A recent article in the Indianapolis Business Journal noted a shocking decline in the number of notaries in Indiana in the last few years. In years past, a notary public stamp on a document seemed to be ever present and often was the distinguishing characteristic of a document with high importance. However, in 2007, the Indiana Secretary of State’s office noted almost 23,000 expirations, but only approximately 17,000 renewals or applications for new notaries. This marked a 22% decline for 2007. In 2009 the decline accelerated to 30%. This year the decline to-date is 41%. The chief legal counsel for the Indiana Secretary of State indicates that he believes the decline reflects that the type of authentication notaries do is falling out of fashion. Many companies now accept photo I.D. or confirm over the telephone or Internet. He indicated that notary publics were more popular in the days when companies and people relied heavily on postal mail. However with the increase in multiple forms of personal communication being available, the mail is not the exclusive source to authenticate the identity of someone’s signature on a document. If you have questions about notaries in Indiana, contact a Bamberger attorney.
Author: Laura A. Scott (bio)
Phone: 812.452.3557
email: lscott@bamberger.com