Notary Updates

October 8, 2008

GSN Economic Stimulus Package

The economy is a huge concern for the country and notaries in particular. Many notaries rely on their income from notary work to pay their mortgage. To help struggling notaries, GSN is reducing the cost of the Online Video Course and the DVD video course drastically. For the rest of October only, the online course will be $39.95 and the DVD course will be $49.95. Whether you are a new notary or if your commission is expiring in the next year, this is a great opportunity to get your required training at a lower cost!

We have also cut prices on the soft cover notary journal. Now until the end of October, the journal will only cost $9.95! Our journal is the best deal on the market. It includes room for 400 entries, has a bookmark and a black, leatherette cover. For every journal ordered, we will also send 2 highlighter pens at no additional charge!

If you want even more savings, try one of our October training supply package specials. You can save up to $31.50!

More Information: http://gsn.notary.net/supplies.cfm

Referral Program

Have you used our referral program yet? Many GSN members have referred customers to us and have received referral checks in the mail from us. If you haven't started referring people, you can start now, just by giving your friend your referral code or by placing a link on your website. Please login to your GSN account to get referral code links and to check your status. Login Now: https://secure.notary.net/ca/login.cfm

Trivia Question

You are currently a California notary. Your commission expires on 3/21/2009. You decide to follow the Secretary of State's advice and you start your renewal process 4-6 months prior to your expiration. You take the notary exam on 10/22/2008. When will your new commission be effective?

Many people think that there is a penalty for renewing early. In fact, the opposite is true. You can actually take the notary exam up to 1 year prior to your commission expiration. The Secretary of State will hold on to the commission until 1 month prior to your expiration and send out your new commission paperwork. You will have 30 days to file your new oath and bond. Assuming you do this in a timely manner, your new commission will be effective on the day after the old commission expires. Remember, you CANNOT perform notary service after your expiration date, unless you have already filed your oath and bond for the renewal!

New Laws for 2009

On Friday, October 3, the California Secretary of State hosted the approved education vendors to a meeeting in Sacramento. We were informed about the new laws that will affect notaries effective January 1, 2009. The new laws involve identification and subscribing witnesses. We will provide more information about these laws in the next newsletter.

July 25, 2008

Electronic Notarizations - Pioneering the Future

eNotary or eNotarization has been a buzzword floating around for the past few years. As with any innovative new idea, such as the automobile, the television, compact discs, DVDs, it takes some time for these new systems to be implemented. eNotarization creates many more problems in an attempt to solve other problems. Several states have adopted eNotary laws such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida and California. Kansas is working on a pilot program to have current notaries have input into the process, so if you are a Kansas notary and you want to participate in the shaping of your future as a notary, why not contact the state?  http://www.kssos.org/business/notary_public/e-notary.html

The Pennsylvania Department of State has taken new steps to make eNotarization more accessible to Pennsylvania’s approximately 80,000 notaries public:

1. The Department will begin the transition to a multi-vendor system, to increase the opportunities and choices for Pennsylvania notaries to electronically notarize electronic documents.
2. The Department will eliminate the $40.00 fee for electronic notarization applications.
3. It is hoped that the notaries will now see that some of the barriers have been lifted that have prevented notaries from taking the step into the future.

Trivia Question

When a notary acts as an electronic notary some things will change and some will not.  Which of the following is true about the procedure for the eNotary?

We Want Your Feedback

We have started an eNotary thread at the Notary.net Forums. We would like to start a discussion about your eNotary experience and field any questions you may have about it. We will soon offer eNotary training to get you up to speed on the truth behind eNotary and whether it is really worth the time and money.

Free Notary Journal

For all supply training and website orders totaling greater than $50 (not including shipping), we will send you a free notary journal! It will automatically be sent to you. This offer is limited to the first 250 orders, so do not delay. Order Now: http://gsn.notary.net/supplies.cfm

May 22, 2008

New California Cell Phone Law

As of July 1, 2008, you can no longer talk on a cell phone in California while driving, unless you use a hands-free device or in an emergency situation. This law was designed to help keep drivers from taking their eyes off the road while searching for their cell phone or text messaging on the freeway. If you are a mobile notary, be sure that you have a hands-free device so that you do not miss any work. The DMV has put together a short video outlining this new law. New Cell Phone Law This is one step in the right direction to helping keep California roads a bit safer.

Memorial Day Specials

In honor of this great country and the fallen heroes that have made this the best nation on Earth, we are offering two incredible deals that are hard to pass up. Now through May 31, we will send a free soft cover journal for every one you order. Take advantage of the 2-4-1 Journal Offer Now

Having trouble deciding on whether you want the Online Notary Course or the DVD Notary Course to become a notary or to renew your commission? You do not have to decide any more. If you order the DVD course, you get the online course for FREE. This is the best of both worlds. You will be granted instant access to the online course and you will have the DVD for reference or refresher whenever you choose. And of course, both courses are backed by our 100% Money Back Guarantee. Order the DVD Course Now

Protect Your Identity

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. In 2005 8.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft. Notaries help prevent fraud, but who protects the notaries? Think about all the shady loan signing companies who have your social security number. Golden State Notary and LifeLock have a strategic partnership that will protect you from losing your identity. They are so sure that this service works, that they will pay up to $1,000,000 in expenses should your identity be stolen while you subscribe to their service. LifeLock is better than insurance because it stops the thieves before they affect your credit report, saving you the time fighting it and explainng the situation when you are applying for loans. You have worked hard to build your credit and your good name, so sign up as soon as possible. Spend a little bit of your stimulus check to protect you and your family. You can get a 10% discount if you use the links on this email or on the GSN website. More Information on LifeLock

California Notary Trivia Question

You receive a call from a title company to have loan documents notarized. They agree to pay you $150 for the package including travel fees and eDocs. You meet the borrowers at their home. While filling out the journal entries, you come to the Fees box. If you are notarizing 4 documents, each with 2 signers, what should you put for the fee in the eight journal entries? A. Leave the fee box blank since the signers are not paying the notary directly. B. Put "$150" in the first journal entry and put "N/C" or "$0" in the remaining 7 entries. C. Put "$0" or "N/C" in all entries and indicate in the notes that it was part of a loan package. D. Put "$10" in each entry since that is the maximum that you can charge for notary service. E. Take the $150 and subtract travel fees and eDoc fees and divide that number by the number of notarized signatures and put that number in each of the 8 entries.

