What is a Notary Public?

In the true sense of the word, a Notary Public is "a public servant" and "an officer of the State of Texas," conveniently located in the community so that the notary may be of service to the public. Each Notary Public takes an official oath of office to perform the duties faithfully in their capacity. The Texas Secretary of State is charged with issuing commissions to notaries in the State of Texas.  This state agency also maintains statewide notarial guidelines, protocols, and verification databases that a notary must comply with.

A notary is unbiased and impartial.  Notaries are instrumental for identity verification, competence of signers, and play an important part in reducing fraud. They will verify an individual's identity using various verification processes. Notaries also ensure that a signer chooses to sign willingly and without coercion. Notaries validate the legality and intent of a signature on legal documents.
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Some notaries are also Notary Signing Agents. NSA's perform notarial acts on mortgage and title documents, usually when a borrower or seller is closing on a property.