I am a licensed notary, mortgage lender, and realtor in the State of Utah that is both bonded and insured by the State of Utah Notary Commission.
I have 40+ years of mortgage lender and notary experience, and have lived within the Salt Lake County Area for over 36 years, allowing myself to have grown a deep knowledge of the area and where things are. Feel free to get in contact about any of your notary needs!
Notarization is the official fraud-deterrent process that assures the parties of a transaction that a document is authentic.
A Notary Signing Agent is a Notary who has been trained to handle loan documents. Lenders and title companies hire Signing Agents as independent contractors.
The most important duty of a notary public is to verify the identity of the person signing the document. These are LEGAL documents, so therefore the signer is required to provide proof of their identity.
There are three primary methods of identifying signers, each with its own set of guidelines, procedures and challenges.
In Utah, the fee is $10.00 per signature but the Mobile Notary is allowed to charge for travel and time. Many fees are set by the Mortgage or Title company for their documents. Our fees are discussed in more detail here.
Below are the state of Utahs's current notarization laws.
Do’s
1. Identify your signer using satisfactory evidence of identity. Don’t know what ‘satisfactory evidence of identity’ is? Check out the statute here.
2. Make sure your signer is voluntarily signing the document (he or she should affirm or swear they are knowingly and voluntarily signing the document).
3. Remember that personal appearance is required. This does not mean via Skype, or any other means of video communication. The signer must be there, in the flesh, before you.
4. Stay impartial.
5. When your commission expires, always destroy your certificate and seal.
6. Keep and maintain your notarial seal (stamp), certificate and journal in a safe place.
7. Know your Powers and Limitations. See the Notary law here.
8. Keep a journal! It is the best way to legally protect yourself in the event of a lawsuit.
9. Make sure the notarial language wording complies with Utah law.
10. Always report lost or stolen seals, certificates and journals.
11. Contact the Utah Legislation office if you have any questions about a notarization.
Don’ts
1. Never just stamp and sign. Remember that a complete notarization requires notarial language, signature and your seal.
2. Never notarize a document if the signer is not present.
3. Never let other people use your seal. This is considered a Class B Misdemeanor, and is subjective to prosecution and revocation of your commission.
4. Never offer legal advice to your signer or draft a document if you intend on notarizing the document. You need to be a licensed Utah attorney to do so.
5. Never notarize a document with an expired commission.
6. Leave your seal, journal and certificate with your employer upon termination of employment.
7. Never complete a notarization with information known to be false.
8. Notarize a document you are named in or stand to gain from financially.
9. Copy certify public or publicly recorded documents.
10. Notarize outside of the State of Utah; you can only perform a notarial act within the state.
We at BJ Hansen Mobile Notary adhere to all of the above statues and notarization laws put forward by the state of Utah, and will not move forward with any request given to us outside of the above statements. We also withhold the right to cancel any appointment without a refund if any of the above statements are violated during an appointment session.
