Notaries do more than verify signatures!
The best advantage you can have as a professional to grow in your career or as an expert in your field is an investment in your education.
I understand there are a plethora of training courses for notaries to choose from these days, some good, some bad, some stealing other peoples information and trying to pass it off as their own! It can be hard to choose what's a good investment to make for you.
As a notary, we fall under the category of all other legal services, according to the NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) - this is data collected and provided by the United States Census Bureau.
Therefore, it is important to be current on trends and issues related to notary laws.
Through my research, I’ve found limited resources to educate notaries on fraud prevention, although this is a responsibility we have.
Another fact is several states do not require notaries to keep a register of acts (journal) to document what they have notarized.
According to the National Notary Association, only about 19 states have some type of notary education or exam mandated.
Consequently, due to the lack of quality education for notaries; in states where it is not required, many are unprepared and misinformed on how to conduct proper notarial acts. So much so that companies are making deductions from fees due to the vast number of mistakes being made by notaries.
A question that came up at the National Association of the Secretaries of States Notary Public Administrators conference this year was "how do we get them to care"? Something so simple, but so impactful. How do we get notaries to care about doing what they do with integrity and confidence?
Notarial acts and notary duties can range from a simple one-page acknowledgment notarization to more complex assignments such as witnessing mortgage loan closings, giving oaths at depositions, notarizing immigration-related forms, notarizing election ballots, even facilitating marriage ceremonies.
A notary's role is an important one to have.
It’s an honor to be referred to as the “preferred notary” from someone.
A strong foundation (proper training) is essential to your growth in any profession.
Realizing the need for professional development training for notaries, I started this business to fill that void. I care, because I take pride in creating quality training events and course materials for notaries to be the best version of themselves. I also asked myself when I first became a notary back in 2015, "I'm a notary, now what?"
Leave a comment below to let me know why you care, when it comes to performing notary services.
- Michol
Compliance training will ensure Notaries are equipped with the knowledge to ensure that we adhere to various laws, policies and regulatory requirements when witnessing certain documents for notarization.