What loan signing work involves in Pennsylvania

A signing appointment is notarial acts plus a service

At a loan signing you do two jobs. You perform notarial acts on some pages, and you guide the borrower through signing the rest of the package.

Only the first job comes from your commission. Acknowledgments on the mortgage and verifications on affidavits are notarial acts. Walking the borrower through page order, flagging blanks and shipping the package are services you sell to the signing company or title agent.

Keep that split in your head from the start. The notarial fee on each act is capped by the Department. The service fee is not, though it must be reasonable and stated up front. The fees and journal page sets out both.

Pennsylvania notaries may charge clerical or administrative fees for services related to a notarial act, such as copying, postage, travel and phone calls, and those fees are not set by the Department. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

The Closing Disclosure arrives before you do

By law the borrower gets the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing. By the time you arrive, the numbers should be familiar to them.

The Closing Disclosure is a five-page form. It shows the loan terms, the projected monthly payment and the closing costs. It gives the borrower time to compare the final terms with the earlier Loan Estimate.

This matters to you in one practical way. If a borrower at the table says the numbers are new, or not what they expected, that is a question for the lender. It is not one you answer. Pause, and let them call the lender or the title agent before signing continues.

3 business daysThe CFPB says a borrower must receive the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing on the mortgage. — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-27

Dating a refinance and the right to rescind

On many refinances the borrower may cancel until midnight of the third business day. Saturdays count as business days for this rule, and Sundays and holidays do not.

The clock starts only after three things. The borrower signs the note, receives the Truth in Lending disclosure, and receives two copies of the rescission notice. The first business day after the last of those is day one.

A wrong date on the notice is a real problem. If disclosures or notices were missing or incorrect, the borrower may be able to rescind for up to three years. Date every document for the day you are actually there, and count the rescission days carefully.

3 business daysA refinancing borrower may rescind until midnight of the third business day after the transaction, and Saturdays count as business days for this purpose. — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-27

3 yearsIf the required disclosure or rescission notice was not received or was incorrect, a borrower may be able to rescind for up to three years after closing. — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, retrieved 2026-09-27

Identifying every borrower at the table

Every signer whose signature you notarize must appear in person, unless you are doing an authorized remote act. You identify each one by personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence.

Satisfactory evidence usually means a current passport, driver's license or state ID. Other current government ID with a photo or signature may qualify. You may ask for more if something does not fit.

Spouses are the classic trap. A package may list two borrowers while only one is at the table. You cannot notarize the absent spouse's signature, whatever the signing service says. Stop and let the title agent reschedule.

Apart from certifying a copy, every Pennsylvania notarial act needs the signer to appear personally, and a video call counts only for an authorized remote notary. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Where a signing agent must stop explaining

You can say what a document is called and where to sign. You cannot tell a borrower whether to sign, or what the terms mean for them legally.

Crossing that line is the unauthorized practice of law. A finding of it against you must be reported to the Department within 30 days. It can cost you the commission.

Useful answers stay neutral. "This is the note. The lender can explain the rate." "This page is the right to cancel. Your title agent can walk you through the dates." Keep the lender's and title agent's numbers handy for exactly these moments.

30 daysA Pennsylvania notary must notify the Department within 30 days of a finding that the notary engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

When to stop a signing partway through

Stop when you doubt the borrower's capacity, their willingness, or their identity. Pennsylvania lets you refuse an act on those grounds.

The grounds are specific. You may refuse if you are not satisfied that the signer is competent, that the signature is knowing and voluntary, or that the signature and photo match the ID.

At a kitchen table this looks like a borrower who cannot say what the loan is for, or a relative answering every question. Pause the signing. Call the title agent or signing service, explain what you saw, and let them decide the next step. Record the refusal in your notes.

You may never refuse on a protected ground. Race, religion, disability and marital status are among the ones the Department lists.

A Pennsylvania notary may refuse an act if not satisfied that the signer is competent, that the signature is knowingly and voluntarily made, or that the signature or photo matches the ID. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Border signings and the Pennsylvania commission

Your commission works only inside Pennsylvania. A borrower across the river in New Jersey needs a notary commissioned there for an in-person signing.

Check the signing location before you accept, not the property address. The location of the act controls. A Pennsylvania property signed in Delaware is outside your authority for an in-person act.

Remote notarization is the exception. The notary must be in Pennsylvania, but the signer can be elsewhere, if the lender and title agent accept it. The remote notarization guide sets out the steps.

A Pennsylvania notary may notarize anywhere in the Commonwealth but may not perform notarial acts outside the state. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Before you accept the next signing

Before you accept a signing, confirm three things: every signer can attend, you are cleared for that location, and you know who to call with questions.

Then check your own paperwork. Your commission, bond and E&O should be current, and the signing company should have them on file. The commission and company page covers which contracts belong in the LLC's name. The cost page shows what each appointment has to earn back.

The Department of State notes a notary may perform notarial acts only while a valid bond is on file. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Questions