Escrow Education Center
How to avoid common errors when signing your modification agreement
Signing your modification agreement is an important step in finalizing your loan terms. To prevent delays or the need to re-sign documents, it’s important that everything is completed correctly the first time.
This guide highlights the most common mistakes we see with signature and notarization and how you can avoid them.
This guide highlights the most common mistakes we see with signature and notarization and how you can avoid them.
Even small errors, like a missing signature or incorrect date, can cause your agreement to be rejected and require you to sign everything again. In some cases, repeated issues can delay or affect your modification timeline. The good news is that most of these issues are easy to avoid with a quick review before you send your documents back.
Signing a different version of your name
- Your signature should match the name printed on the document.
- Example: if your name is printed as John A. Smith, don’t sign as John Smith or J. Smith.
- Every borrower must sign.
- All required signature pages must be completed.
- Take a few minutes to review each page before sending documents back.
- Signatures must be placed on the correct lines.
- Follow the signature tabs or labels provided and double-check placement before submitting.
- Don’t make any changes, corrections, or handwritten notes on the agreement.
- Examples of what to avoid:
- Crossing out text
- Using white-out
- Writing in additional information
- If you notice an error, contact us for guidance instead of making changes yourself.
Signing and notarizing on different dates
- Your documents should be signed and notarized on the same day. Make sure you sign your documents in front of the notary at the time of your appointment.
- The notary must complete all required fields, including:
- Date
- Signature
- State and county
- Commission expiration date
- Before leaving your appointment, quickly review the notary section to ensure everything is filled in.
- The notary’s stamp must be clear and easy to ready. Common issues include:
- Stamp is missing
- Stamp is smudged
- Stamp covers important text
- Ask your notary to place their stamp in the designated area and ensure it does not overlap any content.
- You must sign your documents in the presence of the notary.
- Signing ahead of time can make the notarization invalid.
- Wait to sign until your notary instructs you to do so.
Before returning your signed documents, take a few minutes to confirm everything is completed accurately.
- Signatures
- All borrowers signed when required.
- Signatures match printed names exactly (include middle initials, suffixes, etc.).
- Signed in the correct locations (inside signature lines).
- No missing or blank signature pages.
- Dates
- Documents were signed and notarized on the same date.
- All required dates are completed (no blanks).
- Notary Section
- Signed in front of the notary.
- Notary completed all required fields:
- Signature
- Date
- State and county
- Commission expiration
- Notary stamp is clear and readable.
- Stamp does not cover any text or signatures
- Important reminders
- Do not make any changes to the document (no cross-outs, white-outs, or handwritten edits).
- Do not sign ahead of your notary appointment.
- Do not return incomplete documents.
- Final check before sending
- All pages are included.
- Everything is fully signed and notarized.
- Documents are clean, clear, and unchanged.
Most delays we see are due to simple, preventable errors. Taking a few minutes to review your documents before submitting them can save you time and help ensure your modification is processed as quickly as possible.
If you’re unsure about anything, it’s always best to ask questions before signing. We’re here to help you every step of the way.