Updated 2-14-23. The bad news is that it's easy for a Notary mistake to land you in legal or financial hot water. The good news is that in most cases, taking a few reasonable steps will keep you out of trouble. Here are some mistakes you should avoid:
1. Sloppy Notary journal entries
2. Offering improper legal advice
3. Incomplete or incorrect Notary certificates
4. Signing Agents: Don't harass signers for your payment
Sloppy Notary journal entries
Judges and juries form opinions about Notaries based on how records are kept in a Notary journal. Consequently, a journal with multiple cross-outs or otherwise illegible “chicken scratches,” a journal that omits information required by law or one that is sloppy or too disorganized to easily navigate, could readily be considered evidence of poor recordkeeping and therefore lose its value in protecting the Notary in a court of law. To retain its value, make sure your journal entries are legible, organized, and ordered consecutively by date, allowing for easy access — even years down the line.
Offering improper legal advice
You may know that you should never offer unauthorized legal advice to your clients. Remember that even explaining documents to signers or telling signers which type of notarial act they should use crosses the line into unauthorized legal advice. If signers have questions or need advice, they should contact the agency from which the documents originated, or the court or office where they are intended to go.
Incomplete or incorrect Notary certificates
Whether it’s a missing venue on the Notary certificate, an illegible or smudged Notary seal, or a case of mismatching document signatures, incomplete or incorrect certificates can render a notarization invalid. In fact, courts have invalidated mortgages because the Notary forgot to put the name of the person signing the mortgage in the acknowledgment. A rejected notarization can, in turn, cause potentially costly delays for your signers, which could result in a lawsuit against you. It’s worth your effort and time to carefully review every document for clarity, thoroughness and accuracy.
Signing Agents: Don't harass signers for your payment
For Notary Signing Agents, the waiting game for payment can cause serious frustration — but going directly after the borrower can result in even more serious trouble for the NSA. All payment inquiries should be directed toward the contracting company that hired you, never the borrower, who, chances are, has already paid for the service as part of the loan fees.