So Val Bradford said, "Any signings that ANS may have performed in the past as vendor for EnTitle were fully paid to ANS."

So, that means that there was relationship there. Whether the employee in question was a partner or not... she is friends with one of the owners and it appears work was filtered their direction. Whether thorugh the friendship or not... work for EnTitle was sent through ANS.

Is EnTitle going to tell those customers that their file was filtered through a company run by somebody serving probation for identity theft? Obviously... it seems they weren't aware of this because they didn't even know about it.

This, I think, is the bigger issue. The lenders and title.escrow companies are forcing the notaries to submit to endless background checks, and everything else. Hey, I'm okay with that... we're dealing with people's personal information. It makes sense. and yet, these files and the work is being filtered through and brokered by signing services run by people convicted of identity theft related crimes? Really??? I realize that ANS is just one example... but it's a pretty obvious one. As a borrower, how would YOU feel if your loan paperwork had the potential to be seen by somebody on convicted of those crimes? Oh, sure, the notary is probably clean... but hat about the unseen middlemen?

It's this unseen middle level where the crooks like to live -- in the land of no regulation and where they can keep 50-60% of the fees meant for the notary's work... if not fail to completely pay the notary at all, or after months and months.

Title and Escrow companies: Please, wake up to this practice. You may think you're a great company... and you may very well *be* a great company. I do plenty of direct work for title and escrow companies. There are many, many good ones out there. BUT.... honestly? You're putting your own businesses in jeopardy with this. While not all signing services are "bad" --- there are plenty and plenty of bad ones out there, and they definitely get the treatment here at NotRot.

If you're going to require background checks and the like from your notaries... you should be requiring it from your signing services, too... and all of their employees. It's part of the same chain. Don't expose yourselves to liability issues by doing this. Right here, a rep from EnTitle, who, by all accounts is a decent title company... admits to having hired ANS.

Let me tell you... as a consumer. Had I used EnTitle and learned this, I'd be ALL OVER it. If I'd found out that my loan docs went through ANS, I'd be talking to a lawyer. Nothing may have even happened, really.... but the potential is there. As notaries, we see the borrowers sign endless privacy declarations and disclosures promising to keep their information safe. Is hiring a company wherein one of the owners is serving probation for identity theft related crimes an acceptable provision of those documents? I'm thinking not so much. This is an individual who, for at least the next 5 years cannot even obtain a Notary commission in California...if not ever. Why in the world would it be okay to filter loan docs though them?

This isn't really meant for EnTitle or any particular company... but it's just a good example to illustrate the greater issue. Everyone seems so focused lately on vetting the notary. Okay... fine. But what about those other 3rd parties in the middle?

Reply by loancloser46 on 10/5/13 9:53pm
Msg #487137

RE: ANS Amanda & Jason Kirkish,Title365,Valu America

These crooks belong in jail. It is a scary thought that they had access to borrowers ss#'s and 1003 info. If I was a borrower and Title 365 or ValuAmerica had anything to do with my loan I'd be talking to an attorney. Those fake boobs paid for with money that should have been paid to notaries might keep you floating when you dive off your boat Manda Lou but they won't keep you afloat in a courtroom.