Not so Purrfect
Generally, a “signature” is a handwritten depiction of someone’s name, nickname, or even a mark, such as a simple “X,” that a person writes on a document as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a signature is a signatory or signer. The function of a signature is to permanently affix to the document a person’s uniquely personal, undeniable self-identification as physical evidence of that person’s personal witness and certification of the content of all, or a specified part, of the document. The role of a signature in many consumer contracts is not solely to provide evidence of the identity of the contracting party, but also to provide evidence of deliberation and informed consent.
How is one to know what a stranger’s “signature” looks like for purposes of identity verification? Well, they pull out the old driver’s license, of course. In most instances, that is not a problem. For one person in Washington recently … it was. Here’s a recap of the social media post that is going viral:
In 2015, I had to renew my license and thought it would be funny to do cat heads as my signature, so I did. For the past 3 years I just forgot about it unless I had to show my ID and they pointed it out. They would laugh and say, “haha I can’t believe they let you do that!” and I would be like, “yeah, yeah, yeah, let me in the bar now.” I have always signed my name with my regular signature/scribble, not cat heads. This hasn’t been a problem until today when I had to sign my mortgage papers. The signing agent looked at my ID and shook his head, he was not amused. I tried to explain that 2015 Brad never imagined he’d own a house. So the dude has to call the title company headquarters and explain the situation while my real estate agent is laughing her ass off. I had to sign 3 cat heads over 30 times.
Here’s a photo of the guy’s driver’s license and his signed mortgage:
The moral of this story is … don’t adopt “cat heads” as your signature on your driver’s license. It will turn your 1-hour closing into 2-hours.