04/03/2021
What Is a Notary Public?
A notary public is a public officer constituted by law who is certified to witness and confirm the signing of legal documents. When you work with a notary public, they will serve three important purposes:
Confirm the identities of the participating parties
Witness signatures between them
Sign off on the validity of the agreement
While notary publics are responsible for verifying identities and witnessing signatures, they’re also certified to administer oaths and affirmations as well as certify copies of essential documents. Some documents that a notary might sign off on include:
Financial:
Closing Documents
Property Deeds
Loan Documents
Legal:
Wills
Trusts
Custody Agreements
Powers of Attorney
Court Documents
Business:
Vendor contracts
Leases
Construction Agreements
Employment Contracts
You’ll notice that notary publics can witness loan signings, which might beg the question: What do loan signing agents do, then? While signing agents can also notarize loan documents, they’re able to walk the borrower through the process and agreement.