During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 — which drastically altered the needs and behaviors of Americans in many aspects of life — Notaries across the country experienced an unprecedented surge in demand for notarizations, particularly mobile services.
As people found themselves in “safer at home” lockdowns and “work from home” situations, those who were lucky enough to stay employed capitalized on the life change by refinancing their mortgages, launching home improvement projects and taking other big-ticket financial moves which required notarizations. Similarly, Notaries across the country saw huge spikes in requests for service on wills, powers of attorney, pension forms, advance medical directives, 401k withdrawal requests and other important personal documents.
Many Signing Agents report they had a very good year with the dramatic increase in refinancings. But mobile Notary business also did amazingly well, as many places where the public generally gets things notarized, like banks or mailbox stores, were shut down, which drove signers to search for Notaries via Google and Yelp!
According to web search data from the National Notary Association’s “Find a Notary Public” page, searches for mobile Notaries increased by an unprecedented 1,750 percent in 2020. For context, in 2019 slightly more than 10,000 people visited that page. In 2020, that number skyrocketed to 187,500.
As a result, while businesses such as restaurants and hotels have struggled with closures during the pandemic, many Notaries report their 2020 business was booming.
For more information on 2020’s impact on Notaries, please see our 3-part 2020 Special Report, starting next week with COVID-19’s effect on Notaries last year.
One Notary, Robyn Palmer Carlson, says her 2020 Notary earnings increased by $10,000 over the previous year. “My general Notary work volume increased due to folks [at home] working on their “To Do” lists for getting their Living Trusts updated, amended or created and improving their financial situation through investments,” she said.
Ellen Smith said that many banks in her area were turning down Notary requests, which caused more customers to seek her out instead. “The notarizations I did for the general public … were due to banks refusing to notarize personal papers or having the lobby locked down,” she said.
Judy Giovanazzi Seki agreed, adding that many county recorders were not allowing walk-in services, requiring her customers to download vital records request forms and have Seki notarize them. “2020 was definitely a busy year!” she said.
With a massive increase in consumer need for notarizations, many people looking for new opportunities income in our struggling economy are applying for Notary commissions. It’s a good idea to avoid delay when applying, as large numbers of applicants combined with government office closures means many states are experiencing backlog in processing commissions. For example, in California, available dates to take the state’s mandatory Notary exam have already filled up several weeks ahead, since each testing location can only accommodate a limited number of applicants due to COVID-19 restrictions.
If you are interested in starting out as a Notary, the NNA can help. You can visit our Become A Notary page or email our Customer Care team at services@nationalnotary.org for assistance in applying for a commission and starting a Notary career.
David Thun is the Assistant Managing Editor at the National Notary Association.
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