Notarize Blog

Kelley Cooper Spencer never wants to sign a piece of paper ever again. In fact, Thrive Mortgage COO Selene Kellam has told Spencer and her colleagues that she will only eClose her personal mortgage loans in the future. Becoming a fully digital mortgage company, thus, wasn’t just an ambition: it was foundational to the DNA of the Thrive Mortgage family.

“We wanted to lead the mortgage industry in how we helped homebuyers get into their homes,” said Spencer. “And if we could do it well – if we could move the mortgage industry – then we could help shift every other industry away from paper and manual processes.”

Disruptive technology in the modern age has made its mark in almost every industry out there. Although it creates a more efficient product or service for consumers, it can leave business owners in that space with mixed feelings about what may happen in the future to their industry.

Notary services seem to be behind the curve, as it’s still a mostly offline industry where mobile notaries go from door to door to physically take care of the paperwork. That’s where Remote Online Notarization (RON) comes in - this technology would allow for notaries to be able to deliver for their clients from the comfort of their own home/office.

Of the nearly 30 million small businesses in the United States, about 85% have fewer than 20 employees. The ability to live your dream and provide opportunities for those around you is essential in cultivating the health and well-being of your community.

From small auto repair shops to cupcake businesses, success and failure hinge on the ability to receive the funds needed to run your business. It can also be the difference between a successful small business and one shuttered by a big-name brand.

As we think about funding the success of small businesses across the country, notaries have an important role to play in turning dreams into realities.

Over the past few years, we’ve watched families, businesses, and communities rally around providing access to technology for life’s most important moments. Some of these efforts take time, but on the other side of these coalitions, lies impactful solutions that will benefit generations to come.

We’re thrilled to share that Florida not only passed its remote online notarization bill (House Bill 409), but also included an eWill bill as part of its legislation. Governor Ron DeSantis added his signature HB 409, bringing the efficiencies of remote online notarization to the half a million notaries that call the Sunshine State home. The bill went into effect January 1, 2020.

The remote online notarization movement gained incredible momentum in 2018. We saw the number of RON-approved states reach 10, and knew with a lot of hard work – and a little luck – we might see that number double in the new year.

We’re thrilled to share that our prediction came true. Oklahoma recently became the 20th state to adopt RON, and marks the 10th state to pass a RON bill this year.

This is an excerpt from The Instant Mortgage ebook. Access the complete guide here.

Just this past weekend, Notarize hit its 4 year anniversary. When I started the company, I couldn’t have imagined the impact we’d have.

Millions of homes are bought and sold each year, and nearly every one of these transactions involves a giant stack of paper. While signing all those documents is sure to make your wrist sore, the amount of paper used for closings also negatively impacts the environment.

As we celebrate Earth Day, we’re reminded that people and companies alike have a role to play in environmental protection. That’s why we’re working to make a signing experience that is better for everyone - Mother Nature included.

When Virginia passed the first bill on remote online notarization back in 2011, they authorized their notaries to serve anyone, anywhere and unleashed the ability for people nationwide to get a document notarized entirely online. However, Iowa has been the one state whose law was written such that it specifically conditioned acceptance of out-of-state notarizations, denying online notarizations.

Today we’re excited to share that is no longer the case, and even better: the Iowa legislature has voted to rescind these laws in favor of remote online notarization legislation.

Just four months into 2019, Washington is now the ninth state this year to pass a remote online notarization bill.

Governor Jay Inslee added his signature to Senate Bill 5641, certifying that the Evergreen State will bring the benefits of RON to an additional 74,000 notaries beginning October 1, 2020.