Many states require notaries to record and keep the details of each notarial act performed. Even where recordbook use is not required, it is strongly recommended because it is among the most conscientious and professional practices that a notary can follow.
You may hear the notary recordbook called a log, a register, or a journal. The most customary format is a "well-bound" paper book, designed in such a way that insertion or removal of pages can be detected. Recordbook pages and entry blanks are usually sequentially numbered. The details of each notarial act are entered in chronological order, and usually include such information as the date of notarization, type of notarial act performed, document type or name, document date, signer name and address, signer signature, and more.
A record of your official acts as a notary serves several valuable purposes, including:
- The design of your recordbook entry blanks can remind you of the steps you should take in performing a notarial act, such as requiring acceptable identification of the person requesting the notarial act.
- Your recordbook provides valuable evidence of the notarial acts you performed, and can help refresh your memory should you be called upon to testify about a particular act. Your recordbook can also help establish that you acted properly (for instance, that you did require the presence of the signer and assessed his or her identification), if you are accused of negligence or impropriety.
- A record can help establish that you notarized a particular document when the notarial certificate has been torn off or destroyed in some way.
- If someone were to forge your signature on a notarial certificate, the absence of a recorded transaction in your recordbook would tend to validate your claim that you did not perform the notarial act.
Notary recordbook use also helps deter fraud. Persons intent on fraud do not want the additional evidence trail that the journal entry creates, and often will walk away rather than leave an address, a signature or any other information in the recordbook entry. And because journal use compels the physical, personal appearance of the signer before the notary, proper vetting of the signer's identity by the notary is enhanced.
States that require recordbook use may also have requirements about retention or disposition of the notary's records upon commission expiration, resignation, revocation or death. Be sure to consult your state notary statutes for any specific recordbook requirements, and above all, make notary recordkeeping a habit.
To order our notary recordbook or any other notary supplies, please visit our homepage: www.anchorstamp.com
The following information appears courtesy of ASN; Copyright 2012. Unauthorized use is prohibited
Back to Top
|
Nothing conveys the authority and beauty of an official notary seal quite like the raised imprint created by an embossing seal device.
While the need for a reproducible image has made the ink-stamp style of notary seal more commonly used, the embossing seal is still authorized for use as an official notary seal in 30 states (includes the U.S. Virgin Islands). Elsewhere, many notaries choose to use an embossing-style notary seal in conjunction with their official ink-stamp notary seal for the additional ceremonial impact that the raised notary seal impression achieves, and to help assure acceptance of notarized documents in other countries and jurisdictions.
Whether it's the required type of notary seal in your state or whether you use one by choice, the embossing seal is a special tool that requires thoughtful use and handling. Keep these tips in mind:
1. Never discard any intact die or insert. You need to deface or destroy the die/insert so the two halves cannot be salvaged and used to create a fraudulent seal impression. We suggest breaking the die/insert in two, using a heavy metal file to deface both halves of the die, and tossing them in separate trash bins.
2. Some states require your notary seal image to be photographically reproducible. If you use an embossing seal in one of these states, always remember to ink the raised seal image using a seal impression inker (available from Anchor's online Notary Store, along with all your must-have notary supplies including notary journal, notary handbook, notary kits, even the American Notary Study Course).
3. If your state's required notary seal-making tool is the ink-stamp, but you also own an embossing seal, remember never to use your embossing seal in lieu of your ink-stamp notary seal for official notarial acts. You may use your embossing seal ONLY in combination with your official ink-stamp notary seal.
To order notary seals or notary supplies, please go to: www.anchorstamp.com
The following information appears courtesy of ASN; Copyright 2012. Unauthorized use is prohibited
Back to Top | |