Session Law 2013-204: House Bill 332

• Eliminates requirement that notary public applicants obtain recommendation from a publicly elected official in North Carolina, except in counties with fewer than 5,250 active notaries.

• Expands notary disqualifications exceptions to allow notaries employed by a party or stockholders to perform notarizations for those parties.

• Allows notarial jurat to substitute for acknowledgment and vice versa for instruments accepted for filing or relating to North Carolina real estate.

• Creates alternative procedure for satisfaction of security instruments through affidavit, allowing satisfaction agents to file affidavit of satisfaction if secured creditor fails to respond within 30 days of notification or under specified circumstances involving possession of original instruments.

• Extends validation dates for various historical defects in recorded instruments, including missing seals, technical errors in notarial certificates, and corporate deed execution issues, with most extensions updated to April 1, 2013.