Notary Notes Blog

The latest notary news for Pennsylvania notaries

Announcement

York County Reopening Plan

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On Monday, January 11, 2021, York County government reopened most buildings to the public following a suspension of public access dating back to December 21, 2020.

The York County Treasurer’s Office will remain closed to the public through January 29, 2021. Business with the Treasurer’s Office can be conducted by phone, mail, or email. The Treasurer’s webpage contains contact information.

Drop boxes for document delivery to the Administrative Center offices will continue to be available in the lobby of the Administrative Center during normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The York County Human Services Center will remain closed to the public until at least February 1, 2021, with the opening date re-evaluated at that time. Offices within this building can still be reached and services are still being provided. Human Services can be reached by phone and email. The Human Services Center webpage contains contact information.

The commissioners remind the public that they are required to wear a mask while inside county facilities.

The press release where this information was accessed can be found here.

PAN Celebrates 66 Years – How it All Came to Be

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Today, the Pennsylvania Association of notaries celebrates its 66th anniversary. PAN was the first notary public association in the country, established in 1955. We would like to reflect on how PAN began with two brothers, a free pamphlet, and an old recipe box.

Two brothers, Earle and Sam Aronson, ran an insurance agency, E. R. Munro and Company, in Pittsburgh, PA. They executed several surety bonds, including 10 percent of the notary bonds in Allegheny County. Until the law changed in 1953, notaries were only appointed to serve in particular counties, not states. People would often have a lot of questions about their powers, duties, and limitations as a notary. There was no reliable source to help notaries, even though the notary public law was revised in 1949 and rewritten in 1953.

The Aronsons decided to help the people themselves by writing a pamphlet that addressed some of the problems that arose in the everyday business of the notary. The Practical Guide for Notaries Public in Pennsylvania was printed in 1946 and distributed as part of their insurance and surety direct mail ads. At the time, the pamphlet only cost pennies to print and send out with their advertisements.

Competitors convinced the state that the brothers were violating certain insurance regulations by including the pamphlet with insurance advertising. The rules specified that nothing over one dollar in value could be given away for free. This false perception helped the brothers come up with an amazing idea for the pamphlet: they could sell it. Why couldn’t they offer the bond, an information service, notary equipment, and the pamphlet all in one package? From there, PAN was officially born on January 11, 1955.

the original recipe box

The first membership package included dues, bond, the Practical Guide for Notaries Public in Pennsylvania, and a newsletter. The public responded immediately, and they began receiving orders right away. Earle borrowed a recipe box from his wife and filled it with 100 responses from the public. His wife never got the recipe box back, it is still in the Association’s building to this day.

Notaries that were purchasing PAN’s services began recommending the Association to their coworkers and businesses began to notice the benefits of having an expert to consult when their notaries needed answers. The association gained 715 members in the first year. 

As time went on, the Association began offering other services such as classes offered by mail order or night school, Errors and Omissions Insurance, and a manual to help notaries with motor vehicle and driver licensing forms. The Association even began making their own notary equipment in-house, which is still the case today.

Earle and Sam have since passed on, but two of Sam’s sons, Marc and Tod, continue to follow their philosophy today. “Focus on the notary. Offer the best service, the best product, and the best prices.”

We are honored to have been able to serve notaries and the public in Pennsylvania for so many years.

PennDOT Extends Expiration Dates on Commercial Driver Licenses, Commercial Learner’s Permits

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Effective December 31, 2020, expiration dates for commercial driver licenses and commercial learner’s permits will be extended for Pennsylvania residents in response to statewide COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

The following products’ expiration dates will be extended:

  • The expiration date for a commercial learner’s permit scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020, through February 22, 2021, is extended through February 22, 2021.
  • The expiration date for commercial driver licenses scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020, through February 22, 2021, is extended through February 22, 2021.

There are no additional extensions issued on non-commercial driver license, photo identification cards, learner’s permits or camera cards.

Access PennDOT’s updates on their Driver and Vehicle Services Update page.

PAN Members: Want a chance to win a $100? Our Recruit-A-Member Program Returns

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We are bringing back our Recruit-A-Member Program!

All current PAN members can earn chances to win $100. All you have to do is introduce a new member to all the benefits the Association has to offer. When they order a First Time Notary Appointment or Notary Reappointment package during the recruiting period, make sure they give your Customer Number as a referral. This can be entered on our website during the checkout process, or given to a PAN Customer Service Representative when the order is placed over the phone.

The current recruiting period is January, February, and March. The winner will be announced on April 1st.

Each new member you recruit gives you one chance to win $100. Five new members – means five chances to win. The more members you recruit, the more chances you have to win!

There are four recruitment periods per year, so if you are unable to refer anyone this time, the next recruiting period will be April, May, and June.

A member may win $100 only once in a calendar year. Education providers authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of State, PAN employees and their family members are not eligible for the prize.

Good Luck!

PennDOT Real ID Update

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After October 1, 2021, anyone going through airport security or entering most federal buildings will need a Real ID, a passport or a military identification.

PennDOT estimates that nearly 300,000 Pennsylvanians haven’t applied for their Real ID yet. Kurt Myers, PennDOT’s deputy secretary for Driver and Vehicle Services, believes that the department shouldn’t have any problem handling that many customers by the deadline.

“We’re by no means at full capacity right now,” Myers said. “We can certainly handle more people. We want to be sure we are meeting our customers’ needs as well as we can while keeping them safe.”

PennDOT plans to make a big marketing push early in 2021 to remind residents that the cards are available and the deadline is looming.

“We’re still planning to do the campaign that had been set for last summer,” Myers said. “That will definitely occur.”

Notary Exam Authorizations Extended

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The Department of State has granted an additional extension for notary applicants who have to take the exam. This extension has been executed in Pearson VUE’s database but it will not be reflected in the Department of State’s database.

Any applicant whose exam authorization has expired or will expire between March 1 and December 31, 2020 will have until June 30, 2021 to take and pass the notary public examination.

The Department’s COVID-19 Notary Public FAQs will be updated to include this extension.