The best answers are probably C. or D. Since loan signing fees are paid as a package deal, you are essentially performing notary service for free. Sometimes if you were to multiply all the signatures by $10, the amount you are receiving from the loan signing company or the title company would be less than if you charged the maximum for each signature notarized. It is important to remember to be consistent. If you do not charge someone, why didn't you charge? Be sure to put in the notes why the fee was "$0." You do not want to discriminate between your customers. Want to discuss this further? Go to the message forums.

Earn Some Extra Money

Did you know that we pay you for your referrals? All you have to do is have the person you referred enter your referral code during check out. Then, just wait for your check to arrive in the mail. It is that simple. For more information about the referral program or to get your referral code, login to your account at https://secure.notary.net/ca/login.cfm. From there you can track your referral progress and create links to our site that automatically enters your referral code for you. You can place these links on your personal website or email it to the people you want to refer. Get started today and stimulate your own economy.

April 29, 2008

How To Get More Notary Work

Would you like more notary work? Every notary business must advertise. You should have business cards, a website and should be a frequent visitor to your local title and escrow companies. Many notaries fail to do at least one of these three basic marketing strategies. Did you know that Golden State Notary has done all the hard work for you. All you have to do is spend 15 minutes adding the content to your website. We have developed a service that benefits both notaries and people looking for notaries. The site is http://search.notary.net. For a little more than $2 a month, you get a 5 page website with a custom URL (www.notary.net/websites/YOURNAME/). We have also done all the web optimization work for you, to make it easy for someone to find you whether they use Notary.net or a search engine such as Google, Yahoo!, or MSN to search for a notary. Check it out for yourself: http://search.notary.net/signup.cfm.

You can check out our Google search rank for popular searches: Find a Notary in Los Angeles County, Find a Notary in San Diego County, or Find a Notary in San Francisco County. You can also try various searches yourself and you will find that we are likely near the top or are the top search result!

You can order a 1 Year Notary.net Website online at: http://gsn.notary.net/supplies/?productid=89

California Notary Trivia Question

Someone brings you a Quit Claim Deed to be notarized. The Quit Claim Deed has already been signed and the person that brought it to you is not the signer. They tell you that the signer was in another country and couldn't appear before the notary. They say that they saw the person sign it and that they want you to use the Proof of Execution By Subscribing Witness. What should the notary do?

A. Refuse to perform notary service because the signer could not appear.

B. Attach a Subscribing Witness loose certificate and notarize the document and have the witness complete the journal entry.

C. Refuse to perform service since a thumbprint in the journal is required.

D. Perform notary service as usual and require the witnes to sign the journal. No loose certificates are allowed on recordable documents.

The answer is C. Even though a Proof of Execution is allowed for acknowledgments, since documents involving transfer of real property require a thumbprint in the journal by the signer, you must refuse service on this document unless the signer personally appears before you.

Earn Some Extra Money

Did you know that we pay you for your referrals? All you have to do is have the person you referred enter your referral code during check out. Then, just wait for your check to arrive in the mail. It is that simple. For more information about the referral program or to get your referral code, login to your account at https://secure.notary.net/ca/login.cfm. From there you can track your referral progress and create links to our site that automatically enters your referral code for you. You can place these links on your personal website or email it to the people you want to refer. Get started today and stimulate your own economy.

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March 26, 2008

2008 California Notary Public Handbook Available!

The 2008 California Notary Public Handbook is now available online. The printed version will be available in the next couple weeks. To obtain a free printed version of the manual, you can send a self-addressed, postage-paid ($0.75) 6x9 envelope to:

Secretary of State
Notary Public Section
P.O. Box 942877
Sacramento, CA 94277-0001

California Notary Trivia Question

You just got a call from a title company and they want you to notarize loan documents tomorrow. You inform them that you cannot find your notary stamp, but you still have your embosser. The title company is located in Washington D.C., so they say it is fine to just emboss the documents. Which of the following is true?

A. Since the document is going to Washington D.C., using the embosser only is fine.

B. You can use the embosser as long as you make the raised edges photographically reproducible.

C. A California notary must stamp and emboss every document.

D. A California notary cannot notarize out of state documents.

E. The notary must immediately notify the Secretary of State that the notary stamp is missing.

The answer is both B and E. The elements of a seal must be photographically reproducible, notary name, county where commissioned, expiration date, commission number and 100% clear and legible with a milled or serrated border. If you do not know where ANY of your seals are, you must immediately notify the Secretary of State by certified mail that you have lost your seal. If it was stolen, include a copy of the police report. If you would like a new Certificate of Authorization to Manufacture Notary Public Seals, you must specifically request that as well.

1 More Week For $65 Notary DVD

Starting on April 1, 2008 the 2008 GSN Notary DVD will be $79! You have one more week to take advantage of this price! If your notary commission is expiring within the next year, you should take advantage of this offer now. You can get your education and test done now, to ensure you will not have a lapse in your commission. You will get your new commission paperwork approximately 1 month before your current commission ends, so there is no disadvantage to renewing early.

