Every time I pull out a set of loan documents, I read the certificate language before I reach for my stamp. Not because I'm being overly cautious. Because I've seen what lenders and title companies send, and a significant number of those certificates are wrong. Not wrong in a minor, technicality-of-no-consequence way. Wrong in a way that could invalidate the document, void the notarization, or put a notary's commission at risk. The culprit is almost always the same thing: a

If you've ever received signing instructions that included language like "please obtain a copy of the signer's driver's license, passport, or military ID for verification," you may have accepted it at face value. After all, the instruction came from a title company. Professionals. People who do this every day. Here's the problem: following that instruction could land you (the notary) in federal legal jeopardy. The Law Is Clear (Even If the Industry Isn't) Under 18 U.S.C. § 70