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COMMENTS, THOUGHTS AND SHARES FROM THE NNA’S SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITYMissing: Notary Seal Or Journalwent off to dinner. A few months laterI went to notarize something else andthat page was ripped out. Her boyfriendthought if he ripped the page out it didn’thappen.”Peggy Ann Punday, Vancleve, KY“No, it’s locked away. Under my control.ALWAYS.”Elvia Oropeza, Hemet, CA“It is in my office at home (I live alone anddo not have guests) or in my physical possession at a signing. I have read too manyhorror stories to not keep my stamp, seal,and journal safe.”Michael Harris, Browns Mills, NJA LOST OR STOLEN NOTARY STAMP ORjournal can be used to create fraudulentdocuments. We asked our community ifthey’ve ever had their Notary supplies stolen and here were some of their answers.“I had notarized a document for a friend,put my journal in my laptop bag and we“Yes. It was temporarily locked in my car,and someone broke in and took everythingthat wasn’t attached. The police think itwas high school kids as there had beenseveral recent break-ins in the area.”“A mirror twin brother posing as his twin.They conspired to sell the house withoutthe wife’s knowledge when she was out ofthe country.”Mary Serra Zezima, Fort Myers, FL“It wasn’t the signer but the annoying,hovering son-in-law. I made sure she wasof sound mind and made sure she wantedto sign. But he was just so pushy.”Jennifer Borchelt, TX“A man who wanted me to notarize withthe document covered up. I refused, aryinstagram.com/nationalnotaryMeigan First, Gilbert, AZ“NO! Stays under lock and key.”David James Boyce Jr., Columbus, GADealing With Challenging SignersWHETHER IT’S AN UPSET BORROWER,unruly pets or other issues, Notary SigningAgents often encounter challenging situations during assignments. These Notariesshared stories of the most challenging signers they’ve ever faced.Join our onlinecommunities andinteract with theNNA and Notarieseverywhere!my job threatened and as it turned out,he was trying to take all of his mother’sproperty.”Donna Baxter Serrano, Dowling Park, FL“A mother and daughter who I was toldhad already read the documents and werefamiliar with them. I am not exaggerating,they wanted me to go over every singlepage. What should’ve taken 45 minutestook me two-and-a-half hours, and theescrow officer was wondering why it wastaking so nchatsworthAndrea Augustson, Los Angeles, CA“There have been a few, but one stands out:The house was filthy — cobwebs acrossthe kitchen sink, filthy dust piled on thetable, etc. He cleared just enough room formy journal to almost fit.”Margaret Paddock, Cottonwood, AZTHE NATIONAL NOTARYMAY 20207

ASSOCIATION NEWSThe National Notary Magazine Goes Digital!IF YOU CAN SAY ANYTHING ABOUT 2020 SO FAR, IT HASdefinitely been a year of dramatic and unexpected change.The COVID-19 crisis, social distancing protocols and therapid rise of Remote Online Notarization (RON) have fundamentally altered the way we interact, communicate, dobusiness and live our lives.Amid our new reality, America’s Notaries are duty-boundto change the way they serve the public and industries,either by state executive orders, industry rules, or personalchoices. During all of this, Notaries’ needs for information,training, analysis and in-depth industry perspective is atan all-time high as we rapidlyadapt to our new way of life.T h at’s why t he Nat ion a lNotary Association has chosento quickly restructure its communications programs to better serve Notaries. The mostnotable change: The NationalNotary magazine is going digital this fall!instead of having to wait for the mail, and our new videoand interactive features will bring your premium contentto life in ways that were never possible in print.”You will soon see The National Notary’s enhanced articlespublished alongside news articles in the Notary Bulletin, inthe NNA Member Newsletter, the Hotline Newsletter, onour social media channels and in the “News and Information” section of NationalNotary.org. You’ll also find magazine articles in subject-based search engine results likeGoogle and Bing, and you’ll be able to share content withemployers, friends and colleagues via email, text, socialmedia and more.“We have been planninga digital transition ofThe National Notary for quitesome time but currentevents prompted us toaccelerate our plans to betterserve Notaries everywhere”While the format of yourmagazine is changing, thecontent you enjoy and relyupon will not. You willcontinue to receive all of theguidance, analysis, trainingand celebration that you haveexpected from The NationalNotary for decades.