Plum Notary, located in Plum Borough, PA, is looking for a part-time Notary/Title Agent to provide notarial services and process PennDOT, DCNR and Fish & Boat Commission transactions. Part-time schedule is approximately 28 hours per week including 2 Saturdays (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) per month. Notary commission preferred. Will train as motor vehicle agent. Salary dependent upon experience. Looking for someone to start immediately. E-mail your resume to [email protected]
The Department of State’s Disciplinary Actions: April 2021
The Bureau of Election Services and Notaries took the following disciplinary actions against notaries public in April 2021:
- A Philadelphia County notary had their commission revoked, based on their failure to require the personal appearance of a document signer, failure to update their business address with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, failure to be of good character, integrity, and ability, and failure to be familiar with the duties and responsibilities of the office of notary public.
- A notary located in Lakewood, NY, agreed to a suspension of their notary commission for 11 months for failing to include a notarial certificate on a document that was subject to a notarial act by forging signatures and then notarizing those signatures.
Keep Your Office of Record Address Up to Date
All Pennsylvania notaries public are required to keep a current office of record mailing address on file with the Department of State. Your office of record address is where the Department will send any official notices or letters.
If you have changed employers, begun working from home, or moved, make sure the office of record address you have on file is up to date. You have 30 days to notify the Department that your address has changed. Notice must be made in writing or by e-mail and must state the effective date of the change.
You may use your employer’s or your own business address. If you did not provide either address on your application for commission, your home address becomes your office of record address by default. If you are working from home, for an employer or yourself, your home address should be your office of record address.
Instructions and forms (online and PDF) are available on the Department’s web site here.
PAN also offers a Change of Address packet, including an order form for an official stamp, available on our member portal here.
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The Department of State’s Disciplinary Actions: March 2021
The Bureau of Election Services and Notaries took the following disciplinary actions against notaries public in March 2021:
- An Adams County notary had their commission revoked, based on actions in notarizing a signed document wherein one signer was
deceased. Respondent is subject to disciplinary action for actions occurring under the Notary Public Law, 57 P.S. §168, in that Respondent failed to be familiar with the duties and responsibilities of a notary public, failed to establish identity of all parties, and failed to record notarial transactions and keep a notarial register. - A Philadelphia County notary had their Commission revoked, based on 2018 guilty pleas to Forgery, Identity Theft, Making False Application for Title Registration, and Criminal Conspiracy to commit Identity Theft. Respondent is subject to disciplinary action under the
Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, 57 Pa.C.S. §323(a), in that the respondent lacks the honesty, integrity, competence, or reliability to hold the office of notary public based on his convictions for offenses involving fraud, dishonesty or deceit. Additionally, Respondent failed to maintain custody and control of his notary seal in September 2017. Respondent’s notary seal was unsecured at his business location and Respondent was not present. - A Washington County notary permanently and voluntarily surrendered their notary commission because they failed to require the personal appearance of the person executing the instrument subject to a notarial act, and failed to be of good character, integrity, and ability.
- A Washington County notary permanently and voluntarily surrendered their notary commission because they failed to be of good character, integrity and ability by failing to require a personal appearance and failing to maintain an accurate notary register.
REAL ID Deadline Postponed to 2023
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it was again postponing the enforcement date for REAL ID until May 3, 2023, citing ongoing pandemic restrictions that have impacted states’ ability to process and issue the enhanced driver licenses and identification cards.
REAL ID is optional in Pennsylvania.
There is no requirement that any resident obtain a REAL ID.
(A valid U.S. passport/passport card can be used to board a commercial flight.)
PennDOT will continue to offer standard-issue driver’s licenses and photo IDs.
Visit PennDOT’s REAL ID page: https://www.dmv.pa.gov/REALID/Pages/default.aspx
Why are notaries still important?
Notaries have been an integral part of our society for decades. The first notaries can be traced back to ancient Egypt when scribes were established. Scribes would keep records of public proceedings and transcribe important documents. Performing such acts at that time increased the authority of the notary public, resulting in the responsibilities that notaries hold today.
Notaries are public officials appointed by the state to serve as impartial witnesses to transactions, thereby helping to deter fraud. Having a document notarized means the signer must appear before the notary and be identified. The notary observes the signer’s willingness and ability to understand the document and watches the signer place or acknowledge their signature on the document. Finally, the notary makes a complete, chronological entry for the notarization in the notary journal.
You may still find yourself asking: why are notaries necessary? It seems everything can be done on the internet, from signing a mortgage to giving testimony in court. During the pandemic, government and industry increasingly used online alternatives to serve the public while maintaining quarantine and social distancing requirements.
But technology, such as remote online notarization (RON), hasn’t replaced the need for notaries public. In fact, RON has become another option for providing notarial services.
All the steps a notary must take are intended to prevent fraud and assure the receiver of the document that the notary performed his or her duties according to the law. All of these steps are also incorporated into RON transactions, with the additional safeguard of having an audio video recording of the notarial act.
Even in the electronic age, the office of notary public is still an important function.