Order Now

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March 11, 2008

2008 State-Approved DVDs Are Here!

The 2008 California State-Approved DVD course is here! We think that it has been worth the wait. This new course has more visuals to help you learn better. It is truly the best way to learn what you need to know to pass the state exam on your own time. If you are a renewing notary and your commission expires between now and March 2009, you can take your course and state exam now. Your new commission will start when your current commission ends, so there is no penalty for renewing early, but if you wait too long, you could have a lapse in your commission. The Secretary of State recommends that you renew within 4-6 months of your commission expiring. Why not get it done now? Prices are going up. After March, the DVD Course and the Online Course will increase in price. Take advantage of either course now!

Don't need the course now? Did you know that if you refer someone to us, you get referral fees. For instance, if you refer someone to us and they buy the DVD course, you will get a check for $10! Login to your account at https://secure.notary.net/ca/login.cfm for more information on the referral program. Click on Create Supply Links for a list of all the current referral fees.

Order DVD Course Now

California Notary Trivia Question

The Secretary of State sends you a notice in the mail and it is returned to them with a message the you are no longer at that address. What can happen in this scenario?

A. The Secretary of State can fine you up to $500.

B. The Secretary of State can fine you up to $750.

C. The Secretary of State can fine you up to $1500.

D. The Secretary of State can fine you up to $2500.

E. There is no fine if you do not inform the Secretary of State that you changed your address.

The answer is A. The Secretary of State could fine you up to $500 for not changing your BUSINESS or RESIDENTIAL address within 30 days of moving. If you are moving or have moved recently, be sure to send in your Address Change Form. If you have changed your name, you must also notify the Secretary of State or you could get a $500 fine: Notary Name Change Form

Paid Membership???

Golden State Notary has always had the philosophy to give its members value for little to no money. We have offered free membership for the past 3 years, but now it is time to turn the page and offer a paid membership. Paid members will have access to information, resources and continuing education courses. For example, if we had the paid membership in 2007, the 2008 law update course that was $15, would have been free or significantly reduced in price. We are working out the details right now, but we would appreciate your feedback. We view membership as an active participation in which you tell us what YOU want, not us telling you want you should want. Many ask us if they have to join a national notary organization because they received a bill in the mail. The answer is no. You do not NEED to join any notary organization. We will be offering our membership as a lower cost alternative or addition to any existing notary memberships. We hope to build a long relationship in which we can help you succeed and excel in your notary business.

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February 25, 2008

2008 State-Approved DVD Pre-Order

The 2008 California State-Approved DVD course is almost here! We apologize for the delay, but we believe you will be happy with the final product. This DVD is completely redone for 2008 and has added features to aid learning. For the rest of February, 2008 only, we will be offering this course as a pre-order. You will also receive the training manual, soft cover notary journal and 2 highlighter pens. If your commission expires within the next year, take advantage of this offer now. We should have the DVDs ready to ship next week. Hurry, this offer expires on February 29. After that date, the course will be $65 and will not include the journal or the extra highlighter pen.

$10,000 Question

Not knowing the answer to this question could cost you $10,000.00!

A notary is allowed to use the following as proper identification in California:

A. A drivers license from any of the states as long as it is current or issued in the last five years.

B. Personal knowledge of the constituent. Someone you have known for a long period of time.

C. A U S passport that is current or a foreign passport that has a current visa stamp.

D. Both A and B are correct.

E. A and C are correct.

The correct answer is E. Personal knowledge is no longer allowed in California as the primary ID. This is true whether the individual is a family member, your boss, or best friend. You must get ID from EVERYONE you perform notary service for. Failure to get proper ID and to log that ID in your journal could cost you $10,000. If you haven't been updated on the new laws, you can still take our online video course: Order Now

2007 ID Checking Guide Liquidation Sale

It is that time of year again when we must make way for the new ID Checking Guides. We have a limited number of 2007 guides that we are liquidating for only $11.95. That is much less than our cost for them! We do have an extremely limited supply, so order now.

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January 23, 2008

Referral Program You can now make some extra money by referring people to Golden State Notary. Whether you refer people by word-of-mouth or by placing a link on you website, you can help others while, at the same time, help yourself. This new referral program includes detailed order tracking so you will know exactly how much you have earned. Please login to your account at https://secure.notary.net/ca/login.cfm for more information on how to get started.

2008 New Laws Quiz How confident are you that you know the new laws? We don't want you to make a $10,000 mistake, so we are offering a FREE quiz so you can be sure that you know what you are doing. All you have to do is login to your account at https://secure.notary.net/ca/login.cfm.  This is the same quiz that is included with the 2008 New Laws Course, so if you have taken that quiz, then you have already taken this quiz.

2008 Jurat and Acknowledgments Have you ordered your new loose certificates yet? If you are trying to use the old ones, you could be putting yourself in financial risk. Make sure you have the new, 2008 Jurat and Acknowledgments. We also now offer the 2008 Jurat Stamp and 2008 Acknowledgment Stamp.

January Specials You have 1 week left to order the 2008 State-Approved Online Notary Course for only $39.95. If you are a new notary or are renewing your notary commission in 2008, why not get your training done now instead of waiting until the last minute? This is the only full video course with a real instructor available. It is almost unbelievable that we can offer such high-quality training at such an affordable price. If you refer 4 people to this course, it will pay for itself!

Our 1 Year Notary Websites will be increasing in price from $19.95 per year to $24.95 per year, starting February 1. Take advantage of the lower price in January. You can order as many years as you like at the $19.95 price, but hurry, you only have 1 week left at this price.