“So far this year, as ofFor nearly si x decades Thepress time, more than 30National Notary has been thestates have issued emergencyheart of news and information— Phillip Browne,executive orders authorizingfor the NNA’s Notary commuVice President of CommunicationsRON and mandating changesnity. It will now be available toto how traditional paperall of the nation’s 4.4 millionbased notarizations are perNotaries, state officials, mortformed,” Browne said. “As we make sense of it all, theregage industry representatives and other critical stakeholdare a lot of new opportunities emerging to improve yourers; and its new online format will be more valuable andbusinesses and professionalism. Your new digital magaengaging than ever before.zine, coupled with our other online news and information“We have been planning a digital transition of Theresources, has become more valuable than ever to helpNational Notary for quite some time — just like we didyou navigate the changes in our industry and to grow aswith the Notary Bulletin a decade ago — but currenta professional Notary.”events prompted us to accelerate our plans to better serveWe look forward to you experiencing The National NotaryNotaries everywhere,” said Phillip Browne, the NNA’s Viceonline. Keep an eye on NationalNotary.org for morePresident of Communications. “Notaries will now get ourdetails as they emerge.in-depth features, special reports and profiles instantly8THE NATIONAL NOTARYMAY 2020

YOUR WORLDStates EnactEmergencyID MeasuresThe Oldest Person Who Ever Lived?Her Notary KnowsBut in recent years that accomplishment was challenged by a pair of Russianresearchers who used photo comparisonsand inconsistencies in the stories Calmenttold about her life to assert that her daughter, Yvonne, actually started to impersonate her, according to a recent article in TheNew Yorker.The article debunks the Russians’ claim inpart because of Calment’s long associationwith a Notary in the town. Both Calmentand the Notary lived their entire livesin Arles and had frequent, documentedencounters — both professionally andPhoto courtesy of Associated Press.JEANNE CALMENT WAS BORN IN FEBRUARY 1875 in Arles, France, and reportedlylived until the summer of 1997 — longenough to meet Vincent Van Gogh, see twoworld wars, the Great Depression, the riseand fall of the Soviet Union and a lot of lifealong the way. It also was long enough to godown in history as the oldest person to everlive — nearly 121 years.Jeanne Calmentsocially. Among other things, the Notarypresided over the sale of her residence in1931, long after the Russian’s claimed herdaughter began impersonating her. Andthere were encounters afterwards thatalso included the Notary’s successor.The magazine concludes that both Notariesknew Calment and her daughter too well tobe fooled. So Calment’s record stands.Despite Coronavirus, Mortgage Activity SurgingIF THERE IS A BRIGHT SPOT IN THE CURRENT economy, the mortgage industry isexperiencing a huge surge in home loanapplications during the first week of March,particularly for refinance originations,according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. And the industry organization nowforecasts a substantially higher level ofactivity for all of 2020.“Market uncertainty around the coronavirus led to a considerable drop in U.S.Treasury rates, causing the 30-year fixedrate to fall and match its December 2012survey low of 3.47 percent. Homeownersrushed in, with refinance applicationsjumping 79 percent — the largest weeklyincrease since November 2008,” said JoelKan, MBA’s Associate Vice President ofEconomic and Industry Forecasting. “Thepurchase market also hada solid week,with activity nearly 12percent higherthan a yearago. Prospective buyers continue to be encouraged byimproving housing inventory levels insome markets and very low rates.”IN RESPONSE TO THECOVID-19 crisis, severalstates have put in placeemergency measuresinvolving expiring driver’slicenses and state-issuedID cards.To date, the states includeArizona, California, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesotaand Texas. These measuresdeal with driver’s licensesand IDs set to expire during their state’s respectiveemergency declarations.In Texas, for example, anyID with expiration dates ofMarch 13, 2020, or later arestill considered valid andcurrent for 60 days afterTexas’ State of Disasteris lifted. Texas Notarieswould be able to acceptthese IDs.While Notaries in most ofthese states may acceptthese expired IDs, youshould review the detailsof your state’s emergencymeasure before acceptingone for a notarization.It’s also advisable to makea note in your journalentry.To learn more, visit bit.ly/ExpiredID.MBA now forecasts total mortgage originations to come in around 2.61 trillionfor 2020, a 20.3-percent gain from 2019’svolume ( 2.17 trillion). Refinance originations for the year are expected to spike 36.7percent over 2019 to around 1.23 trillion.Purchase originations are expected toincrease 8.3 percent to 1.38 trillion.THE NATIONAL NOTARYMAY 20209

REMOTE ONLINE NOTARIZATION:Nearing TheTipping PointBy David ThunEARLIER THIS YEAR STATE EVALUATION AND ADOPTION OF REMOTE ONLINEnotarization was on a gradual, multi-year growth trajectory that looked it would takemuch of the next decade to become a common service. Then came the COVID-19crisis, shelter from home orders, and social distancing.With the crisis now front and center on everyone’s prioritylist, and uncertainty about what life and commerce will looklike in the coming years, states have quickly placed adoption of remote online notarization (RON) at the top of theirlegislative agendas.10THE NATIONAL NOTARYMAY 2020Consider that in the past decade, 24 states passed permanent laws authorizing some form of RON. That still leftNotaries in more than half the states relying exclusivelyon traditional, in-person interaction when performingnotarizations.

