Author Archives: Kenneth Brantingham

The Notary stamp

The stamp used in notarization can be ordered from many suppliers, including Amazon. It is necessary to provide the state’s license authorizing your notary commission. Some stamps are large and clumsy and some so small they’re made to be carried in your pocket. I prefer the latter. Mine is a Slim Stamp 2773. There’s evenContinue reading “The Notary stamp”

Credible Witness

Identifying a signer is often a matter of producing a driver’s license or ID card. As long as it’s government issued and not more than three years expired (RCW 42.45.050). The notary can also verify that the signer is who they say they are through personal knowledge. A third way to identify a signer is throughContinue reading “Credible Witness”

What is a Settlement Statement?

I was taught to break out the Settlement Statement first in a signing. This form is used in purchases, sales, refinance, construction loans, and in both residential and commercial transactions. It’s everywhere and rightly so. This document breaks down all costs associated with the real estate transaction. We present this document first because issues areContinue reading “What is a Settlement Statement?”

Certifying or attesting Birth certificates, Marriage, and Death Certificates

I received a call requesting to certify the photocopy of a birth certificate. Meaning that I would compare the original with the copy and certify that the copy was an exact copy of the original. Because a birth certificate is a public record, also known as a vital record, I cannot do this. This requestContinue reading “Certifying or attesting Birth certificates, Marriage, and Death Certificates”

Do I need witnesses for my Power of Attorney notarization?

To answer this question, we need to go to the source document, the Revised Code of Washington, Title 11, Chapter 11.125, Section 11.125.050. Aka RCW 11.125.050 states: “the signature must be either acknowledged before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments, or attested by two or more competent witnesses” The POAContinue reading “Do I need witnesses for my Power of Attorney notarization?”

Fee for a Notarial act

In Washington State the law states we can only charge $10 for most notarial acts, including attesting a signature, affirmations, and acknowledgements. WAC 308-30-220 The Notary is allowed to charge a travel fee in addition to the notarial fee as long as long as both parties agree to it. This agreement must be done inContinue reading “Fee for a Notarial act”

Identifying the Signing Party. A guide to Notaries and Loan Signing Agents

In Washington State there are three ways to identify the signing party (RCW 42.45.050) 1. Identifying documents – The most common method of verifying a signer’s identity is to look at some form of identifying documents. The Washington State notary statutes point out several options for documents that a notary can use to verify aContinue reading “Identifying the Signing Party. A guide to Notaries and Loan Signing Agents”