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May 16, 2007

Superior Notary Advertising at the BEST Prices

Notary.net has launched one of the most successful notary search sites available at http://search.notary.net. Partnered with the California-only site, NotaryCA.com, this site has exceeded expectations of quality, value and Google Page Rank! You may not know this, but Page Rank is one of the biggest buzz words for internet marketing and it is the goal of webmasters to have the highest page rank possible. It is judged on a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the best. Upon recent review approximately 72% of the Notary.net web pages are ranked 3 by Google. 9% were ranked 2 and 19% were pending ranking. Sites created prior to April generally were not ranked. This may not sound impressive, but it is unheard of on other listing sites. Most other sites have no page rank on individual notary listing pages. The reason why you care is that people searching for you or your services do not even need to go to Notary.net to find you. They can simply use Google, Yahoo! or MSN (or any other search engine) and you will likely be on or near the top of a specific search. It usually takes about 2 months to achieve this search engine attention, but it is well worth the meager $19.95 per year. Many sites charge double to triple that price! If you want to have a Google Page Rank on your browser you can Download It Here

Notary.net is also the only site to offer a 5 page site (Home, About, Fees, Contact, Links). It looks and feels like a real website and only costs a fraction of what other sites cost. If you would like more information on our websites please go to http://search.notary.net/signup.cfm.

Golden State Notary/Notary.net Office Closed

Our Tennessee office will be closed on Friday, May 18 for an administrative work day. If you need to contact us by Friday, please do so today or tomorrow. Otherwise, we will respond to emails/voicemails on Monday, May 21.

GLBA Background Check

By now you have probably received several solicitations about the NEED to be screened to continue your work as a loan signer. While that information isn't entirely true, good things come to those who wait. Very soon, Golden State Notary/Notary.net will offer GLBA training and background check services at a fraction of the cost that has been offered in the past. Watch your email inbox or check our websites for more information soon.

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February 6, 2007

LIMITED TIME OFFER: Notary Business Starter Kit

If you are looking for an economical way to help you make money as a notary, Golden State Notary has put together a package that is hard to resist. Now, you can get 500 Full Color Glossy Business Cards, a 1 Year Notary.net Website, an Online Loan Signing Certification Course and a Soft Cover Notary Journal delivered, to your door, for only $89.47! That is a $137.72 value and a savings of $48.25! This is an extremely limited offer and is only available to the first 150 people. To order or for more information, go to http://gsn.notary.net/supplies.cfm

Jurat and Acknowlegment Form Clarification

The 2007 California State Notary Handbook is not out yet, but Golden State Notary has acquired some of the clarification updates. One of the most important is in regards to jurat and acknowledgment forms. If you have a form with check boxes in the actual notarial wording, you cannot use that form any more. If the form has the "Optional" information with check boxes below the notarial wording, that is still allowed. If you need forms that comply with this instruction you can either order them at http://gsn.notary.net/supplies.cfm or download them for free:
Download Jurat Form
Download Acknowledgment Form

Rejected Documents?

Have you ever had your document rejected by the County Recorder? This can be embarrasing and time consuming for you and your client. Many notaries have had documents sent back because they did not put "Notary Public" after their name. When you are filling out the notarial certificate and it says "before me_____________________", you must put "Your Name, Notary Public" in the blank. Failing to put "Notary Public" could cause your document to be rejected.

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January 11, 2007

DVD and Online Course Price Slash

Happy New Year to all of you. Golden State Notary is offering you a late Christmas present to start off 2007. For a limited time only we are offering our popular DVD Notary Course or ONLINE Notary Course for $19.95 plus shipping and handling. This is an UNBEATABLE offer. On top of these ridiculously low prices, we are also offering a 100% 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. If you are not completely satisfied with either the DVD or the Online course, we will issue you a full refund (as long as you have not accessed your Proof of Completion). All you have to do is return the course materials and we will refund you, no questions asked. This is a great option for new and renewing notaries or notaries that want a refresher course. Take advantage of this offer now, because prices this low can't last forever.

2006 ID Checking Guide Surplus

Whoops! We ordered too many ID Checking Guides last year. Our mistake is your gain. Now, you can have this valuable notary tool for HALF price. For only $11.98 plus tax and shipping, you can get this guide to help you prevent ID fraud. The 2007 ID Guide will ship early February, 2007 and will retail for $23.95. You must have a current and active notary public commission to receive the ID Guide. Go to our Supplies Page

Professional Notary Journal (Soft Cover)

Unfortunately, our journal shipment got delayed. It is now scheduled to be delivered on January 22, 2007. We apologize for this delay. We thank you for your patience. We will ship them as fast as we get them. We are really excited about these journals because they have the same high quality as our hard cover journals, but are much more affordable. We are still offering the journal for free (all you pay is $9.95 shipping and handling). This offer will be extended up until January 22, 2007. Take advantage of this deal now. Go to our Supplies Page

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November 21, 2006

Free Notary Journal

It's always good to have a spare journal. Now you can have one for FREE. All you have to pay is shipping and handling. Notary.net will soon be offering a soft cover journal, comparable to the popular hard cover journal. The soft journal has been updated with thumbprints on the outside of the page (not in the middle) and a date of document box. Pre-order now to take advantage of this limited time offer. Journals will ship on or around January 1, 2007. If you are interested in wholesale purchasing of this journal please contact us. To order the free journal, go to the Notary Journal Order Page.

Nationwide Notary Search

Notary.net now offers a nationwide notary search using the power of Google Maps to make it easier and faster to find a notary anywhere in the country. Notary.net also offers a 5 page web listing with custom URLs and contact forms. All this for only $19.95 for one year. This is absolutely the best value for notary advertising on the web. Make sure that you get noticed when companies are searching for notaries in your area.