But in the last two weeks of March alone more than 30 statesimplemented emergency RON and "remote ink-signed notarization" (RIN) measures. Some states, such as Washington andWisconsin, already had RON laws on the books but moved uptheir effective dates. Other states, such as Pennsylvania and Illinois, gave their Notaries temporary authority to perform them.enacted its pioneering RON law, was able to continue servingcustomers while avoiding physical contact.Without question, remote online notarization is now in thenational spotlight. Legislators, industry leaders and Notariesalike are evaluating its value and benefits through new eyesas we approach an unclear, yet certain “new normal” way oflife and business. The issue is so important that the U.S Congress is now considering a national RON bill. Senators MarkWarner (D-VA) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) have introducedthe “Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote andElectronic Notarization Act of 2020” that would authorizeremote online notarizations and establish minimum interstate standards nationwide.Cole wasn’t the only one to see the need for a solution suchas RON during the pandemic. With millions of people acrossthe nation ordered by the government to stay home and avoidclose contact, suddenly the ability to perform notarizationswithout requiring face-to-face contact that could spread theCOVID-19 virus suddenly became an urgent priority for lawmakers. Remote notarization service providers such as NotaryCam and Notarize ramped up their efforts to recruit Notaries.RON Offers Workable, ‘Stay At Home’SolutionThe rationale for the emergency RON orders was simple need,as Washington Governor Jay Inslee made clear in his emergency proclamation: “Many professional services require theuse of Notary services for a variety of purposes that impactour vulnerable populations, including the need for advancedhealthcare directives, wills, deeds oftrust, durable powers of attorney forhealth care and affidavits of identity for a variety of purposes.”“Remote notarizations are ideal for social distancing,” said Cole.“You can’t get sick from someone you interact with via videoconference.” Today, he says, there is more demand than ever forhis RON services.But what happens when the “stay at home” orders are lifted?Will businesses and industries that rely heavily on the integrityof notarized documents, such as real estate and mortgagebanking, accept this innovative process?Bill Anderson, NNA’s Vice President of Government Affairs,says it is anyone’s guess whether the temporary RON andRIN authorizations will become permanent. “Weeks ago, RINdidn’t exist, but neither did front porch and drive-by signings,the latter following traditional notarization procedures butkeeps the Notary and document signer apart as much as possible.” Anderson also said, “Urgencyand necessity are the mothers ofinvention.”“We definitelyanticipate demand forremote notarizationto grow in thenext few years”Across many industries, businessesthat may have been leery of remoteonline notarization before thecoronavirus outbreak suddenly hada “stay at home”-friendly option tokeep functioning while protecting their employees, Notaries and— Minnesota Secretary of Stateclients. Once they see how remoteSteve Simonnotarization can apply to their business models, they may not want toOf course, when the coronavirusgive it up. And that could fuel anoutbreak reached the United States this spring, many Notaaccelerated drive for more states to enact permanent remoteries were understandably anxious about face-to-face contactnotarization laws.with potentially contagious signers. The emergency ordersAt the same time, Notaries must always follow their state’s lawshelp spark a surge in interest in RON among Notaries. In anregarding RON. Notaries should never perform RONs unlessApril 2019 NNA survey, 79 percent of Notary respondents saidtheir state has explicitly authorized it and the Notary has metthey were interested in performing RONs during the COVID-19all requirements to do so. Notaries should never attempt toemergency, and 26 percent said the pandemic had changed howimprovise their own remote notarization procedures withthey felt toward RON.out state guidance. RONs should only be performed strictlyJohn Kenneth Cole of Virginia, one of the first Notaries in theaccording to laws and guidelines set by your state statutes andnation to perform remote online notarizations after VirginiaNotary officials.To follow good social-distancing protocols, remote notarization offereda workable solution to many policymakers, allowing Notaries and signers alike to stay at home. It also haspermitted businesses and individualsigners to continue to complete crucial transactions during the COVID19 crisis.THE NATIONAL NOTARYMAY202011

