NEIL L. KLEEGER NNA Certified Notary Signing Agent 14745 Cumpston Street Sherman Oaks, CA 91411-3730 Office: (818) 782-6264 Fax: (818) 782-5740 Cell: (818) 522-3189 neil@kleeger.com
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NOTARY NEWS for 2007: Notary Curriculum Awarded National Accreditation Recognized by U.S. Department of Education Notaries Honored In Rose Parade; NNA Float Wins ˜Fantasy Trophy” NNA's Notary Curriculum Earns Accreditation Recognized by U.S. Department of Education Pennsylvania Achieves First Fully Electronic Home Sale After a yearlong independent review of its comprehensive slate of Notary training programs, the National Notary Association has earned national accreditation for its educational curriculum a nationwide stamp of approval for an unmatched quality of instruction that's propelling the nation's Notaries into a new era of professionalism. The five-year accreditation ” the longest term granted” establishes the NNA as an organization whose educational programs are credentialed both by state governments and the U.S. Department of Education. The nation's colleges and universities undergo similar programs to ensure the quality of their curricula. This accreditation provides assurance not just to Notaries and their employers, but to all interested parties in industry and government, that the NNA offers the highest quality and most thorough Notary training and guidance available anywhere, regardless of which state or U.S. territory the student Notary is from, said NNA Executive Director Timothy S. Reiniger. "The NNA has always dedicated itself to presenting the most authoritative and comprehensive Notary training available throughout the United States, and we are now honored to be recognized not only by state governments across the nation, but by the U.S. Department of Education with this prestigious accreditation," he said. "This strengthens our mission to bring the highest levels of professionalism to the Notary office." The analysis and review of the NNA's programs was conducted by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET). Officially backed by the U.S. Department of Education, ACCET credentials provide assurance that the NNA's unparalleled slate of Notary education programs, in all of their forms, have been screened to meet the rigorous national standards for quality used to evaluate centers of continuing education and training programs throughout the United States. This accreditation applies to all Notary education services provided by the NNA, including live seminars and online training. These varied instructional programs, catering to different levels of notarial experience and to different professional fields, serve first-time and veteran Notaries, Notaries fulfilling a state-mandated continuing education requirement, Notaries who wish to become Signing Agents, Notaries undergoing training through the NNA's Corporate Notary Assistance Program (CNAP), and Notaries who on their own want to keep up with new statutes and regulations through NNA symposiums. To meet the strict qualification process, the NNA welcomed a team of accreditation auditors who visited its Chatsworth , California , headquarters in October to assess its educational materials, instructors and operations. "ACCET looked at all facets of our organization” our staff, history, stability, trainers and facility," said Pauline Houston, Educational Services Group Manager. "They were here to audit the organization and verify the strength of our programs." The NNA's accreditation comes at a time when its pioneering mission of the past 50 years to professionalize American Notaries has been copied by often-disreputable commercial enterprises offering their own Notary classes. Problems arise when these programs recycle educational materials researched and written by others without understanding basic notarial concepts and issues. In such cases, these programs become public perils, dispensing misinformation that can lead student Notaries and the consumers they serve astray. Reiniger said the primary reason for undergoing the rigorous accreditation process was to provide Notaries with education and training they can trust. "The NNA is extremely concerned about the self-proclaimed educators who may not be prepared or qualified to guide Notaries in an increasingly complex marketplace," Reiniger said. "For 50 years we have been aggressive in creating the highest quality curriculum for Notaries, and are proud to offer them programs."
An Official Message from the Title Industry As a measure to protect private and sensitive information of consumers, the federal government will soon require that all persons involved in the lending process undergo background screening and compliance training. The requirement will affect every individual with access to borrowers' financial information and includes Notary Signing Agents as well as employees of lenders and title services firms. This mandate is spelled out in the Gramm-Leach Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act and applicable Interagency Guidelines. In the months ahead, all Notaries who handle loan document signings will need to participate in background screenings and compliance training. In fact, many lenders are already placing this requirement on title and signing services in order to comply with the federal mandate. These lenders now require that all Notaries handling their loan signings have background screenings, and the title and signing companies have responded by implementing their own processes. This independent approach has created a downside for Notary Signing Agents: the difficulty of applying for, and submitting to, multiple screening” one for each company” in order to pursue their careers. To ease this burden on Notaries of multiple background screening, several of the nation's leading title information services companies ”First American Lenders Advantage, Fiserv, LandAmerica OneStop, LSI (a Fidelity National Title company), National Real Estate Information Services and Stewart Mortgage Information (a subsidiary of Stewart Title)” have agreed to employ a National Notary Association-developed solution. The NNA's strengthened NSA Certification Program eliminates the need for multiple background checks and provides a confidential, single-source screening system. Notaries may enroll with the NNA's program beginning October 1, through the Association's Web site. Participating title services companies will require all Notaries they use to enroll with the NNA's program by December 1 of this year.        Friday, May 26, 2006 Electronic Notary Seal   Electronic documents offer speed, flexibility, economy and easy storage. The Electronic Notary Seal (ENS) provides this necessary and final link for electronic notarizations. The ENS is a unique digital certificate that confirms a Notary's commission. It is accessible only to its designated Notary. That Notary can protect the ENS by password or through a biometric (e.g., fingerprint) confirmation. The ENS helps thwart forgeries and frauds. Once affixed, the ENS renders the document tamper-evident by marking in real time the moment when the Notary authenticated it. If someone later attempts to alter the e-document, subsequent viewers of the document can be alerted that tampering has occurred. Like e-mail messages, word processing documents, Web pages and PDF files like Adobe Acrobat, the ENS is readable. Additionally, an image of the Notary's seal stamp can be included in any image file form to accompany it. To apply for your Electronic Notary Seal, call 1-800-US NOTARY (1-800-876-6827). NOTE: Electronic notarization processes, procedures and systems are not yet established in every state. Electronic Notary Seals are available in California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah. *Article courtesy of National Notary Association

NEIL L. KLEEGER
NNA Certified Notary Signing Agent
14745 Cumpston Street
Sherman Oaks, CA 91411-3730
Office: (818) 782-6264
Fax: (818) 782-5740
Cell: (818) 522-3189
neil@kleeger.com