That Thursday I nearly lost $12k over a missing signature on a HELOC

Client in Portland was closing on a home equity line to consolidate 4 credit cards. We had everything lined up, rate was locked, docs were out for signatures. He sent them back but somehow the notary page was blank. I didn't catch it until the funding deadline at 3pm. Spent 2 hours on the phone with the title company and his work schedule to get him to a notary before 5. We made it with 20 minutes to spare. The wire went out and the credit cards got paid off. But my stomach was in knots the whole drive home. Anyone else had a closing get saved by pure luck and a notary who stayed late?

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elizabethhayes1mo ago

The 3pm deadline thing reminds me of how most big screwups in life boil down to one tiny missing detail. Last year I almost missed my own flight because I packed the boarding pass in my checked bag, same kind of dumb oversight. Its funny that we build all these systems and checklists, but the smallest blank box can undo everything. I bet that notary stays late more often than people think, probably saved a few other folks the same way.