A Notary Public is a licensed, bonded and insured individual of integrity that is appointed by the California Secretary of State to administer oaths, verify signatures and identify prospective signers. As an impartial witness, it’s our job to also determine ones willingness and capacity to understand the document being signed.
A Notary Signing Agent is a Notary trained to handle loan documents. Lenders and title companies hire Signing Agents as independent contractors to assist in the last step of the loan process.
In the state of California, a person is not authorized to act as a Loan Signing Agent if they are not commissioned as a Notary Public. However, LSA Training is not required by the state to act as a loan signing agent, nor is it required to perform notarial acts.
Notary Signing Agents are considered independent contractors. Signing Agents decide how much they charge for their signing services and typically charge per assignment, ranging from $100 to a couple of hundred dollars. The amount you make will be based on how many assignments you can complete in a day.
Other factors that affect the cost of an assignment is the contracting company, whether you're working for a lender or an escrow office, and their budget. In addition to the notarization fees set by state law, Signing Agents can also charge for courier services, which includes printing and delivering completed loan packages to the contracting company. All fees should be agreed to before the scheduled signing.
