Champion Mobile Notary Blog » Cathy

What Do You Look Like?

Cathy — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:31:18 +0000

Sometimes I meet clients in public places, such as coffee shops, restaurants, shopping malls, or hospital or health care facility lobbies in Silicon Valley to provide mobile notary service or loan signing service. To make finding each other easier, I ask them, “What do you look like or what is your physical description?” I find interesting how we describe ourselves. Some people are basic:

“I am 6 feet, big and bald.”

“ I am 5 feet 2 inches with short black hair.”

“I have brown hair and wear glasses.”

Some people are very specific:

“I am 5 feet 6 inches, short black hair, Caucasian. I will be wearing a black jacket, black pants and a white striped blouse.”

“I am 6 feet 2 inches tall, brown curly hair, brown jacket and khaki pants.”

“Brown hair, tall, dress shirt, dress pants and I will be with my wife and two young children.”

Some people search for mobile notary service online to find me, so they know what I look like with my photo online. They tell me it is helpful for them.

For the people who need a description of me, I tell them I am 5 feet 9 inches, short black hair, (if I am wearing my glasses I will tell them), describe my clothing and that I have a black briefcase and a big orange name badge with “Champion Mobile Notary” on it.

How do you describe yourself?

Stay in touch, join my Facebook Page www.Facebook.com/ChampionMobileNotary. You will also learn more about the daily happenings of a mobile notary public and loan signing agent in the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula, South Bay and Silicon Valley.

Identification Cards For Non-Drivers?

Cathy — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:18:49 +0000

“My dad stopped driving years ago, so he doesn’t have a current driver’s license. He never traveled out of the country, so he doesn’t have a passport. He needs to have a power of attorney and advanced healthcare directive notarized.”

“My grandma is 93 years old and hasn’t driven in years. She has a couple of trust documents to notarize.”

“My mother’s health turned for the worse. She’s been unable to drive for years. She has a couple of power of attorney’s requiring notarization.”

“My uncle always bicycled to work, so he does not have a driver’s license. He is in the hospital and needs a power of attorney notarized.”

These are some of the reasons I hear why a person who needs documents notarized does not have a current government issued photo identification. Without proper identification, notary publics cannot notarize a signer’s documents (Credible witnesses can be used, but are not always convenient to use.)

I wish I could help them in their time of crisis, but I cannot due to lack of appropriate identification.

With the rise in identity theft and to protect you, banks, medical facilities, post offices and some other businesses require a current government issued photo identification.

Here is a link to the California Department of Motor Vehicles who issue identification cards to identify a person. http://www.dmv.com/ca/california/apply-id-card

If you have a current driver’s license and don’t plan to continue driving, obtaining the identification card may be easier since your information is current with the DMV. Ask them to find out.

Be proactive. Minimize your stress. Obtain a California identification card when it’s convenient for you.

The Police Are Part of Mobile Notary Work Week

Cathy — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:11:16 +0000

Some people wonder what I do as a mobile notary public. Here is a brief summary of my work week as a mobile notary public in Silicon Valley.

I met with business executives and professionals at their offices to notarize various business documents:
1. Business agreements
2. Copies of their government issued identifications to do business in foreign countries
3. Conditional and unconditional waivers and release upon progress payment forms
4. Liquor license transfer

I met with Merill Lynch wealth managers and their clients at their homes to complete notarizations of trustee certification forms. Their San Francisco office contacted me for mobile notary service.

As a certified loan signing agent, I completed sign offs with borrowers at their homes and offices who are refinancing and purchasing properties. I worked with escrow and lenders locally and nationally to complete the signings to beat their rate lock deadlines.

I visited an elder woman at her home to notarize a couple of deeds to help with family affairs.

The most interesting assignment I received involved the police. The CEO of the company was served papers by one of his vendors (“John”) and he would not allow John to remove his expensive equipment from the CEO’s company’s premises. I notarized the papers the CEO was served. About 30 minutes after I left, John called me to return to location. The police needed a statement from me. An employee and the CEO claimed John threatened the employee. John believed he would have been arrested without a witness statement stating otherwise.

The adventures of mobile notary public work in Silicon Valley continue.

Are Notaries Equal?

Cathy — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:15:54 +0000

Do you think notaries are equal? This was a post online which I think is a good question. California notaries are equal with respect to taking the required notary class, passing the exam and the FBI and California Department of Justice background checks (all of these are done every 4 years).

