Notary Public

What Does Notary Public Mean?

A notary public, also referred to as a notary or public notary, is a public officer authorized to perform various legal formalities. These include attesting signatures, administering oaths, certifying contracts and deeds, executing powers of attorney, and acknowledging wills and testaments. Additionally, a notary public handles affidavits, protests of negotiable instruments, depositions, and other legal documents within their jurisdiction.

The act of performing these duties is called notarization, which imparts legal validity to the documents in question.

Insuranceopedia Explains Notary Public

The powers of a notary public are governed by state-specific laws, but their primary responsibility across all states is to witness the signing of important documents and verify the identities of the involved parties to help prevent fraud. While many states require notaries to be bonded, this does not protect the notary in cases of litigation stemming from negligence in their duties. For such instances, errors and omissions insurance offers financial protection, covering notaries against lawsuits arising from improperly performed notarial acts that result in financial losses for others.

Because the required surety bond only reimburses the public and then seeks repayment from the notary, E&O is the same category of coverage as professional liability insurance and is what actually keeps a notary’s own finances intact after a claim. Notaries who run mobile or signing-agent businesses on the side often pair E&O with an independent contractor insurance policy to cover the other risks that come with working for themselves.