NC title insurance agency
North Carolina title insurance, explained plainly
Ironwood Title Group issues owner's and lender's title insurance for homes closed by North Carolina attorneys. Learn what the policy covers, what it costs under filed rates, and how to choose your title agent.
Title insurance in North Carolina, explained without the jargon
Ironwood Title Group is a North Carolina title insurance agency. We issue owner's and lender's title insurance policies, underwritten by First American Title Insurance Company, on homes your closing attorney is closing. You can ask any closing attorney to place your title insurance with Ironwood, and you can estimate the filed premium yourself before you decide.
Most people meet title insurance as a line on a Loan Estimate that nobody explains. It is easy to assume the policy is chosen for you, that the price is whatever appears on the paperwork, and that the whole thing is a formality. None of that is quite right. In North Carolina, title insurance premiums come from a rate schedule that is filed with the North Carolina Department of Insurance, the buyer usually pays for the policy under the standard purchase contract, and the state's consumer guidance says plainly that you may choose the title insurance company you want. NC Department of Insurance, Title Insurance
We built this site around those facts. Every page answers a real question in the first few lines, names its source, and avoids the sales language that makes title insurance harder to understand than it needs to be. If you are a buyer, start with do I need title insurance in NC. If you are an attorney's office, go straight to ordering title from Ironwood.
Two ways people use Ironwood
One agency, two kinds of customers, the same plain explanations.
Homebuyers and homeowners
You are early in a purchase or a refinance and someone has mentioned a title company, a title preference sheet, or an owner's policy. Our buyer guides explain what each document does, what the policy protects, what it costs under filed NC rates, and how to tell your closing attorney which title agent you prefer. Nothing here requires you to use us.
Closing attorneys
Send the order, the buyer's preference sheet and any prior policy to orders@ironwoodtitlegroup.com. Questions on requirements and revisions go to the same inbox.
Rate calculator
Enter a price and loan amount to see the owner's and lender's premiums under the filed NC schedule, with each line explained.
Open about who pays and why
The standard NC purchase contract makes the buyer responsible for title search and title insurance costs unless the parties agree otherwise, and the seller pays the state excise tax on the deed. Our pages show where each rule comes from so you can check it yourself before closing day.
How a North Carolina title policy actually gets issued
- 1
You sign a purchase contract and a closing attorney is engaged
Once you are under contract, a North Carolina closing attorney is engaged for the transaction. The attorney's office opens the file, orders the title search and works with the lender. If you prefer a particular title insurance agent, this is the moment to say so, ideally in writing on a title preference sheet.
- 2
The attorney examines title
North Carolina law requires the title insurer to obtain the opinion of an independent NC attorney who examined title, or supervised the examination, before a policy is issued. N.C. Gen. Stat. 58-26-1
- 3
Ironwood issues the commitment
Using the attorney's preliminary opinion, the title agent issues a commitment: a written offer to insure, listing the requirements that must be met (payoffs, signatures, corrective documents) and the exceptions the policy will not cover.
- 4
Closing and recording
The attorney closes, records the deed and deed of trust, pays off prior liens from the trust account and confirms the results with a final opinion.
- 5
The final policies are issued
Ironwood issues the lender's policy and, if you bought one, your owner's policy. Keep the owner's policy with your deed. It does not expire while you own the home.
What title insurance costs in North Carolina, in plain terms
North Carolina title insurance premiums are set by a rate manual from the North Carolina Title Insurance Rating Bureau, and the rate schedules and forms must be filed with the Department of Insurance. NC Department of Insurance, Title Insurance The current manual took effect on February 1, 2026. NCTIRB rate manual, effective Feb 1, 2026
The manual works per thousand dollars of coverage, in tiers. When an owner's policy and a lender's policy are issued together on a purchase, the lender's policy is a flat simultaneous issue charge rather than a second full premium. If the property was insured within the last fifteen years and the prior policy is provided, a reissue rate of half the regular rate applies up to the prior policy amount. These rules are the same for every insurer that uses the Rating Bureau's schedule.
The premium is only part of what you pay at closing. The rate manual itself says its rates do not include charges for title search, examination, closing or escrow services, which are billed separately by the attorney. We do not publish attorney fees because they vary by firm. Use the NC title insurance calculator for the premium and ask your attorney for the rest.
What we do differently
- We explain before we ask. Our guides cover owner's versus lender's coverage, who usually pays, and your right to choose, with the source linked under each claim.
- The filed rate, shown openly. Our calculator uses the published NC schedule, line by line, so you can see how the number was built and check it against the manual.
- Your choice stays your choice. We share ownership with a mortgage company, and we say so on every page. Nobody has to use Ironwood to get a loan, buy a home or close.
- An experienced title team. The people behind Ironwood bring roughly 23 years of title experience. Attorneys typically get a commitment back in 30 minutes or less once we have the preliminary opinion.
- One inbox for attorneys. Orders, revisions and questions all go to orders@ironwoodtitlegroup.com, so a file does not get split across people who have never seen it.
- Local to North Carolina. We work only with properties in this state and closings run by NC attorneys, and we write our guides around NC rules rather than national generalities.
Start with the question you have
Do I need title insurance in NC?
Lender's coverage is usually required. Owner's coverage is optional. Here is what each one protects.
Read moreWho picks the title company?
What federal law and NC guidance say about choosing your title insurance provider.
Read moreWhat is a title preference sheet?
The one page form that tells your closing attorney which title agent you want.
Read moreWhat happens at an NC attorney closing?
Who does what, from the title search to recording, and what to bring.
Read moreOwner's title insurance
Is it worth it in North Carolina? Coverage, cost and the enhanced option.
Read moreTitle insurance calculator
Estimate owner's and lender's premiums from filed NC rates.
Read moreQuestions people ask
Is Ironwood Title Group a law firm?
No. Ironwood is a title insurance agency. In North Carolina, title examination and closings are handled by or under the supervision of a licensed NC attorney, and we issue the title insurance on those closings.
Who underwrites Ironwood's policies?
Our policies are underwritten by First American Title Insurance Company.
Do I have to use Ironwood because my lender mentioned it?
No. Ironwood Title Group shares ownership with 1st Advantage Mortgage, and you are never required to use Ironwood as a condition of a loan, a purchase or a closing. You may choose any title insurance provider.