Why Do I Need a Notary Bond?

A notary public is an official appointed position by the Secretary of State's office in a given state. As with most public officials, the State requires that the individual obtain a surety or notary bond prior to receiving their appointment. This bond "makes sure" that if the official violates the public trust through negligence of their duties, funds are available to reimburse the State for its loss.

The primary responsibility of a notary public is to validate that the individual parties to a contract are who they claim to be. The State may suffer a loss if the notary fails to properly confirm the identity of the parties.

Here's an example... 

Susan wants to buy a car currently titled to her friend, Jim. Susan and Jim take the title to a notary public for notarization. The notary asks both for a form of identification. Susan shows the notary her driver's license but Jim says he left his ID at home. Jim acts like he is in a hurry and flusters the notary public, so the notary public has Susan and Jim sign the title and then the notary public notarizes their signatures.

Unfortunately the person claiming to be "Jim" is not Jim but an imposter.

As a public official, the notary public in this example violated the public trust by failing in their duty to confirm identity. The real Jim has recourse to file a claim against the State in which the transaction occurred for his loss, because the State was negligent through its appointed representative.

A notary bond is a guarantee of payment to the obligee (the State) should a loss occur for a penalty amount of the bond. Notary bonds are usually provided by a surety company (typically an insurance carrier).  A notary bond is simply a guarantee that the funds will be available should a loss occur. The surety (insurance company) makes a payment to the State up to the penalty amount of the bond. However, the surety will most likely seek reimbursement from the notary public who made the mistake. 

A notary bond protects the public. Who protects the notary? Insurance coverage is available to provide this protection - it's called Notary Public Errors and Omissions and may be purchased for a nominal fee from insurance companies.  Huckleberry Notary Bonding provides E&O Insurance.

Fraud is a real concern and notary publics are frequently the gatekeepers of official documents.  Notary Publics need to be on the lookout for these types of fraudulent activities and must know the laws in their state.  That's one of the primary reasons Huckleberry Notary Bonding has the revisit program to notary classroom training for current and renewing notaries who have purchased the online or classroom training.  We want you, the notary public to keep these laws at the front of your mind and allow you to come back to training anytime you feel you need a refresher. 

If you have purchased the online course, it is available to you anytime through your logon.  If you purchased a classroom course, you can revisit the class anytime at any location.

Computer Tip of the Month

Enable the Windows single-click option
Users who have a hard time double-clicking or may be used to single-clicking an item to open it may wish to eliminate the double-click option in Windows. Open My Computer, Click Tools, Click Folder Options, in the General tab select the single-click to open an item option.

Alphabetize icons in your start menu
Quickly and easily alphabetize the icons in programs on your start menu by right-clicking within programs on the start menu and clicking on "Sort by Name". 

Notation Word of the Month

Affirm:

• To pledge similarly to taking an oath but without reference to "swearing to". Witnesses may either take an oath or affirm that they will tell the truth.
• To declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true.