In-Person Electronic Notarization. Use of an electronic notary signature and seal with identification of the signer occurring in person as in a traditional notary; requires the physical presence of the signer with the notary officer.

For some time now, DocMagic has been developing a solution that would allow our generated documents, with added loan data, to be read by common screen readers that are used by consumers with limited visibility. This is commonly referred to by us as “ADA tagging” of our forms, referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act which requires public accommodation of persons with disabilities. The method we have used for tagging our forms would be technically identified as “PDF/UA” for the PDF/Universal Accessibility standard, an ISO standard for accessible PDF technology. 

The North Carolina Secretary of State has announced that after review of public comments, Remote Electronic Notarization Act (“RENA”) Phase 3 rules were adopted and have been submitted to the Rules Review Commission (“RRC”). The RRC is a legislatively appointed commission which may request changes to the rules. The RRC will hold a public hearing to review Phase 3 adopted rules on April 24, 2025.

William J. Pulte was recently confirmed and sworn in as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The new director is the founder of private equity firm Pulte Capital Partners. Director Pulte succeeds Biden administration appointee Sandra L. Thompson as head of the agency.

On March 12, 2025, the Arkansas legislature passed two bills which amend the state’s Fair Mortgage Lending Act (“FMLA”). 

As part of recent policy shifts, the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) and the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) have both announced the decision to curtail home loan eligibility for non-U.S. citizens. 

USDA

On March 19, 2025, the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) issued Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2025-08 to announce that the agency is rescinding appraisal policies issued in three previous Mortgagee Letters and restoring the prior policy regarding appraisal reviews.

The Mortgagee Letters that are rescinded include:

Updated to use dynamic signature lines. (Date of Release to Production: 03/27/25)

DocMagic will be hitting the road in April to attend the following industry events: 

Updated address for submission of complaints. (Date of Release to Production: 03/20/25)