Try our Notary Search

Reduced Business Card Prices

We have been able to cut our costs on business card orders, so we are passing the savings on to you. Our custom business cards give you the professional image you need to help grow your notary business. We design each card individually to make sure it looks exactly the way you want it. We can even include your photo on the card for no extra charge. Our business cards are of the highest quality and will ensure that your clients have a lasting impression of your great service and professionalism.
Click here for Custom Notary Business Cards

Information Age

What would you do right now if your hard drive crashed? There are thousands of virus being transmitted through the internet on a daily basis. Many of these viruses want to destroy your computer. The threat may not be a virus. Sometimes hard drives just die of old age, or physical shock. Many businesses rely on the data stored on their fallable hard disk. It can save you a lot of time and money if you backup your irreplaceable electronic files. DVD burner drives are extremely affordable right now, so take the time to backup your data as soon as possible because you never know when your hard drive will call it quits. If you are not computer savvy, you should contact the Best Buy Geek Squad or the Circuit City Fire Dog or a local computer service company to see about protecting your data. If you do not currently have a virus protection installed on your computer, you should try: DefenderPro Anti-Virus Software This is one of the top rated anti-virus software programs available that will keep your computer up-to-date to protect against new threats.

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August 2, 2006

Custom Notary Website

Does your notary business need a professional web presence? Do you need help setting up your website, but do not want to spend thousands of dollars to do so? Golden State Notary, through Notary.net, is now offering custom websites (www.YourName.com) for the super-low introductory price of $249. All websites include unlimited personal email addresses (user1@Yourname.com, user2@YourName.com, etc.) with unlimited storage and no ads! We will order and secure your domain name, create the custom graphics and buttons, submit your site to the big search engines and build a reciprocal link system to get you a higher search engine ranking. Our most recently completed site is www.FrenchNotaryToGo.com. If you would like more information or would like to order a custom website go to: www.Notary.net/Websites/

Disclosure Statement

A question was brought up in our message forums about a disclosure statement for loan signing agents. One of our members responded and sent the person a form that she uses. That's what the forums are all about and that's what GSN and Notary.net membership is all about: notaries helping notaries. If you would like to download this or other helpful documents, please login to your account and you will find this valuable resource under the "Documents" heading on the left.

Update Your Information

As Golden State Notary is expanding to a nationwide platform, we want to make sure we do not clutter inboxes with emails that do not pertain to the recipient. In order to do so, we need to make sure we have the most accurate information. We have some users where all the information we have is an email address. To continue to receive these state-specific email updates, please login to your account and update your information. If you are from a state other than California, please do not opt out, because we will soon have more pertinent email updates for your state.

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July 14, 2006

Lost Emails

The gsn.notary.net and notaryCA.com websites have been transferred over to an independent web server on June 30. You may have noticed faster speeds if you are a frequent visitor. Unfortunately, the email server did not fully transfer over, so we lost many of the emails that were sent through forms on the website from June 30 - July 10. If you used the Contact Us or Proof of Completion Mail Request forms, we probably did not receive your emails. We were able to recover most of the data from the Loan Signing Agent course completions. If we have not already responded to your requests, please resubmit them. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Certified Copies

California notaries are only allowed to certify copies of their own journal and powers of attorney. What should you do then if someone needs a passport, marriage license, etc. notarized? You put the liability on the person, not on you. Golden State Notary now offers a free Affidavit of Document Custodian form. Other companies charge for similar items. This is only available to GSN members. Please login to your account and you will find this valuable resource under the "Documents" heading.

NotaryCA.com

NotaryCA.com will soon be a subscription site. It has been free for nearly 18 months! The operating and advertising costs are too high to keep it completely free. If you currently have a notaryCA.com subscription it will expire on 9/1/2006. Current subscribers will receive a more detailed email in the coming weeks on how to renew your subscription.

Rejected Documents?

We have been receiving reports that some county clerks are rejecting documents if the notary does not put "Notary Public" after his/her name on acknowledgments. Be sure that when the form says before me________, you would put "Your Name, Notary Public" in the blank. Failure to do so may cause your client's document(s) to be rejected.

Update Your Information

As Golden State Notary is expanding to a nationwide platform, we want to make sure we do not clutter inboxes with emails that do not pertain to the recipient. In order to do so, we need to make sure we have the most accurate information. We have some users where all the information we have is an email address. To continue to receive these state-specific email updates, please login to your account and update your information. If you are from a state other than California, please do not opt out, because we will soon have more pertinent email updates.

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May 31, 2006

Test Results, Supplies and Bonds

We have been getting several phone calls about test results, notary supplies and bonds. It seems there is confusion about all three.

Test Results

Golden State Notary does not have the results of your test. CPS is the only place where you can get your test results. They will be mailed to you within 2 weeks (8-10 business days) of your test date. They may also email you instructions to get your test results online. Do not call us to get your test results. If it has been longer than 10 business days since you took the exam or for any other questions regarding the notary exam, you may call CPS at (916) 263-3520.

Notary Bonds

If you ordered a bond from us as a part of your package, we cannot send it to you until we receive your Certificate of Authorization to Manufacture Notary Public Seals. This document is mailed to you with your commission paperwork. You can fax this document to (619) 588-5117 for the fastest possible delivery of your bond. You must have the bond to file with the county clerk. It will be delivered via DHL so we will need a physical address.

Notary Supplies

To get your stamp, embosser and ID Checking Guide, we will need you to send your ORIGINAL Certificate of Authorization to Manufacture Notary Public Seals to:

771 Jamacha Road, Suite 265
El Cajon, CA 92019

When we receive that, you will get everything delivered within 10 business days. Depending on what you ordered, you may get several different packages.

New Notary Journal

We received our shipment of the new notary journals on Friday afternoon. The first batch went out yesterday. We apologize for the delay in the shipping of the journals, however, circumstances beyond our control held up delivery. We have had an overwhelming response to the pre-order of these journals, so please continue to be patient as we fulfill all the orders.

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May 5, 2006

New Live Seminar Locations

By popular demand, we have added 2 new live seminar locations to better serve California notaries:

Ventura, CA on Friday, June 9
Santa Barbara, CA on Saturday, June 10

If you would like to sign-up for one of these live seminars, go to www.gsn.notary.net/seminars/.

