Notary Journal and Recordkeeping Flashcards

Under Montana law, when is a notary public required to maintain a journal of notarial acts?

Answer: For every notarial act performed on a record

Montana requires notaries to record every notarial act performed on a record in a journal.

How many journals may a Montana notary keep at one time for tangible (paper) records?

Answer: One

A Montana notary may maintain only one tangible journal at a time for notarial acts on tangible records.

A Montana notary's paper journal must be:

Answer: A permanent, bound register with numbered pages

A tangible journal must be a permanent, bound register with numbered pages to prevent tampering.

Which of the following is a required entry in a Montana notary journal?

Answer: The fee charged, if any

Montana requires the journal to record the fee charged, if any, along with the date, type of act, document description, and signer information.

A signer asks the notary to write her full Social Security number in the journal for identification. The notary should:

Answer: Refuse, because journals must not contain sensitive identifying numbers

Notary journals should never contain Social Security numbers or other sensitive data, since journals may be inspected or copied.

When must a Montana notary make the journal entry for a notarial act?

Answer: Contemporaneously with performing the act

The journal entry must be made contemporaneously — at the time the notarial act is performed.

How did the notary identify the signer — where does this belong?

Answer: In the journal entry, describing the method of identification

The journal entry must describe how the signer was identified, such as personal knowledge or the type of ID credential presented.