MISMO®, the mortgage industry's standards organization, today announced that eNotaryLog and Notarize are the first two companies to complete MISMO's new Remote Online Notarization (RON) certification program. RON certification provides assurance that products fulfill the requirements of the MISMO Remote Online Notary Standards.
"Real estate transactions continue to close during the COVID-19 pandemic because of advancements in digital mortgage technology, including the increased adoption of remote online notarization as a safe and convenient option," said Mike Fratantoni, President of MISMO and Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Industry Technology. "MISMO congratulates eNotaryLog and Notarize for completing the RON certification program. Their commitment to expanding digital offerings to the industry are appreciated, especially as their products enable social distancing during the pandemic. MISMO encourages all product providers to expand the integrity and availability of eMortgages by obtaining their MISMO certification."
Announced in April, MISMO's RON Software Compliance Certification Program is designed to increase adoption of RON-enabled digital mortgage closings and support the integrity and scalability of eMortgages. The program provides assurances that RON technology providers will meet a common set of standards; reduces or eliminates the burden of individual assessment, certification, and approval processes of RON providers; and gives a consistent assessment process across all providers.
"eNotaryLog stresses the importance of using standards and industry best practices. We leverage the broader knowledge and expertise of the market to build our products and are excited to become a MISMO certified RON platform," said Joseph Bisaillon, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at eNotaryLog. "It is important for the industry to have standards by which organizations can be assured that the products they are reviewing meet a minimum standard. MISMO continues to provide value to the ecosystem by building such standards and best practices for the community."
"As RON legislation passes and use accelerates, it is imperative to set industry standards for remote, digital closings," said Pat Kinsel, CEO of Notarize. "Notarize being certified by MISMO is an important milestone - it's exciting to be on the frontlines as the mortgage industry leaps to adopt the digital processes it's so long desired. We thank MISMO for their leadership."
MISMO's online Digital Mortgage Resource Center maintains a list of RON providers that have obtained the MISMO RON Certification. eNotaryLog, certified on May 27, 2020, and Notarize, certified on July 2, 2020, are currently the only two companies whose RON products have completed the MISMO RON Certification process. All certified RON providers will receive a "MISMO Compliant for RON Standards" seal which can be prominently displayed on the RON provider's website and marketing materials, pursuant to additional usage terms and conditions set forth by MISMO.
Released in 2019, MISMO's RON standards provide a common set of requirements, including credential analysis, borrower identification, capturing and maintaining a recording of the notary process electronically, audio and video requirements, record storage and audit trails.
For more information about MISMO's RON standards or to download them, visit: http://www.mismo.org/standards-and-resources/emortgage-specifications/remote-online-notarization-standards.
For more information on MISMO's RON Software Certification Program, visit: http://www.mismo.org/education-and-certification/product/software-certification/ron-domain-description.
For information about the MBA-ALTA State Model RON Bill, please visit: https://www.mba.org/audience/state-legislative-and-regulatory-resource-center/remote-online-notarization.
The release and use of MISMO standards and other resources are governed by the MISMO Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy. For more information on the policy, please click here.
Industry participants who have comments or questions can contact MISMO at info@mismo.org">.
For more information about MISMO, visit www.mismo.org.