New Notary Journal

This weekend is your last chance to pre-order your copy of the New Hardbound Notary Records Journal for $9.99. On Tuesday, May 9, the pre-order price will be $17.95. Take advantage of these special prices this weekend and be one of the first people to try this new journal. They will ship late-May 2006. Order Now

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April 3, 2006

Free Notary DVD

Golden State Notary now offers a free notary DVD for all new and renewing notaries. This DVD will revolutionize notary education in California. This DVD is the best marriage of live notary seminars and at-home self-study courses. It is like having a live seminar at your home or office. GSN offers this 4 1/2 hour DVD for free. If you decide you want to use this DVD to fulfill your 6 hour education requirement, all you have to do is pay $65 for your practice exam and to receive your Proof of Completion. For more information go to: www.gsn.notary.net/DVD/

New Notary Journal

Golden State Notary has partnered with Notary.net to create the best journal on the market. This new journal is designed to take the guess work out of some of the more complicated entries, especially when it comes to credible witness(es). Don't just take our word for it, for more information and to view images of this new journal go to: www.Notary.net/Journal/
To pre-order a copy of your journal for only $9.99 (normally $23.95) go to: www.gsn.notary.net/supplies.cfm. The journal will ship in mid-May, 2006.

6 Hour Proof of Completion

We have been getting several requests for duplicate copies of the Proof of Completion for the successful completion of our 6 hour live, online and DVD seminars. Now you can login to your account and print off a copy of your Proof of Completion or you can even save it to your computer! Login to your GSN account

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February 27, 2006

2006 California Notary Public Handbook

The new 2006 California Notary Public Handbook is now available. If you would like to obtain a copy you can download a free PDF from the Secretary of State website. If you would like a hard copy of the 2006 Notary Public Handbook, please send a 9"x6" self-addressed envelope to (no postage necessary):

Secretary of State
Notary Public Section
P.O. Box 942877
Sacramento, CA 94277-0001

Please be sure to write "Handbook" on the lower left portion of your envelope. Your request will be processed as quickly as possible, depending on the volume of requests.

Free Membership to Golden State Notary

If you are receiving this email, it means that you are a member of Golden State Notary. This is a free service available to all California notaries. Unfortunately, some notaries are still paying yearly fees for little in return. Golden State Notary is a California-only membership community. If you know a California notary who is not yet a member of Golden State Notary, encourage them not to renew their expensive membership somewhere else and join us for FREE. If you are a member somewhere else, you can still be a member of Golden State Notary, however, we just want to save you your hard-earned money.

If you are a member we encourage you to participate in our message forums and to update your contact information so we can continue to send you these invaluable updates.

Free Membership to Golden State Notary gives you the following benefits:

• Continued access to this email newsletter to keep you current with anything that affects you as a notary
• Access to post to our California notary message forums
• Eligibility to participate in our seminar referral program
• Being associated with an ethical, professional organization of California notaries only
• No membership fees
• Telephone and email support
• Authorization to use the GSN Member Logo

Please forward this link to your fellow California notaries: Free GSN Membership or https://secure.notary.net/ca/signup.cfm

Referral Program Update

So far Golden State Notary has paid over $1000 in referral fees! We have made some changes to the referral program to accomodate our new, lower seminar prices. Now, instead of paying $20 per seminar registrant, we will pay you 10% of all sales referred by you to us (not including tax and shipping). Be sure to read the updated referral FAQ.

Live Chat with GSN

Golden State Notary has added live chat to the website so you can get real-time answers with real people! This is a great option if you have a question or need to contact us after regular telephone support hours. If you see these logos, you know there is someone to help you if you need it. And of course, this service is always free!

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February 10, 2006

2006 ID Guide, GSN Briefcase, Business Cards

Notaries are the first line of defense against fraud, so make sure you are up-to-date with the current issue of the 2006 ID Checking Guide.

We have had several requests for a notary briefcase at an affordable price. We now offer a GSN Logo Briefcase for $22.95 (plus tax and shipping). This is a great way to help organize your notary supplies.

How are you advertising your notary services? If you don't have business cards, you need to order some. These cards are full color, high gloss, superior quality. Don't compromise for anything less than the best. If you take your notary business seriously, these are the absolute best business cards available. Each business card order can be customized to your specifications. Order your notary business cards now.

Free Notary Exam Sign-up

Do you already have your Proof of Completion and looking for a location to take the California State Notary Exam? You can now attend one of our private exam sessions, immediately following our notary seminars (if space is available). Sometimes it is difficult to find an exam at a convenient location, so now you have more options. This is only for notary applicants who have already attended an approved 6-hour notary education course. Be sure to bring your $40 check or money order payable to: Secretary of State. Sign-up for a State Exam Now

Is your information up-to-date?

Have you moved? Have you changed your email address? Be sure to login to our website and update your personal information. While you are there you can check out our referral program and our notary forums.

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December 31, 2005

Are you 2006 Compliant?

As of tomorrow, January 1, 2006, all California notaries are required to use specific, exact wording for acknowledgments that will be recorded in California. This does not apply to documents that will be recorded in other states or other countries. Be sure to check the wording on the acknowledgment instructions to exactly match this:

If the acknowledgment does not have this wording, you will need to attach a loose certificate. You can download a free .PDF of the 2006 compliant acknowledgment loose certificate.

Download Free 2006 Acknowledgment Loose Certificate

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year

-Your Friends at GSN

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December 23, 2005

Merry Christmas from Golden State Notary

All of us at Golden State Notary would like to wish all of you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It has been our pleasure to serve you this past year and we look forward to a continued relationship in the future. We thank you for being a part of our family. In celebration of our Lord's birth, our phone support staff will be off from December 23 - January 1st. We will be open again on Monday, January 2. If you have an urgent need, please contact us via the website at www.gsn.notary.net/contact.cfm. Take care and God Bless.

