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Test Yourself: How Secure Are Your Notary Data Handling Practices?

Test your security practices with the NSA self-assessment

Because Notaries play an essential role in the loan closing process, the mortgage finance industry is strengthening its requirements related to how you handle and store sensitive consumer information.

To help you meet those expectations, the NNA has developed a Notary Signing Agent Self-Assessment test so you can evaluate your own practices.

 

The Identity Protection Crisis


Protecting the personal, non-public identity and financial information of consumers has become a global imperative, and Notaries in all walks of life are being asked to enter the fray. 

The comprehensive Assessment is divided into the following sections, each related to a data security need:

  • Document Acceptance
  • Document Handling
  • Signing Appointments
  • Document Delivery
  • Notary Journals
  • Communications
  • Computers and Networks
  • Mobile Devices
  • Credit Cards

Each section asks a series of “Yes”, “No” and “N/A” questions. At the end, there is an “Action” section where you can document any corrective actions you may be taking.

While the Assessment is geared toward NSAs, many of its sections are applicable to Notaries in every industry.

Michael Lewis is Managing Editor of member publications for the National Notary Association.

Related Articles:

Data Security For Notaries On The Go

Safeguarding Loan Packages 

Common Data Security Terms For Notaries

Additional Resources:

Notary Privacy Guard

Locking Storage

4 Comments

Add your comment

jerry_lucas@msn.com

25 Apr 2016

Small businesses should follow cybersecurity standard NIST IR 7621 published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and recommended by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and FBI. See article at http://abclegaldocs.com/blog-Colorado-Notary/cybersecurity-standards-nist-ir-7621/ Many cloud storage providers are intended for consumer use and are not secure enough for business use. Files should be encrypted before being sent to cloud storage and the storage vendor must not have the encryption key. Use of an electronic notary journal with storage on a vendor website increases security risk. Read your state laws on data security breach to learn your responsibilities and liabilities for using and storing customer records.

Juanita Lyons

14 Dec 2015

It's not enough to ask "Do you use "strong" practices......" the question should either specify what "strong" is or offer strong recommendations. Many notaries are not IT savvy about how to manage the borrowers' data.

Luetta A. Robbins

08 Dec 2015

good to check on ourselves

Luetta A..Robbins

08 Dec 2015

good to check on ourselves.

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