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Eve
Virginia
25 Posts |
 Posted - 09/21/2011 : 05:44:07 AM
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Not as bad as some have experienced but red flags definitely went up. I went to a home mid-day. In an okay neighborhood. I stepped in the foyer. The house was very dark and cluttered. No clear space for anything. The light fixtures had been taken out -- almost got the impression he had foreclosed on this current home and was stripping it of everything. His manner was creepy. I stepped back outside and casually but firmly said I couldn't do the signing because the house interior was too dark. I suggested we clean off the picnic table and sign there. Glad it wasn't a night signing.
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Originally posted by EvaOB
Has anyone had any safety concerns while doing a signing? I would think they may arise at times especially when witnessing a signature in a residence or in a bad part of town.
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dfye@mcttelecom.com
New Hampshire
681 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2011 : 08:58:57 AM
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Not every borrower is going to be friendly. Many of my borrowers were completely stressed out due to bad negotiations from the lender.
The first piece of advice I can offer is to know exactly how you got into the house. Face the door you came in if possible. Some houses are pretty big and it is easy to forget how you got in especially if you are going upstairs from a garage entrance. Travel with a buddy that is willing to wait outside if that is possible. I always went to sigings with my business partner. Most of the borrowers would invite him in and I explained to them he was there for safety purposes and was not allowed to enter the home pursuant to our company policy. Several of them brought him food and hot coffee while he sat and waited.
One time when I was completing a signing, I entered a home through a garage entrance. Once I was in I had to go up two flights of stairs and turn at least three corners to get to the room of the signing. The lady of the house was on the phone with the lender and extremely upset and the man of the house was just as perturbed. He cornered me in the kitchen and began spitting at me and screaming bloody murder. He proceeded to throw a couple of books at me as well.
So what do you do when this happens? I calmly addressed this man and explained to him that I was just the messenger and had nothing to do with the details of the loan. He did not want to hear what I had to say. He continued by calling me some very nasty names and still had me cornered. Even though his wife was on the phone she was observing what he was doing which only exacerbated the situation. I asked this man one more time to calm down and stated that I would not take that kind of abuse. I told him I was there to help but he needed to let me find out what the problem was.
Suffice to say, there was no getting through to him. It got so bad I had to literally push this man to get out of that corner. I told him that if he assaulted me one more time I would call the police and attempted to leave the house. As I was finding my way back through to the garage, this man was dogging me from behind. By the time I got outside, my business partner saw what was going on and jumped out of the car to assist me. Once this man saw him he turned back like a dog with his tail between his legs.
May I also mention that I was wearing a body alarm? For whatever reason, I did not pull it until I got outside the house. These alarms have an ear piercing screech to them and while they may not save your life, they certainly can stir confusion. I have tested the distance of the sound and learned that you can hear them even with closed windows. If you wear one, please do not hesitate to use it. I have had to use mine three times in 15 years.
It is very important that you do whatever is necessary to protect yourself from harm in cases like this. This happened in a beautiful, manicured neighborhood where you think you are safe. While most borrowers are the nicest people you will ever meet, never believe that your safety is not in jeopardy. If you are ignorant to this you may end up facing the worst case scenario.
Legal Eagle Para Professional Services |
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edelske
New York
815 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 4:34:09 PM
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I live in Manhattan - there are plenty of bad parts to this town. And there are many ways to keep out of harms way. In a REALLY bad area going into a residence is not advisable. There are plenty of coffee shops and McDonalds to meet at. My wife is in the car and we use little walkie talkies to communicate (much faster than the cells we carry). If ever feel a bit uneasy I call her and chat a bit - not long - just to let my host know that someone is nearby and knows where I am.
Kenneth A Edelstein
Mobile Notary, Apostille / Legalization Processing & Fingerprinting
http://www.kenneth-a-edelstein.com |
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DianaNotary
California
171 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2011 : 10:14:38 AM
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A zip code in an urban area can tell you a lot. When I have signings in this type of areas, I do my homework (check the address, etc)
I would never accept a signing in a bad neighborhood at night. Even if it’s during the day, I refer the signing to my business partner, who is a guy and can stand up for himself.
http://www.DianaNotary.com |
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Lisa T.
California
391 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2011 : 6:16:45 PM
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| I don't accept loan signings in bad parts of town. I turn those jobs down. |
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cmihalik
New Jersey
26 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2011 : 5:34:24 PM
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I must say, I've been in some very precarious situations. Those were mostly from Structured Settlements though and not necessarily from loan closings. There was a time or two that I had to walk at night with my mace in hand and my head held high as if I belonged there. As I was pulling away I was thanking G*d for keeping me safe...tee hee
The truth of the matter is that most of the bo's themselves are not the issue, it's the area that can be disconcerting. I find the fun thing about this business is that you just never know what to expect. |
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CopperheadVA
Virginia
420 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2011 : 11:19:51 AM
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Almost 100% of loan signings are in someone's residence. If a loan signer is not willing to go to residences, then they cannot effectively work in this business.
I've only had one time when I felt VERY uncomfortable and that was when the loan terms were not what the borrowers were expecting and they became very hostile and began screaming at the LO (actually, they were not friendly even when I arrived and asked for two forms of ID as per the TC's requirement). They said they were not signing and I picked up the papers and got out of there. I called the LO once I was in the car and away from their house. He told me that he was sorry about what happened, and that the borrowers just did not qualify for the loan terms they wanted and that they did indeed know the terms before I got there, but were in denial.
In hindsight, I should have left earlier than I did. They were very hostile and completely inappropriate.
As far as a bad part of town, I simply would not accept any assignments in those areas (don't have any around here).
CopperheadVA
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EvaOB
Massachusetts
28 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2011 : 06:52:58 AM
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| Has anyone had any safety concerns while doing a signing? I would think they may arise at times especially when witnessing a signature in a residence or in a bad part of town. |
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Safety concerns?