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November 15, 2005

Golden State Notary Corporate Headquarters is Moving

Golden State Notary will be moving its corporate headquarters from El Cajon, CA to Franklin, TN on Friday, November 18, 2005. We will have limited telephone and email customer support from Friday, November 18, 2005 until after the Thanksgiving holiday. We will be checking and responding to voice mails and emails periodically throughout the moving process. On Friday, November 18, 2005, our billing address will change from 1283 East Main Street, Suite 210, El Cajon, CA 92021 to our new physical/billing address:

311 Starling Lane
Franklin, TN 37064

Our toll-free number will stay the same, however, our new fax number will be: (615) 790-7912. Our 771 Jamacha Road mail address will still be available for Certificates of Authorization and other California-specific mail purposes.

If you have any questions please call or email us prior to this Friday. We thank you for your understanding and patience as we expand our business.

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November 3, 2005

NEW LAWS THAT WILL AFFECT NOTARIES PUBLIC BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2006

On September 22, 2005, the Governor signed AB 361 (Statutes of 2005, Chapter 295). The new law makes several significant changes in current notarial law and takes effect January 1, 2006 . The text of the new law can be found here: ab_361_bill.pdf.

The key changes effective January 1, 2006, are:

• Civil Code § 1189 (Amendment to Section) - Certificate of Acknowledgment - Under the new law, the California certificate of acknowledgment must be in the form set forth in the statute, rather than "substantially" in the form set forth in the statute. The form set forth in the statute did not change, but variations in the California form are no longer permitted. (The law regarding acknowledgments to be used with documents to be filed in other states has not changed (Civil Code § 1189(c)). Effective January 1, 2006, if a document contains a suggested "certificate of acknowledgment," the certificate may be used only if it is exactly the same as the statutory wording. If it is not, then a loose certificate of acknowledgment with the statutory wording must be used.
  Download Free 2006 Acknowledgment Loose Certificate

• Government Code § 8214.8 (New Section) - Criminal Convictions/Court Revocation of Commission - If a notary public is convicted of a crime related to notarial misconduct, including the false completion of a notarial certificate (Government Code § 6203), or of any felony, the court must revoke the notary public's commission and require the notary public to surrender to the court the notary seal. The court will then forward the notary public's seal to the Secretary of State.

• Government Code § 8225 (Amendment to Section) - Notarial Journal - The new law makes it clear that a person who solicits, coerces, or influences a notary public to improperly maintain the notary public's journal is guilty of a misdemeanor.

• Government Code § 8228.1 (New Section) - Notarial Journal/Seal - The new law makes a notary public guilty of a misdemeanor if the notary public:
• Willfully fails to properly maintain his or her notarial journal; OR
• Willfully fails to notify the Secretary of State if his or her notarial journal is lost, stolen, rendered unusable or surrendered to a peace officer; OR
• Willfully fails to permit a lawful inspection or copying of his or her notarial journal; OR
• Willfully fails to keep his or her notarial seal under direct and exclusive control; OR
• Willfully surrenders his or her notarial seal to any person not authorized to possess it.

5. Penal Code § 470 (Amendment to Section) - False Acknowledgments/Forgery - The new law makes a notary public guilty of forgery if he or she issues an acknowledgment knowing it to be false. A person who falsifies the acknowledgment of a notary public is also guilty of forgery. Forgery is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year. (False certification by a notary public is also a misdemeanor pursuant to Government Code § 6203.)

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October 20, 2005

GSN Member Logo

Golden State Notary now offers a new logo for you to display on your website, business cards, or other promotional materials. There are three sizes to choose from as well as a high quality .PDF file for printing purposes. You must login to your account to be able to access these logos or copy and paste the logo that is displayed on this email. Visit our logo and linking page.

GSN Membership

There are currently over 5000 members of GSN. This may sound impressive, however, a small minority of these people are active members. Our vision is not to have passive memberships like you may be used to, but to have a network of notaries sharing resources and ideas. A great way to connect with notaries in California is to visit our message forums. We encourage you to ask those tough questions, share a funny story, advise novice notaries or give us feedback on how we can serve you better. This is your organization, not ours.

Referral Program

If you haven't heard already, Golden State Notary is paying its members for referrals. The first few referral checks have already gone out. For more information, we encourage you to read the Referral Program FAQ to start earning $20 per referred student. This is a great way to earn a little extra cash for the holidays.

Notary Newsletter

We have added our newsletter archives to our website. If you would like to see previous newsletters, please click here.

Thank You

We thank you for your continued partnership with Golden State Notary. It is our mission to serve you, the California notary.

-Your Friends at GSN

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October 11, 2005

New Law Change

Gov. Schwarzenegger recently signed an amended bill for AB 361 affecting all notaries in California. Please visit our message forums for more information on this new law change.

New Live Seminar Location

Back by popular demand, Golden State Notary has returned to Ventura. If you or someone you know would like to attend a live seminar in Ventura, sign up here. The next seminar in Ventura is Monday, November 7, 2005.

GSN Member Logo

Members of Golden State Notary now have a new logo. To use this logo, please visit our links page.

notaryCA.com Members

If you are a member of notaryCA.com, please visit the login and visit the forums for important information update regarding your free subscriptions.

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September 23, 2005

Message Forums

Let your voice be heard. Our message forums are up and running! This is a free service for all GSN Members to share thoughts, comments, ideas, network resources or whatever you want. This is your community designed for California notaries only. http://gsn.notary.net/forums/

Linking

You can now place Golden State Notary, notaryCA.com and GSN Certified Loan Signer logos and links on your personal and/or business, web site(s). If you are logged in and select the Golden State Notary logo html code, it will automatically enter your referral ID so you can earn extra money through our referral program. http://gsn.notary.net/link/

GSN Membership

If you are receiving this email newsletter, you are already a member of GSN. Your membership gives you the following benefits:

• Continued access to this email newsletter to keep you current with anything that affects you as a notary
• Access to post to our California notary message forums
• Eligibility to participate in our seminar referral program
• Being associated with an ethical, professional organization of California notaries only
• No membership fees
• Telephone and email support
• Authorization to use the GSN Member logo (coming soon)

If you know a notary who is not currently a member of GSN, please refer them to our member sign-up page.

