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Most people think that notarization is a simple process. The Notary just signs the certificate and puts their stamp on it. Quick, easy and fun, right? But as they say in today’s online parlance, if you know, you know: More often than not, it’s nowhere near that simple.
In fact, Notaries across the country encounter stressful situations every day. From signers presenting unsuitable IDs to having to refuse improper notarization requests, the challenges are endless. Then there’s the whole cornucopia of dramatic situations that can hit you out of nowhere.
We recently asked the NNA Community to share their own stories in our recent question of the week: What’s the most stressful notarization you’ve ever performed? There’s been nearly 80 responses so far, and here are a few that will make your head spin:
Debby McQuillen of New York had a concerning situation present itself on Christmas Eve:
“I had a signing for an elderly gentleman on Christmas Eve. When I arrived at his home he didn’t answer the door. I could see him through a window in the door. I knocked, rang the doorbell, called his phone for 5-10 minutes and he didn’t move. I finally called the police for a welfare check. They arrived and the neighbor came over with a spare key and he was fine, just sound asleep. It scared me, but I was thankful he was ok and coherent. He thanked me for being concerned.”
Notary Sue England recounted an unusual situation involving signers from another country:
“I did a refinance for a couple from Iran. Their English was better than my Farsi, and I had to explain to them they must sign their names exactly as they were listed on the documents. They printed their names as their signatures. It was done in my presence, and I witnessed them doing it. A week later, the title company made me go back out to redo the signing, without pay, because they claimed the lender rejected the docs due to the signers printing their names.”
Terri Kotchevar of Porterville, California experienced a stressful adoption-related transaction with a happy ending.
“One of my co-workers went through the process of adopting a baby from Vietnam and asked me to notarize for her. I went with her to notarize documents from her doctor and law enforcement and, in the process, I made more than one call to the NNA Hotline. I got it done and she traveled to Vietnam to get the baby! For her baby shower, I got her one of the "Notarized Baby" onesies the NNA used to sell. It was a stressful, but rewarding, experience!”
Jerry Ritter of San Diego, California recounted a heated situation that almost ended in violence:
“I had a couple that was getting divorced and he was refinancing a property to pay her off. He didn’t get enough money out of the deal, and she wanted him to sign a letter stating he would pay her the balance at a later day. He refused to sign a letter. He stood up like he was going to hit her. I had to call the police.”
Kim Roberts of Scottsdale, Arizona found herself in a pinch when the lenders’ document transfer processes weren’t up to par.
“I had three refis on a Friday afternoon with three different lender teams working two hours ahead of me, and all of them stayed late hoping to record the transactions from scans. None of them had online document transfer portals or a Dropbox, so the docs had to be emailed in in small batches. I also had poor cell service. None of the attachments would go through email and the loans didn’t close that day because of it.”
Bonus story! Notary Tara Broadway of Godfrey, Illinois recounts almost being restrained by a signer in the boonies:
“I did a notarization that was out in the country and it was for the sale of a house that was somewhere else. When we got done with the signing the seller asked me for the check to finalize payment for the sale. I told her I didn’t have it because it was supposed to be wired to her bank. She flipped out and tried to keep me hostage. She finally called her realtor and they explained everything to her.”
Editor’s note: Some responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity. Original posts can be found on the NNA’s question of the week thread.
Phillip Browne is the Vice President of Communications at the National Notary Association.