If you have ever applied for a loan or mortgage, you would be familiar with the term Notary Signing Agent. Well; even if you have never applied for a loan, you would be aware of the role of the notary public. For, at least, once or more in a lifetime, you would require the services of a notary public to get important documents like wills, power of attorneys, business deals and agreements authenticated. Although both these terms sound similar, there is a significant difference in the role played by a notary signing agent versus a notary public.
NSA vs Notary Public
Notary public is authorized by the state to witness and verify the signings of important documents like a will, power of attorney, birth certificate etc. Conversely, NSA is trained to sign loan and mortgage documents. As loan and mortgage documents are vital and tricky, special training is required to become NSA. However, the first step to becoming NSA is to become a notary public. After being authorized as a notary public, the person must undergo specialized training to understand the process and details of loans and the respective documents. So, NSA’s are primarily involved with signing of loan and mortgage documents, while the notary public authenticates other important documents.
However, they have some things in common. Both the notary public and NSA are authorized to witness the signing of important documents. They are not involved with the content contained in the document. They are not authorized to explain the details of the content to any of the parties. NSA advices the signee to consult the lender for doubts; if any. Both of them are neutral third party witness to the signing of important documents. The stamp and seal of these agents authenticates a document. So, whenever authentication of documents is demanded by a party, the notary public and Notary signing agent have a role to play as neutral third party.
Role of NSA
However, for a notary public to become a NSA, they have to undergo training and attain the Signing Agent certificate. Certain requirements of signing by NSA vary from state to state. For instance: Certain states might require the NSA to witness the signings in the presence of an attorney. The documents must also be attested by the attorney.
However, loan documents across the nation are the same. So, a NSA who has successfully completed the training course can act as NSA in any state. The training course equips them with the essential knowledge of loan and mortgage. They can then handle additional documents or requirements of a different State too.
Considering the importance of the role of a NSA, many people step into this arena. However, although authorized to carry on the duties, every NSA may not be efficient. Although they might know everything, they may not be experienced to tackle tricky documents like loan documents. So, before you hire any NSA, do some homework and choose an experienced one. For, even minor mistakes can lead to the rejection of documents and other complications.
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