NSA Client Communication & Confidentiality 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A borrower asks a Notary Signing Agent to email a copy of their signed loan documents to a family member. What should the NSA do?
- Email the documents as requested since the borrower consented
- Decline and explain that documents must be returned only to the lender or title company (Correct answer)
- Forward copies to the family member and CC the lender
- Ask the title company via text message before deciding
Correct answer: Decline and explain that documents must be returned only to the lender or title company
Signed loan documents are confidential and must be returned only to the designated lender or title company, not third parties.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the NSA's duty regarding non-public personal information (NPI) encountered during a signing?
- Share it only with other signing agents for quality control
- Protect it from unauthorized disclosure at all times (Correct answer)
- Retain it for one year in case of disputes
- Use it to verify the borrower's identity with credit bureaus
Correct answer: Protect it from unauthorized disclosure at all times
NSAs must safeguard all non-public personal information and never disclose it to unauthorized parties.
Question 3: A lender instructs the NSA not to discuss interest rates with the borrower. The borrower asks about their rate during the signing. What is the correct response?
- Explain the rate fully since the borrower has a right to know
- Tell the borrower you are not authorized to discuss loan terms and direct them to their lender (Correct answer)
- Decline the signing appointment if you cannot answer questions
- Read the rate from the Note and add your own commentary
Correct answer: Tell the borrower you are not authorized to discuss loan terms and direct them to their lender
NSAs must follow lender instructions and direct borrowers to their lender or loan officer for questions about loan terms.
Question 4: After completing a signing, an NSA mentions the borrower's name and new address on a professional social media post to showcase their work. This action is:
- Acceptable if no financial details are included
- A breach of confidentiality and professional ethics (Correct answer)
- Permitted under the First Amendment
- Fine as long as the post is set to private
Correct answer: A breach of confidentiality and professional ethics
Disclosing any borrower identifying information on social media violates confidentiality obligations regardless of what financial details are included.
Question 5: An NSA discovers that the borrower's Social Security Number is printed on a document left behind at the signing table. What should the NSA do?
- Shred it immediately without notifying anyone
- Secure the document and return it with the loan package to the lender or title company (Correct answer)
- Take a photo for record-keeping then discard it
- Leave it at the signing location for the borrower to retrieve
Correct answer: Secure the document and return it with the loan package to the lender or title company
Any document containing sensitive borrower data should be secured and returned with the closing package to the appropriate party.
Question 6: A real estate agent who referred the signing calls the NSA after the appointment to ask whether the borrowers signed successfully. The NSA should:
- Confirm signing success since the agent is involved in the transaction
- Decline to share any details and refer the agent to the lender or title company (Correct answer)
- Provide a full update including any borrower concerns expressed during signing
- Ask the borrower's permission first, then respond
Correct answer: Decline to share any details and refer the agent to the lender or title company
Status updates on a signing should only be provided to the hiring party — the lender or title company — not to real estate agents or other parties.
Question 7: When communicating closing time confirmations with a borrower via text message, the NSA should:
- Include all loan details for the borrower's reference
- Keep messages limited to scheduling logistics and avoid including any sensitive loan or personal data (Correct answer)
- Copy the lender on every message for transparency
- Use a public group chat to coordinate all parties
Correct answer: Keep messages limited to scheduling logistics and avoid including any sensitive loan or personal data
Text messages should contain only scheduling information and never include sensitive financial or personal data about the borrower.
NSA Client Communication & Confidentiality 2
A borrower asks a Notary Signing Agent to email a copy of their signed loan documents to a family member.
What should the NSA do?