[March 23, 2020] HARTMANLAW ANNOUNCES SignFlex™ Secure Options Protocol

How important is a Real Estate Closing, really?

COVID-19 is a dangerous, fast-spreading virus, after all, and we should all be staying at home, right?

At Hartmanlaw, we tend to agree. But we also recognize the importance of the Financial Sector to the resilience of our communities.

In fact, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) specifically advances a national policy to “strengthen and maintain secure, functioning, and resilient critical infrastructure”. Of the “16 pieces of critical infrastructure” outlined by DHS as vital to our country’s survival in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, “financial fluidity”, like the ability to tap into your families’ home equity, makes the short list.

So Hartmanlaw will keep closing loans and transactions — and we will do so with the highest of critical focus on social distancing and COVID-preventative measures possible in our environments.

To that end, and in furtherance of our nationwide responsibility to beat the virus, Hartmanlaw is announcing our SignFlex™ Secure Options protocol, which encompasses all of the different closing and document signing procedures and options we have in place for the convenience and safety of our customers, clients and employees. And a commitment to adapt to your needs, even if we haven’t listed a solution that’s comfortable or right for you.

Some of these measures and options include:

• Constantly sanitized and re-sanitized office environments following CDC Guidelines
• One-user writing utensils, ink pens
• No-touch policy; no handshakes, hugs, etc.
• Limiting the number of attendees in closings
• Splitting closing attendees into separate rooms
• Mailaway (“remote”) closing/signing allowed when approved by lending institutions
• Drive-through or “curbside” closing/signing available, signer may stay in vehicle and interact with closing attorney via mobile phone connection, Skype or ZOOM
• Signing by offsite notary service (Skype/ZOOM) when allowed by law and title insurance
• At-risk Hartmanlaw employees working from home
• Reduced onsite staffing, flex scheduling, work-at-home contingency planning

For some of these measures to work, we’re relying on our state legislature to pass some important changes to the laws related to notarization and witnessing of closing documentation. But we feel confident these changes are forthcoming. And in any case, Hartmanlaw pledges to stay at the forefront of the fight to Stay Active, Stay Open, and Stay Safe in the global fight to get COVID-19 under control.

SignFlex™ is our commitment to adapt and do whatever it takes to keep our community moving. Safely.

To download or print our Adaptation Plan as a PDF, click here.