North Carolina General Statutes 45-37. Satisfaction of record of security instruments
(a) Subject to the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-36.9(a) and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-73 relating to security instruments which secure future advances, any security instrument intended to secure the payment of money or the performance of any other obligation registered as required by law may be satisfied of record and thereby discharged and released of record in the following manner:
(1) Security instruments satisfied of record prior to October 1, 2005, pursuant to this subdivision as it was in effect prior to October 1, 2005, shall be deemed satisfied of record, discharged, and released.
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 45-37
- Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
- Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
- Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
- Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- property: shall include all property, both real and personal. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
- Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. Source: OCC
(2) Security instruments satisfied of record prior to October 1, 2011, pursuant to this subdivision as it was in effect prior to October 1, 2011, shall be deemed satisfied of record, discharged, and released.
(3) Security instruments satisfied of record prior to October 1, 2011, pursuant to this subdivision as it was in effect prior to October 1, 2011, shall be deemed satisfied of record, discharged, and released.
(4) Security instruments satisfied of record prior to October 1, 2011, pursuant to this subdivision as it was in effect prior to October 1, 2011, shall be deemed satisfied of record, discharged, and released.
(5) Security instruments satisfied of record prior to October 1, 2005, pursuant to this subdivision as it was in effect prior to October 1, 2005, shall be deemed satisfied of record, discharged, and released.
(6) Security instruments satisfied of record prior to October 1, 2005, pursuant to this subdivision as it was in effect prior to October 1, 2005, shall be deemed satisfied of record, discharged, and released.
(7) By recording:
a. A satisfaction document that satisfies the requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-36.10,
b. An affidavit of satisfaction that satisfies the requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-36.16, or
c. A trustee‘s satisfaction that satisfies the requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-36.20, but only if the security instrument is a deed of trust.
The register of deeds shall not be required to verify or make inquiry concerning (i) the truth of the matters stated in any satisfaction document, affidavit of satisfaction, or trustee’s satisfaction, or (ii) the authority of the person executing any satisfaction document, affidavit, or trustee’s satisfaction to do so.
(b) It shall be conclusively presumed that the conditions of any security instrument recorded before October 1, 2011, securing the payment of money or securing the performance of any other obligation or obligations have been complied with or the debts secured thereby paid or obligations performed, as against creditors or purchasers for valuable consideration from the mortgagor or grantor, from and after the expiration of 15 years from whichever of the following occurs last:
(1) The date when the conditions of the security instrument were required by its terms to have been performed, or
(2) The date of maturity of the last installment of debt or interest secured thereby;
provided that on or before October 1, 2011, and before the lien has expired pursuant to this subsection, the holder of the indebtedness secured by the security instrument or party secured by any provision thereof may file an affidavit with the register of deeds which affidavit shall specifically state:
(1) The amount of debt unpaid, which is secured by the security instrument; or
(2) In what respect any other condition thereof shall not have been complied with; or
may record a separate instrument signed by the secured creditor and witnessed by the register of deeds stating:
(1) Any payments that have been made on the indebtedness or other obligation secured by the security instrument including the date and amount of payments and
(2) The amount still due or obligations not performed under the security instrument.
The effect of the filing of the affidavit or the recording of a separate instrument made as herein provided shall be to postpone the effective date of the conclusive presumption of satisfaction to a date 15 years from the filing of the affidavit or from the recording of the separate instrument. There shall be only one postponement of the effective date of the conclusive presumption provided for herein. The register of deeds shall record and index the affidavit provided for herein or the separate instrument made as herein provided as a subsequent instrument in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-14.1 This subsection shall not apply to any security instrument made or given by any railroad company, or to any agreement of conditional sale, equipment trust agreement, lease, chattel mortgage or other instrument relating to the sale, purchase or lease of railroad equipment or rolling stock, or of other personal property.
The lien of any security instrument that secured the payment of money or the performance of any other obligation or obligations and that was conclusively presumed to have been fully paid and performed prior to October 1, 2011, pursuant to the provisions of this subsection is conclusively deemed to have expired and shall be of no further force or effect. No release, satisfaction, or other instrument is necessary to discharge the lien of a security instrument that has expired; however, nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting or preventing the execution and recordation of any such release, satisfaction, or other document.
This subsection shall apply only to security instruments securing the payment of money or securing the performance of any other obligation or obligations that were conclusively presumed pursuant to this subsection to have been fully paid and performed prior to October 1, 2011. All other security instruments shall be subject to the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-36.24
(c) Repealed by Session Laws 1991, c. 114, s. 4.
(d) Repealed by Session Laws 2005-123, s. 1.
(e) Any transaction subject to the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code, Chapter 25 of the N.C. Gen. Stat., is controlled by the provisions of that act and not by this section.
(f) Whenever this section requires a signature or endorsement, that signature or endorsement shall be followed by the name of the person signing or endorsing the document printed, stamped, or typed so as to be clearly legible.
(g) The satisfaction of record of a security instrument pursuant to this section shall operate and have the same effect as a duly executed and recorded deed of release or reconveyance of the property described in the security instrument and shall release and discharge (i) all the interest of the secured creditor in the real property arising from the security instrument and, (ii) if the security instrument is a deed of trust, all the interest of the trustee or substitute trustee in the real property arising from the deed of trust. (1870-1, c. 217; Code, s. 1271; 1891, c. 180; 1893, c. 36; 1901, c. 46; Rev., s. 1046; 1917, c. 49, s. 1; c. 50, s. 1; C.S., s. 2594; 1923, c. 192, s. 1; c. 195; 1935, c. 47; 1945, c. 988; 1947, c. 880; 1951, c. 292, s. 1; 1967, c. 765, ss. 1-5; 1969, c. 746; 1975, c. 305; 1985, c. 219; 1987, c. 405, s. 1; c. 620, s. 1; 1989, c. 434, s. 1; 1991, c. 114, s. 4; 1995, c. 292, ss. 1, 2, 5; 1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 604, s. 1; 2005-123, s. 1; 2006-226, s. 12; 2006-259, s. 2; 2006-264, s. 40(b); 2011-246, s. 4; 2011-312, s. 12.)