In this past year, as technology has advanced, there have been several new initiatives in the field of electronic notarization and electronic signatures.

• In South Dakota and Utah, legislators have enacted bills that allow notaries to use electronic signatures to notarize electronic real estate documents.  This utilizes a special type of electronic notary stamp.
• A Washington law was clarified so that electronic notarization of a real estate record has to be conducted by either a Washington State Notary Public or another person authorized to do so by laws of a jurisdiction outside of Washington.
• West Virginia issued a rule that detailed guidelines for performing electronic notarizations.
• In Pennsylvania, a bill takes effect in January 2015 that allows powers of attorney notarized electronically to be recorded in the same way as a paper document.

If you are thinking about utilizing electronic notarization services, make sure to check on the laws pertaining to your state.