2.2 Contracting Companies & the Assignment Process

The Three Types of Contracting Companies

An NSA's clients come in three flavors. Understanding who hires you — and what each expects — is the foundation of a signing business.

1. Mortgage Lenders

The lender (a bank, credit union, or mortgage company) originates the loan and is ultimately responsible for the package being signed and notarized correctly. Lenders rarely contract NSAs directly — they delegate to a title or escrow company — but in some portfolio or in-house operations a lender may keep a small list of preferred NSAs in each market.

What lenders care about most: compliance and timing. A misnotarized mortgage can put the lien at risk; a delayed signing can blow a rate-lock expiration. Lenders tend to push high-volume, time-sensitive work and to demand NSAs who are certified, screened, and insured.

2. Title and Escrow Companies

The title company prepares the closing package — the deed, the mortgage, the title insurance policy, the closing disclosure, the settlement statement — and holds the borrower's funds in escrow. In many states the title company is also the settlement agent. Because the title company assembles the package, it usually controls which NSA gets the signing.

Working direct for a title company typically pays better than working through an aggregator, because no middleman takes a cut. But title companies tend to hire NSAs they have vetted, so building a direct book of title-company clients is the long-run path to higher fees.

3. Signing Services (Aggregators)

A signing service is a routing company. It does not lend money or insure title; it signs contracts with hundreds of lenders and title companies, receives their signing orders, and farms each one out to a local NSA. National platforms — Snapdocs and similar — automate the routing: when an order drops, the platform auto-texts dozens of NSAs in the area, and the first to accept gets the job.

Aggregators are the easiest place for a new NSA to get work — they have huge volume and low relationship barriers — but they take a cut of the fee and often dictate the price. A signing that pays a title company $200 may pay an NSA working through an aggregator $100-$125.

Comparison at a Glance

Direct vs. Aggregator Assignment Paths

When an assignment is created, it flows to the NSA along one of two paths.

The Direct Path

Lender → Title/Escrow → NSA

In the direct path, the title company calls, texts, or emails the NSA directly, offers a fee and a time, and — if accepted — sends the package. The NSA communicates with the title company throughout, returns the package to them, and invoices them. Direct work has fewer intermediaries, higher fees, and faster payment, but the NSA must self-market to title companies.

The Aggregator Path

Lender → Title/Escrow → Signing Service → NSA

In the aggregator path, a signing service sits between the title company and the NSA. The service receives the order, routes it (often through a platform like Snapdocs that auto-texts dozens of NSAs), and the first to accept gets the job. The NSA communicates with the service, returns the package to the service (or directly to title, per instructions), and invoices the service. Aggregator work is easier to find but pays less and involves a middleman.

Receiving and Accepting an Assignment

Regardless of path, an assignment typically arrives with these data points:

• Borrower name and contact info
• Property address
• Signing date and time window
• Package delivery method (print at home, e-doc, or ship)
• Fee
• Return instructions (ship, upload, or hand-carry)

The NSA confirms availability, accepts the order, prints/prepares the package, contacts the borrower to confirm, arrives on time, conducts the signing, quality-checks the package, and returns it per instructions. Most platforms require the NSA to accept or decline within minutes — speed of response is one of the few levers an NSA has to win repeat business. A title company that has to call three NSAs to fill one signing remembers the one who answered in two minutes.

Which Path Should a New NSA Choose?

Most new NSAs start with aggregators to build volume, get reps on different package types, and earn reviews. As the NSA's reputation grows, they market directly to local title companies — attending settlement company open houses, dropping off business cards, and offering to cover last-minute signings. A mature NSA typically has a mix: 60-70% direct title work for higher fees and repeat clients, with 30-40% aggregator work to fill gaps. The mix matters more than the absolute volume, because a single late or wrong package from an aggregator can cost a relationship that took years to build.