What is “By name title” on a contract?

By name title on a contract’s signature block is represented as followed:

• “By” — the place where a person (often the representative of a company) signs.
• “Name” —  the name of the entity or person signing the contract.
• “Title” — applies to the person and the position that person holds that’s acting on behalf of a company and/or as a representative of another person.

Example:

What is “its” in a signature line?

“Its” designates what position the signing person holds at the company in order to give evidence that the signer is authorized to sign on behalf of the company — it carries the same weight as the word “Title” used in the example above.

“Its” and “By” differences on a contract’s signature line

• “Its” line is where the person’s title — such as “President” — is inserted.
• “By” line is where the person who is signing — in our example Dora Smith — places their signature.

3 scenarios under which a person signs a contract

There are three scenarios under which a person can sign a contract:

• A person signs on their own behalf (personal signature)
• A person signs after being granted power of attorney (POA) to act on behalf of someone else or a designated entity (power of attorney signature)
• A person with the legal authority to sign on behalf of a business entity (business signature)

Personal signature

Carrying over our hypothetical example, for a personal signature the “Name” field will be the signer’s name (in our example, Dora Smith) and the “By” field will be the signer’s signature. 

By: (signature)

Name: Dora Smith

Power of attorney signature

In this scenario, if Dora Smithhas authorized David Brook to sign as power of attorney, then David Brook will place a signature in the “By” field and one of these options in the “Name” field:

• “David Brook, POA for Dora Smith” or
• “David Brook, acting Power of Attorney for Dora Smith“ 

Business signature

When Dora Smith represents Company A as President, then:

• The “Name” field will be Company A;
• The “By” field will be Dora Smith and “Title” will be President.

For example:

COMPANY A, Inc.

By: (signature)

Name: Dora Smith 

Title: President 

How are signature blocks used to sign a contract’s by name title?

A signature block is a personalized block of text that allows a recipient to get more information about the author or is used to verify the overall legality of contracts.

These blocks are automatically appended at the bottom of a contract.

Example:

A signature block in contract usually contains the following information:

• The name of the signing person;
• Company name;
• The position held by the signer; 
• The function of the signer;
• The date on which the contract was signed;
• Other data that the party wants to share (contact info, email address, etc.);
• A final line with the signature of the signing person.

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Signing and managing contracts is often a complex process that requires attention to minor details.

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Error-free and professional-looking contracts require a signer to know where to put their name, their title and to accurately e-sign.

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