AnalysisU.S. President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order on March 13, 2026, aimed at promoting access to mortgage credit for Americans. There are parts of the President’s order that could directly impact Notary Signing Agents who facilitate mortgage loan signings. The first is addressing TRID (TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure) timing rules. The Closing Disclosure has been a regular document appearing in closing packages for most home mortgages the past number of years. As Notary Signing Agents can attest, there are times when even the smallest changes to loan terms that meet certain technical triggers can require re-issuance of the Closing Disclosure and result in another mandatory waiting period before the loan can be closed. The President appears to be concerned that these triggers can delay closings for reasons that may not affect borrowers in any meaningful way and impose compliance burdens, particularly on community and smaller lenders. A “materiality-based standard” would shift the focus from whether a rule was technically triggered to whether the change actually matters to a consumer’s decision or understanding. Thus, not every change to a loan term would restart the clock or require a mandatory waiting period.
Second, the President is calling on the CFPB to consider modernizing Truth in Lending Act right of rescission rules by enabling increased use of secure electronic and digital forms. As every NSA knows, each borrower must be provided with two paper copies of the Notice of Right to Cancel form for loans that have a rescission period. Borrowers indicate their decision to rescind the loan by signing the form in pen and ink and mailing the form before the rescission period ends. This paper-based process can lead to operational friction, uncertainty about delivery and receipt, and compliance risk that is disconnected from consumer understanding. The President is now directing the CFPB to consider using electronic Right to Cancel forms and allow borrowers to use electronic signatures instead.
The Order also addresses another right‑of‑rescission issue by calling on the CFPB to consider exempting “rate-and-term” refinances, including cash-out refinances, from the 3-day right of rescission rule. A “rate-and-term refinance” replaces the existing mortgage, resets the loan terms, and generally matches the remaining balance of the old loan, plus allowable closing costs. The concern is that these refinances, in the President’s opinion, do not present the same risks that the rescission option was originally designed to address, and thus can slow down the closing of the loan.
Third, the President is directing the USDA, HUD, VA, and FHFA to consider reducing remaining legal and operational barriers to fully digital real estate closings. In 2026, the mortgage industry is still tied to paper documents even though the technology for securely presenting, signing, and notarizing closing documents with in-person electronic notarization (IPEN) has existed for nearly 25 years. Remote online notarization platforms did not have to recreate the wheel for signing and notarizing electronic documents with RON; they simply used the perfected technology that IPEN had been using for years and added to it the additional communication technology, audiovisual recording, and identity verification elements that are required for a RON. The President is directing these agencies to consider standardizing acceptance of electronic signatures, electronic promissory notes (e-notes), and remote online notarization. Perhaps the Notary profession will move more decisively to IPEN and RON as a result of the President’s directives. We will have to wait and see.
Because this is an executive order, these changes are not immediate and would require rulemaking by the relevant agencies before taking effect.
Read the Executive Order.