Notary Public

What Does Notary Public Mean?

A notary public is a public officer who has the authority to perform attestation of signatures, administration of oaths, certification of contracts and deeds, execution of powers of attorney, and acknowledgement of wills and testaments, among others. A notary public also takes in affidavits, protest of negotiable papers, depositions, and other legal documents executed within his or her jurisdiction. Any of these acts is known as notarization and confers a legal weight to the document in question.

A notary public is also known as a notary or public notary.

Insuranceopedia Explains Notary Public

Each state has different laws governing the powers of a notary public. However, regardless of the state, their main duty is to witness the signing of important documents and verify the identities of the parties involved in order to minimize fraud. Although many states require notaries to be bonded, this does not provide protection to the notary in case of litigation against them for negligence of some form in their duties. In this case, errors and omissions insurance provides financial protection to notaries at risk of being sued for improperly performed notarial acts that results in financial losses for the other party.