North Carolina works under the "approved attorney system" wherein the authorized practice of law in the state has licensed attorneys, or paralegals under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney, conducting real estate closings. There are no abstracting or escrow companies, per se.

You may work as a title agent if you are a licensed attorney through the North Carolina State Bar or a licensed (non-attorney) title agent through the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

Effective January 1, 2008, the third-party administrator of the NC title agent licensing exam, Promissor, has changed its name to Pearson VUE. https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/nc/insurance.html

NCLTA publishes a 36-page Study Guide for the Title Insurance Agent Licensing Exam. The copyrighted Study Guide, updated annually, is available for purchase in an Adobe Acrobat file. Non-member price is $90. The Member price is $10.00. Purchase here.

In addition to working with a realtor, real estate agent, mortgage company (mortgage bank or lender), it is strongly advisable to obtain an attorney to represent you in the closing process. You may obtain names of reputable attorneys who specialize in real estate law from NC Land Title Association (919-861-5584), from the NC Bar Association Real Property Section (919-677-0561), or the NC State Bar at https://www.ncbar.gov/for-the-public/finding-a-lawyer/. The American Land Title Association has issued a primer on the home closing process to help people with this complex issue at http://www.homeclosing101.org.

A Lender's policy is required by the Lender to protect the Lender against problems that may not have been uncovered during a title search prior to sale/exchange of property. An Owner's policy is optional and protects you, the Owner, against problems that may not have been uncovered during a title search prior to sale/exchange of property. It is recommended to have both types of coverage. Title insurance is a ONE TIME charge but the policy protects your interests as long as you own the property.

If you have an existing title policy, contact your title insurance company pursuant to the instructions listed in the policy. If you cannot locate your title policy, contact the attorney who conducted your closing. If you do not know the title company or your closing attorney, you may contact an attorney or a title company located in or near the county where the land is located. (https://www.ncbar.gov/for-the-public/finding-a-lawyer/) After considering the facts of your case, they may help you file a claim or at least best advise you of your next course of action.

Please contact NCLTA at info@nclta.org or (919) 861-5584 for a list of current exhibiting opportunities.

There are several categories of membership: Underwriter, Agency, Attorney, and Associate (individual and company).

On behalf of its title underwriter members, NC Land Title Association submits generic title policy forms approved by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) to the NC Department of Insurance for approval. This saves both the Department staff from having to review multiple copies of each form from each title underwriter company while saving title insurance company staff redundant work as well.

The NC Land Title ASSOCIATION does not issue title policies. It is a trade association of title companies who are members of the Association. NC Land Title AGENCY changed its name to TitleSouth and is located in Franklin, Tennessee.

North Carolina has a Title Insurance Rating Bureau that is a separate entity from the NC Land Title Association that does not have rate filing authority.
North Carolina Title Insurance Rating Bureau (NCTIRB) files new comprehensive rate structure with Department of Insurance.