I do not believe the type of service notaries offer are equal. Some notaries are specific to their office, such as real estate documents, estate planning documents, banking documents, hospital documents or business documents. Some mobile notaries are part-time. As a result, staying up on the notary laws and/or best notary practices can be tough. Some mobile notaries only do loan signing. Full time notaries find staying on top of the notary laws and best notary practices easier, since they can learn and practice them more often. Some mobile notaries only do general notarization signings.

Do you think notaries are equal?

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How Do You Help Estate Planning Attorneys?

Cathy — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:42:03 +0000

Cathy Wong, Mobile Notary Public

“How do you help estate planning attorneys?” is a question people ask me. Several of my clients are estate planning attorneys.

Some estate planning attorneys have their own practice are also known as solo attorneys. A few of them of them prefer having an on-call notary public to meet with them at their office with their clients. This saves on the responsibility and expense of having an employee. Some of them meet their clients at their homes, offices or healthcare facilities. Having a professional mobile notary public allows them to better serve their clients. A number of estate planning attorneys have paralegals who are notary publics. When they are on vacation or unable to travel with the attorney to their clients, a mobile notary public allows the attorneys to execute estate planning documents with their clients.

Law firms have clients who are unable to travel to their office. Their estate planning attorney travels to their clients and calls for professional mobile notary service to help notarize the documents with their clients. There are times when additional documents need to be notarized and the attorney does not need to be present. In these cases, a professional mobile notary public provides convenience and peace of mind to their clients and to the law firm.

Other times, estate planning attorneys who are notary publics have a financial interest in the documents or are named in the documents that need to be notarized. Having a mobile notary public helps them notarize their important documents.

Another way I can help estate planning attorneys who are notary publics is when their notary public commission expires and they are awaiting their new commission. Not doing business is too costly, so mobile notary public service allows them to continue with their business by notarizing their clients’ documents.

Would You Imprint Your Notary Stamp on All the Pages of My Document?

Cathy — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:26:20 +0000

Embossed Seal

This request was made by the adoption agency for a couple who are adopting an international child. The country allowing the adoption wants to be sure all the notarized documents for the adoption are not tampered or manipulated. As a result, they requested that documents with multiple pages be fanned and the notary stamp imprinted. The California Secretary of State does not allow notary publics to fulfill this request. If we do, the Secretary of State will reject the documents during the apostille or certification process. County recorders offices will reject such documents too. This means a delay, more time, energy and probably money to fix the problem.

Last year, a business client’s notary imprinted her notary stamp on fanned pages of a notarized document. It was for a business in a foreign country who also wanted to be sure pages of the documents were not tampered. The document required an apostille from the Secretary of State, who rejected the document because the notary stamp was affixed to the document without the correct notarial wording.

“Many documents that are acknowledged may later be recorded. A document may not be accepted by the recorder if the notary public seal is illegible. Notaries public are cautioned to make sure that the notary public stamp leaves a clear impression. All the elements must be discernible. The seal should not be placed over signatures or over any printed matter on the document. An illegible or improperly placed seal may result in rejection of the document for recordation and result in inconveniences and extra expenses for all those involved.” page 7, Notary Public Handbook 2011, California Secretary of State

“….a notary public seal and signature cannot be affixed to a document without the correct notarial wording.” page 11, Notary Public Handbook 2011, California Secretary of State

http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/notary/forms/notary-handbook-2011.pdf

To meet the California Secretary of State and the adoption agency requirements, I embossed the pages of multiple page documents that did not include the notarial wording and notary stamp. This assures the foreign country and the adoption agency that no one tampered with the notarized documents. My clients were relieved there was a way to comply with the Secretary of State’s and with the adoption agency requirements, so their documents could be apostilled and sent to the adoption agency on schedule. Then, they could adopt their new daughter by the end of this year.

What if a Signer Does Not Have Identification?

Cathy — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:22:52 +0000

As a mobile notary public, I have encountered this dilemma. The signer is elderly and no longer drives, so his/her driver’s license is expired. His/her wallet was lost or stolen with their identification.

What is done if a signer for a document requiring notarization does not have proper government issued identification? Two credible witnesses can be used to identify the signer. The credible witnesses should not be named in the document, nor have a financial interest in it, nor be a spouse or immediate family member and should have personally known the signer for at least a year. They will present their current driver’s license, state identification or passport to the notary public. Their identification information is entered in the notary public’s journal.

