When we are asked to notarize legal documents particularly loan closing documents in most cases right below the signature line the signer’s name is printed out and this is how it needs to be signed. We will always ask you to sign your name just as it is printed below the signature line. If initials are in the document we ask you to initial with the initials in the signature. For example, if you name is printed John Smith Doe you’ll sign John Smith Doe and initial JSD. On many occasions signers will sign the document with just an initial and last name or with another variation of their name and not the way it is printed on the document. Title Companies, Lenders, and other instiutaitons have become very strict about this and require the signers to sign as it’s printed on the document. We even had to re-do a loan closing because the signer didn’t sign exactly as it was typed on their documents!! We always ask the signer(s) to sign as the document as it reads and sometimes signers will say “that is not my legal signature.” What is a legal signature? There is no place where a signature can be recorded to make it a “legal” signature. Your name is legal and recorded. We will ask you to sign your name as the name reads on the document. In many cases if the documents are not signed correctly it will be sent back and could delay the transaction. We want your documents to be returned correctly and not have any reason for it to be sent back because of an incorrect signature.
Palm Harbor Notary on “Your ‘legal’ Signature”