A notary must keep all information contained in the notarized document confidential, except when disclosure is required by law. This duty of confidentiality is crucial to maintaining trust and ensuring that sensitive information is protected.
The duty of impartiality requires a notary to remain neutral and not provide legal advice or favor any party involved in the transaction. The notary’s role is to act impartially in performing their duties and not influence the outcome of the notarization process.
If a notary discovers an error in a notarized document after the fact, they should notify the parties involved, make a note of the error and any corrective actions in the notarial journal, and perform a new notarization on a corrected document if necessary. This approach ensures that errors are properly addressed and documented, maintaining the integrity of the notarization process.
Notaries public in Montana are prohibited from providing legal advice. This prohibition ensures that notaries do not exceed their role and responsibilities and that parties involved in the notarization process seek appropriate legal counsel when needed.
A notary public in Montana should refuse to notarize any document in which they have a financial interest due to the conflict of interest. This is to maintain impartiality and avoid any appearance of bias or undue influence in the notarization process.
