What type of insurance is recommended to protect against unintentional notary negligence?

• A. Health insurance
• B. Errors and omissions insurance
• C. Property insurance
• D. Life insurance

Answer: (B)

Notaries face the risk of being sued for unintentional mistakes or omissions in their acts, such as misidentifying a signer or incorrect witnessing. Errors and omissions insurance is designed to cover these kinds of professional mistakes by paying defense costs and any resulting settlements or judgments, up to the policy limits. This protects the notary from the financial impact of honest errors made in the course of notarization.

Health, property, and life insurance cover medical costs, property damages, or life risk, and do not address liability from notarial mistakes. A notary bond provides a public guarantee to the state or clients but isn’t a personal liability policy for defense costs or damages. So the coverage that best protects against unintentional notary negligence is errors and omissions insurance.