They swear or affirm the following oath to identify the signer (Civil Code section 1185(b)(1)(A)(i)-(v)):

1. The individual appearing before the notary public as the signer of the document is the person named in the document;
2. The credible witness personally knows the signer;
3. The credible witness reasonably believes that the circumstances of the signer are such that it would be very difficult or impossible for the signer to obtain another form of identification;
4. The signer does not possess any of the identification documents authorized by law to establish the signer’s identity; and
5. The credible witness does not have a financial interest and is not named in the document signed.

Lastly, they sign the notary public’s journal.

One credible witness can be used if the notary public and the signer know the credible witness.

Apostille Service for Local and International Clients

Cathy — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:50:34 +0000

Sometimes local and international clients have documents that require an apostille (authentication) by the Secretary of State, since their notarized documents will be sent to a recipient in a foreign country. The recipient requires the documents have apostilles which authenticates the documents origin.

Clients locally sometimes do not have time to wait the few days to several days (this time may be extended due to budget cuts) turn around by mail or drive to the Secretary of State for same day apostille (authentication) service. I refer them to an affiliate document service company that turns around their documents in a couple days to a few days from when they receive them. This turn around time is based on the Secretary of States service to document service companies. (Unfortunately, this turn around time cannot be accelerated, as the Secretary of State has no rush service with document service companies. The quickest way for apostille service is to drive to the Secretary of State office in Sacramento Monday through Friday during business hours for same day service.)

The affiliate document service will bring the notarized documents to the Secretary of State the same day, if they receive them in the morning. In the best case scenario, the document service will return the apostilled documents within a couple of days domestically of when they receive them. In the worse case scenario, the document service will return the documents with apostilles within a few days domestically of when they receive them.

Added services the affiliate document service provides are emailing the documents with the apostille certificates, working with the Department of State, working with Consulates and shipping the documents anywhere in the world.

To learn more about apostille service with the California Secretary of State and the Apostille Convention, Hague Conference, members and parties and more, visit:
http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/notary/authentication.htm

A client in Dubai needed apostille service for her college diploma and transcripts. I met with the Registrar at Stanford University to notarize her diploma and transcripts. The document service brought the documents to the Secretary of State for apostille service. Next, they were certified with the Department of State in Washington, D.C. Then, they were certified with the United Arab Emirates Consulate in Washington D.C. to complete the legalization of the documents. Lastly, the legalized documents were sent to Dubai. My client was glad she could stay focused on her work and ease her stress, while I and my affiliate document service worked together to complete the legalization of her documents. These documents were required for her work visa.

Local clients usually work directly with my affiliate document service for assistance with apostille service. When their deadlines are too tight, they drive to the Secretary of State for apostille service for their notarized documents bound for receipt by someone overseas in a country that is part of the Apostille Convention.

Join me on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ChampionMobileNotary to learn more about the daily happenings of a mobile notary public & loan signing agent in the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula, South Bay and Silicon Valley.

How Important is My Name on My Photo ID?

Cathy — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:01:09 +0000

How important is my name on my photo ID? It is very important. If the document that needs to be notarized has “John L. Smith” and your photo identification has “John Smith”, the document can only be notarized using the name “John Smith”. As California notary publics we are only allowed to notarize the name that is shown on the signer’s photo identification. We can use less of a name but never more of a name. For example, if the photo identification states “John Lyndon Smith”, the document can be notarized with the name “John Smith”, “John L. Smith” or “John Lyndon Smith”. If his photo identification stated “John Smith”, the document cannot be notarized “John L. Smith”.

When a notary signing for today was scheduled, I mention the ID name requirement. The current driver’s license included “John L. Smith”. The deeds to be notarized had the name “John Lyndon Smith”. I asked the signer if he happened to have other government issued photo ID with “John Lyndon Smith”? He did not. Fortunately, the document was drafted in office, so they changed his name to “John L. Smith”. I notarized both deeds with “John L. Smith”.

In summary, your documents can be notarized with the same name or less of your name stated on your current government issued photo identification.

Thank You and Happy New Year

Cathy — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 21:54:03 +0000

Thank you to all of my clients, friends and fans for your support. You all helped make this a great year. It was a roller coaster with the work flow more unpredictable than in years past. Some days were slow with one signing, while other days were packed with signings. Overall, business was the same as my best year in business in 2008. That is a sign of better times ahead for us in 2011. I wish all of you a healthy and prosperous New Year!