During the MBA Annual, a special committee of major lenders and title companies known as the Signing Professionals Workgroup announced the creation of best practice standards for notaries handling loan signings. These recommendations were the result of a year-long investigation and discussion for new notary standards within the mortgage process.
“After the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued the ‘Service Providers Bulletin in April 2012, financial institutions have been held accountable for verifying the credentials of their third-party service providers,” said Thomas Heymann, president and chief executive officer of the National Notary Association. “Until now, there were no consistent or broadly acceptable standards for the notaries who represent lenders at the signing table.”
In said CFPB Bulletin, lenders were told to verify that their service providers complied with federal law and maintained “appropriate training and oversight of employees or agents.” In addition, lenders are expected to establish ongoing monitoring programs, and put in place enforceable consequences for providers who fell short and failed to quickly address their shortcomings. For these reasons, the NNA and the members of the SPW committee felt compelled to act and shore up this end of the process.