Where Is RON Allowed In2020?The number of states enacting remoteonline notarization laws has picked uptremendous speed over the past year.RON In Real Estate ClosingsFive years ago, few lenders were eagerto add untested remote online notarization to loan document signings. But asmore companies successfully tested“RON means faster and generally lessexpensive transactions for signers.”— Pem Guerry, Executive Vice President, SIGNiXApart from the 23 states with permanent laws on the books, a number ofothers are considering bills in theircurrent legislative sessions, includingNew York, Pennsylvania and Georgia.It’s possible that by the end of 2020,Notaries in more than half of all U.S.states will be permanently authorizedto offer RON services.pilot programs for eClosings using RON,confidence in the process grew, andcompanies began to see the benefitsRON brought to borrowers, eliminatingthe need for lengthy travel to an officefor a loan signing and enabling signersunable to travel long distances to complete real estate transactions throughremote technology.The number of Notaries performingRON remains relatively small. Priorto the coronavirus crisis, for example,Minnesota had 616 Notaries qualifiedto perform RONs. (See chart on page 13for other states.) But response to RONhas been highly positive, saidMinnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.“It’s very much a consumer-friendlything,” said Rick Hill, Vice President ofIndustry Technology with the MortgageBankers Association. “If you’ve everclosed a loan, historically you have togo to someone’s office to sign all of yourdocuments. With remote online notarization, you no longer have to do that. Forexample, let’s say that a husband andwife are trying to close on loan, but thewife is serving in the military in anotherstate or country. Previously, the wife“The most important benefits RONhas brought us are more freedom andflexibility,” Simon said. “Looking at ourincreasingly digital world, we definitely anticipate demand for remotenotarization to grow in the next fewyears. It’s received particularly goodfeedback from the real estate industry,and I think it will catch on in othersectors as more people realize theadvantages.”Simon said the RON implementationprocess has gone very smoothly, withno serious legal or technical problems.In fact, he said the only notable issuewas that some Minnesota Notariesmistakenly believed that becominga remote Notary was mandatory, notoptional. “Since then, we’ve gotten theword out that it’s not required for ourNotaries to perform RONs,” he said.12THE NATIONAL NOTARYMAY 2020would have had to jump on a plane andcome home to sign the documents. WithRON, they are both able to participatein the closing in a way that was just notpossible before.”However, 2018 and 2019 saw a significantincrease in electronic closings. Morethan half of all loan applications inthe past two years included an onlineor mobile component, according toinformation published by FISERV.Mortgage Electronic RegistrationsSystems (MERS) reported that 127,178eNotes (paperless records of electronicmortgages) were registered in 2019.MISMO , the mortgage industry’s standards organization, recently announceda new RON certification program forRON providers and mortgage industryparticipants to increase adoption ofRON-enabled mortgage closings.“Sometimes only part of the process isperformed electronically, or you may besigning all your documents electronically with a remote Notary,” Hill said. “Inthe past year and a half, we’ve migratedfrom a very small number of electronicclosings to 15,000-16,000 eClosings eachmonth, and RON is being used in manyof those transactions.”RON Reduces Errors AndPaper Costs In Loan Closi

Nearing The Tipping Point David Thun From the coronavirus pandemic to unexpected benefits for the real estate industry, 2020 has been a year of swift and extraordinary changes for remote online notarization (RON). The sudden, nationwide need for safe social distancing has changed RON from a curiosity into a necessity as many states