For title & escrow
How Title Companies Can Reduce Signing Kickbacks
A “kickback” — a signed package returned for errors — is one of the most expensive problems in a closing. It means a redraw, a re-drive, a frustrated borrower, and a loan that funds late. Most kickbacks are preventable. Here's how.
Why kickbacks hurt so much
Every kickback restarts the clock: documents go back to the lender, a corrected package is drawn, the agent re-schedules with the borrower, and funding slips — sometimes past a rate-lock or a contractual deadline. On a purchase, a delayed signing can jeopardize the whole deal. The cost isn't just time; it's your reputation with the lender and the borrower.
The usual causes
Missed signatures, initials, or dates
The most common kickback. A single blank line on a required form sends the whole package back for a redraw and re-sign.
Wrong or missing dates
Especially the right-of-rescission dates on refinances — get these wrong and the loan can't fund on time.
Missing or out-of-order pages
A page that never printed, or a stale package after a lender re-send, means the borrower signs the wrong set.
Name mismatches
A signature that doesn't match the name on the document, or inconsistent names across forms.
Unvetted or unreliable agents
An inexperienced or lapsed-credential agent at the table is the root cause of most of the above.
How to cut them
- Use vetted agents only. NNA-certified, background-checked, experienced agents make far fewer errors. Confirm credentials are current, not just on file.
- Control document delivery. Make sure the agent has the final package and that a lender re-send replaces the old one — so no one signs a stale set.
- Require scan-backs on critical signings so you can confirm everything is signed before the package ships.
- Pre-flight the package. A quick QC pass to map every signature, initial, date, and notarization — and catch blanks before the appointment — eliminates most kickbacks at the source.
- Work with a reliable signing service that builds these safeguards in, so you're not managing it order by order.
How Inksent helps
Inksent dispatches only vetted, NNA-certified, background-checked, E&O-insured agents — re-verified before every job — confirms a signer in about 30 minutes, automatically re-offers a cancelled job so you're never left scrambling, and re-routes documents so no one signs a stale package. The result: cleaner closings and faster funding. See how to choose a signing service, or place an order below.