Thank You

We thank you for your continued support of Golden State Notary. Please let us know how we can better serve you.

-Your friends at GSN

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September 15, 2005

Make More Money!

"I would gladly recommend GSN to anyone interested in becoming a notary." If you have ever said this or thought this, we will now pay you back for referring new students to us. Golden State Notary will now pay $20 for each student that you refer to us. For more information login to your GSN account or read our FAQ. This is an exclusive offer to GSN customers and newsletter subscribers only.

GSN Internet Toolbar

Are you tired of pop-ups when you browse the internet? Ever wonder how much traffic a website receives? Do you want quick and easy access to a powerful search engine? Golden State Notary now offers a free toolbar to help you browse the internet. This is for Windows users only. Download Now

Online Notary Class

GSN is the first and only notary company in California to have live streaming video broadcast over the internet. The NNA online course costs $159 and is all text based. Our course is only $79 and far exceeds anything else out there. If you cannot make one of our live seminars this is the next best thing. For an additional $16 we will mail you the seminar materials to simulate the actual live seminar. More Information and FREE preview

Message Forums

We will soon launch message forums that will be accessible to everyone (We currently have private message forums on notaryCA.com). This will be a great resource for notaries and those seeking to become notaries. This will be a California-specific forum, but will allow users worldwide to have access. Similar sites include all 50 states and other countries which is confusing since each state has different laws. Look for this update in the coming weeks.

GSN Membership

There have been many inquiries on how to join GSN. We do not require a "membership fee" and we do not plan to either. Some people think that membership to an organization will help them in marketing. If you are one of these people, then if you are receiving this email, you ARE a member of GSN and we are glad to have you. We do not believe it should cost you $45 a year to belong to a professional organization. As a new member of GSN, we welcome you. We at GSN have the resources and the desire to serve you as best as we can. Please let us know if there is any other way we can serve you better.

-Your Friends at GSN

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August 30, 2005

Online Notary Course

Our notary course is now available online. You can save money on gas and avoid traffic by taking our State-Approved course in the comfort of your own home. We still believe the live seminar is the best way for you to learn the notary law and pass the test, however, this is the next best thing to being in the classroom. Please follow this link for a FREE preview.

Hurricane Victims

The Gulf Coast was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Please keep the victims and their families in your thoughts and prayers. If you have the resources, please donate to the American Red Cross.

notaryCA.com

NotaryCA.com has been a huge success so far. We have nearly 600 notaries listed in this community designed specifically for California notaries. Currently we are still accepting free notary listings, however, we will soon have to charge a small fee for the use of this resource. Please take advantage of this FREE opportunity while it lasts.

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July 8, 2005

August Schedule

The August seminar schedule has been posted to the Golden State Notary webpage. If you would like to take our State-Approved course with the California Notary State Exam afterward, please follow this link: http://gsn.notary.net/seminars/

New Locations Added

We have added new seminar locations to better serve new and renewing notaries: Ontario, Riverside, Bakersfield, Fresno and Modesto!

Renewing Notaries

The Secretary of State recommends that you take your notary test 4-6 months before your commission expires. This will ensure that you will not have a lapse in your commission. If your commission expires in December 2005 - February 2006 or earlier, make plans to take the mandatory notary seminar and State Exam this summer.

Private Seminars

Do you or your employer have 15 or more employees who need to be trained to become new or renewing notaries? We can come to your location and have the State Exam the same day. Please call (888) 263-1977 to inquire about our group rates.

notaryCA.com

Over 400 notaries have listed their services on notaryCA.com in the past couple months! We recently added chat forums where you can network and communicate with other notaries and loan signing agents. This is a free service, however, you must have an approved listing to participate in the chat forums. Sign up for notaryCA.com now

How Can We Better Serve You?

We at Golden State Notary are constantly developing services to help notaries throughout California. Please let us know if you have any suggestions on how we can better serve you.

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June 18, 2005

Information Update

On June 17, 2005, Golden State Notary was approved as a notary education vendor in California. All seminars and online courses from this point on will include a certificate of completion that must be attached to applications of new and renewing notaries whose commissions will be issued on or after July 1, 2005.

We realize this has been a hectic time for notaries and vendors alike, but we just ask that you be patient as we make the best out of this situation.

If you have:

(1) Taken our course and received a deficiency letter from the State

-or-

(2) Taken our course and are a July or later renewal

You will have two options:

(1) Take our online seminar (once the course becomes available) free of charge

-or-

(2) Take our live seminar again free of charge.

There are several people who fall into these categories, so please be patient as we attempt to accommodate them all. If you would like the online course, we will email you again once it is available, then you will call our office and we can give you immediate access. If you would like to attend the live seminar again, you can show up at the door for the one on Monday, June 20 in Burbank since our offices are closed on Saturday and Sunday. For all others, please call us and let us know which one you would like to attend.

If you have not taken our course yet and are a July renewal, we will offer our online course for half price (normally $79). This will be the most convenient way for you to qualify for this new requirement. All that we ask is that you tell people interested in becoming or renewing their notary commission about this online course. We will email you as soon as this course is available

Also, CPS has decided that they will now allow us to have proctors come to the seminar sites to give the state exam immediately following the seminar once again. There is an indefinite time frame as to how long they will offer this service, while they inquire on how to improve the system. Most, if not all, of our July seminars will have the state exam immediately following. We will email you again when this information becomes more clear.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused due to circumstances beyond our control. You are our number one priority and we are here to serve your needs. You may reply to this email or contact us at (888) 263-1977 with any questions. Have a wonderful weekend.

Your Friends At GSN

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