A notary claim exclusion is an exclusion found in professional liability policies written for attorneys, insurance agents and brokers, and accountants.
The exclusion precludes coverage for claims that arise when an insured notarizes a document without having actually witnessed the signature. (People sometimes convince notaries to notarize a signature, despite the fact that the person signing the document did not actually appear before the notary.) The rationale for the exclusion is that such situations often facilitate forgeries, as well as the fact that claims resulting from such circumstances are entirely preventable by an insured.