Bulletin: NC2024004

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Bulletin: NC2024004

Bulletin Document
V 2
Date: October 07, 2024
To: All North Carolina Issuing Offices
RE: UNDERWRITING - Update to VCAP System Migration to eCourts Odyssey Portal

Dear Associates:

Eleven additional North Carolina counties will upgrade to the Odyssey Integrated Case Management System (the “Odyssey Portal”) on October 14, 2024. The eleven additional counties are: Anson, Cabarrus, Cumberland, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly, and Union.

Currently, the following counties are live on the Odyssey Portal: Alamance, Beaufort, Buncombe, Camden, Chatham, Cherokee, Chowan, Clay, Currituck, Dare, Durham, Franklin, Gates, Graham, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson, Hyde, Jackson, Johnston, Lee, Macon, Martin, Mecklenburg, Orange, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Polk, Swain, Transylvania, Tyrrell, Vance, Wake, Warren, and Washington. We expect all one hundred counties in NC will migrate to the Odyssey Portal by the end of 2025. 

The North Carolina Land Title Association (NCLTA) adopted a VCAP to eCourts Odyssey Portal indemnity agreement for use by title insurance underwriters. The purpose of the indemnity agreement was to address the limited period between the VCAP system going offline and the Odyssey Portal going live. During the migration to the Odyssey Portal in the pilot counties (Harnett, Johnston, Lee, and Wake), users raised concerns about the search function and reliability of the Odyssey Portal. As a result, the NCLTA revised the original indemnity agreement. You can find both a pdf version of the revised indemnity agreement (effective 7-11-23) and a Microsoft Word version on the NCLTA website (https://www.nclta.org/). To insure without exception to any matters filed with the Clerk of Court’s office, this indemnity agreement must be obtained from all Sellers/Owners and Purchasers of the Land, if at the time of closing the records in the Clerk of Court’s office are affected by migration from the current VCAP system to the Odyssey Portal. The revised indemnity agreement removes references to documents found in a normal search of a Register of Deeds index. It also clarifies that this indemnification form does not replace the need for obtaining the appropriate NCLTA lien waivers. Attorneys must search the Odyssey Portal, and obtaining this indemnity agreement will not discharge that responsibility. 

In addition to adopting the revised indemnity agreement, the NCLTA published a sample requirement for title insurance commitments (see below). You must include this requirement in Schedule B-1 of the commitment in counties affected by the migration.

If at the time of closing, records in the Clerk of Court’s office potentially affecting Title to the Land are affected by computer data migration from VCAP to eCourts Odyssey Portal, and if coverage is requested without exception for any matters filed with the Clerk’s office during this period in which the attorney’s ability to search these records is impacted, the following are required: 

  1. attorney’s certification of examination of the VCAP portal immediately prior to the migration;
  2. attorney’s certification of examination of the eCourt Odyssey Portal according to the most current search standards available; and
  3. receipt of fully executed NCLTA Form “Affidavit of Understanding and Indemnity and Hold Harmless Agreement Regarding Computer Data Migration (VCAP to ECOURTS ODYSSEY PORTAL)” or satisfactory equivalent approved in advance by Stewart Title Guaranty Company counsel.

If you have any questions relating to this or other bulletins, please contact a Stewart Title Guaranty Company underwriter.

For on-line viewing of this and other bulletins, please log onto www.vuwriter.com.

THIS BULLETIN IS FURNISHED TO INFORM YOU OF CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS. AS A REMINDER, YOU ARE CHARGED WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE CONTENT ON VIRTUAL UNDERWRITER  AS IT EXISTS FROM TIME TO TIME AS IT APPLIES TO YOU, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER INSTRUCTIONS. OUR UNDERWRITING AGREEMENTS DO NOT AUTHORIZE OUR ISSUING AGENTS TO ENGAGE IN SETTLEMENTS OR CLOSINGS ON BEHALF OF STEWART TITLE GUARANTY COMPANY. THIS BULLETIN IS NOT INTENDED TO DIRECT YOUR ESCROW OR SETTLEMENT PRACTICES OR TO CHANGE PROVISIONS OF APPLICABLE UNDERWRITING AGREEMENTS. CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY, OR NONPUBLIC PERSONAL INFORMATION SHOULD NEVER BE SHARED OR DISSEMINATED EXCEPT AS ALLOWED BY LAW. IF APPLICABLE STATE LAW OR REGULATION IMPOSES ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS, YOU SHOULD CONTINUE TO COMPLY WITH THOSE REQUIREMENTS.


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