A Notary Public is an official of integrity appointed by the Secretary of New York State to serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents. These official acts are called notarizations, or notarial acts. A Notary Public cannot sign or witness the signing of documents where he/she has a personal interest.

Notarization is the official fraud-deterrent process that assures the parties of a transaction that a document is authentic, that its signature is genuine, and that its signer acted without or intimidation, and intended the terms of the document to be in full force and effect. 

A Certified Loan Signing Agent, also known as a Notary Signing Agent, or Certified Signing Agent, is a State-Commissioned Notary Public who is trained and certified to handle and notarize loan documents, specifically in real estate transactions, ensuring proper execution and compliance with industry standards. 

A notary public is not a lawyer and cannot provide legal advice, prepare legal documents, or act as a legal advisor. A notary public is a state-appointed official who acts as an impartial witness to deter fraud by verifying the identity of document signers and ensuring they are signing willingly. They perform official acts, such as administering oaths and certifying the authenticity of signatures on important documents like real estate deeds, wills, and power of attorney.