RON RON Session Recording and Recordkeeping 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following pieces of information is NOT typically required in a RON electronic journal entry?
- Date and time of the notarial act
- Identity proofing method used to verify the signer
- The notary's personal bank account information (Correct answer)
- A description of the notarized document
Correct answer: The notary's personal bank account information
A notary's personal bank account information has no relevance to a journal entry; required fields relate to the act, the signer's identity verification, and the document.
Question 2: Under most RON statutes, parties who have a legitimate interest in a notarized transaction may request access to session recordings. Which of the following would most likely qualify?
- A competing notary service
- A party to the notarized document (Correct answer)
- Any member of the general public
- An unrelated insurance company
Correct answer: A party to the notarized document
Parties to the transaction underlying the notarized document generally have a legitimate interest and may be granted access to the recording upon proper request.
Question 3: A RON notary switches from one technology platform to another. What should occur with the recordings from sessions performed on the old platform?
- The old platform must delete all recordings immediately upon the notary's departure
- The recordings must remain accessible and preserved for the full retention period on the original or transferred storage (Correct answer)
- The notary must re-record all prior sessions on the new platform
- The state licensing board automatically archives all prior recordings
Correct answer: The recordings must remain accessible and preserved for the full retention period on the original or transferred storage
Switching platforms does not extinguish the retention obligation; recordings must remain accessible and intact for the full statutory period regardless of platform changes.
Question 4: How does RON electronic journal recordkeeping typically differ from a traditional paper notary journal?
- RON journals do not need to record the type of notarial act
- RON journals must capture the identity proofing method used, which has no paper equivalent (Correct answer)
- Traditional paper journals require retention for longer periods than RON journals
- RON journals are optional in all states that permit remote notarization
Correct answer: RON journals must capture the identity proofing method used, which has no paper equivalent
RON journals include fields specific to remote notarization, most notably the identity verification method (KBA, credential analysis, biometric), which has no counterpart in paper journal requirements.
Question 5: What does an 'audit trail' in RON recordkeeping refer to?
- A physical log book maintained at the county clerk's office
- A chronological electronic record of all actions taken during and around a RON session (Correct answer)
- A periodic review of the notary's commission by the state regulator
- A summary report generated annually by the RON platform for tax purposes
Correct answer: A chronological electronic record of all actions taken during and around a RON session
An audit trail is a time-stamped, sequential electronic record of every action taken in connection with a RON session, enabling after-the-fact review of the entire process.
Question 6: Which event typically starts the retention clock for a RON session recording?
- The date the notary uploads the completed document to the recipient
- The date and time the notarial act is performed during the session (Correct answer)
- The date the signer's identity proofing credentials expire
- The date the document is recorded with a county recorder
Correct answer: The date and time the notarial act is performed during the session
The statutory retention period begins at the moment the notarial act is performed, not at a subsequent delivery or recording event.
Question 7: A RON platform provider goes out of business. What is the notary's responsibility regarding session recordings?
- The notary has no further obligation because the platform held the records
- The notary must take steps to retrieve and preserve the recordings for the remainder of the retention period (Correct answer)
- The notary must immediately re-notarize all affected documents
- The obligation transfers automatically to the document's receiving lender
Correct answer: The notary must take steps to retrieve and preserve the recordings for the remainder of the retention period
If a platform ceases operations, the notary is still responsible for ensuring the records are preserved; notaries should have contingency plans and retrieve records before a platform closes.
RON RON Session Recording and Recordkeeping 2
Which of the following pieces of information is NOT typically required in a RON electronic journal entry?