§ 26‑1. Surety and principal distinguished in judgment and execution.
In the trial of actions upon contracts either of the defendants may show in evidence that he is surety, and if it be satisfactorily shown, the jury in their verdict, or the magistrate in his judgment, shall distinguish the principal and surety, which shall be endorsed on the execution by the clerk of superior court. (1826, c. 31, s. 1; R.C., c. 31, s. 124; Code, s. 2100; Rev., s. 2840; C.S., s. 3961; 1973, c. 108, s. 14.)
§ 26‑2. Principal liable on execution before surety.
When an execution, indorsed as aforesaid, shall come to the hands of any officer for collection, he shall levy on all the property of the principal, or so much thereof as shall be necessary to satisfy the execution, and, for want of sufficient property of the principal, also on the property of the surety, and make sale of all the property of the principal levied on before that of the surety. (1826, c. 31, s. 2; R.C., c. 31, s. 125; Code, s. 2101; Rev., s. 2841; C.S., s. 3962.)
§ 26‑3. Summary remedy of surety against principal.
Any person who may have paid money for and on account of those for whom he became surety, upon producing to the clerk of superior court, a receipt, and showing that an execution has issued, and he has satisfied the same, and making it appear by sufficient testimony that he has expended any sum of money as the surety of such person, may move the clerk for judgment against his principal for the amount which he has actually paid; a citation having previously issued against the principal to show cause why execution should not be awarded; and should the principal not show sufficient cause, the clerk shall award execution against the principal. (1797, c. 487, s. 1, P.R.; R.C., c. 110, s. 1; Code, s. 2093; Rev., s. 2842; C.S., s. 3963; 1973, c. 108, s. 15.)
§ 26‑3.1. Surety's recovery on obligation paid; no assignment necessary.
(a) A surety who has paid his principal's note, bill, bond or other written obligation, may either sue his principal for reimbursement or sue his principal on the instrument and may maintain any action or avail himself of any remedy which the creditor himself might have had against the principal debtor. No assignment of the obligation to the surety or to a third‑party trustee for the surety's benefit shall be required.
(b) The word "surety" as used herein includes a guarantor, accommodation maker, accommodation indorser, or other person who undertakes liability for the written obligation of another. (1959, c. 1120.)
§ 26‑4. Subrogation of surety paying debt of deceased principal.
Whenever a surety, or his representative, shall pay the debt of his deceased principal, the claim thus accruing shall have such priority in the administration of the assets of the principal as had the debt before its payment. (1829, c. 23; R.C., c. 110, s. 4; Code, s. 2096; Rev., s. 2843; C.S., s. 3964.)
§ 26‑5. Contribution among sureties.
Where there are two or more sureties for the performance of a contract, and one or more of them may have been compelled to perform and satisfy the same, or any part thereof, such surety may have and maintain an action against every other surety for a just and ratable proportion of the same which may have been paid as aforesaid, whether of principal, interest or cost. (1807, c. 722, P.R.; R.C., c. 110, s. 2; Code, s. 2094; Rev., s. 2844; C.S., s. 3965; 1957, c. 981.)
§ 26‑6. Dissenting surety not liable to surety on stay of execution.
Whenever any judgment shall be obtained against a principal and his surety, and the principal debtor shall desire to stay the execution thereon, but the surety is unwilling that such stay shall be had, the surety may cause his dissent thereto to be entered by the judge or clerk, which shall absolve him from all liability to the surety who may stay the same. And the sheriff or other officer, who may have the collection of the debt, shall make the money out of the property of the principal debtor, and that of the surety for the stay of execution, if he can, before he shall sell the property of the surety before judgment. (1829, c. 6, ss. 1, 2; R.C., c. 110, s. 3; Code, s. 2095; Rev., s. 2845; C.S., s. 3966; 1973, c. 108, s. 16.)
§ 26‑7. Surety, indorser, or guarantor may notify creditor to take action.
(a) After any note, bill, bond, or other obligation becomes due and payable, any surety, indorser, or guarantor thereof may give written notice to the holder or owner of the obligation requiring him to use all reasonable diligence to recover against the principal and to proceed to realize upon any securities which he holds for the obligation.
(b) The surety, indorser or guarantor who gives notice to the holder or owner of the obligation as provided by subsection (a) shall forthwith give written notice to all co‑sureties, co‑indorsers and co‑guarantors of the fact that such notice is being given to the holder or owner of the obligation, and such co‑sureties, co‑indorsers and co‑guarantors shall have ten days after receipt of the notice in which themselves to give written notice to the holder or owner of the obligation and to their co‑sureties, co‑indorsers, and co‑guarantors, that they join in or adopt the notice given pursuant to subsection (a). Failure of such surety, indorser or guarantor to give the required notice to co‑sureties, co‑indorsers or co‑guarantors whose names and residences are known to him or can be obtained by due diligence bars such surety indorser or guarantor from any of the benefits of G.S. 26‑9.
(c) The holder or owner of the obligation shall on demand disclose to any surety, indorser, or guarantor of the obligation the names and addresses of all other sureties, indorsers and guarantors which appear on the obligation or of which he has knowledge.
(d) Nothing herein contained shall apply to official bonds, or bonds given by any person acting in a fiduciary capacity. (1868‑9, c. 232, s. 1; Code, s. 2097; Rev., s. 2846; C.S., s. 3967; 1951, c. 763, s. 1.)
§ 26‑8. Notice; how given; prima facie evidence thereof.
(a) Any notice authorized or required to be given by G.S. 26‑7 shall–
(1) Be served by the sheriff by delivering a copy thereof to the person entitled to the notice, or
(2) Be sent by the person giving notice, by registered mail, with return receipt requested, to the last known address of the person being notified.
(b) Upon serving the notice, the sheriff shall return the original thereof, with his return thereon, to the person who caused the notice to be given.
(c) The sheriff's return, when the notice is served by the sheriff, or the return receipt, when the notice is sent by registered mail, shall be prima facie evidence of the giving of the notice. (1868‑9, c. 232, s. 3; Code, s. 2099; Rev., s. 2848; C.S., s. 3968; 1951, c. 763, s. 2.)
§ 26‑9. Effect of failure of creditor to take action.
(a) If the holder or owner of the obligation refuses or fails, within 30 days from the service or receipt of such notice, to take appropriate action pursuant thereto, the following persons shall be discharged on any such note, bond, bill or other obligation to the extent that they are prejudiced thereby:
(1) The surety, indorser or guarantor giving such notice, and
(2) All co‑sureties, co‑indorsers or co‑guarantors joining therein or adopting such notice as provided by G.S. 26‑7, and
(3) All the co‑sureties, co‑indorsers, or co‑guarantors whose names or addresses such holder or owner of the obligation failed to disclose on demand as required by subsection (c) of G.S. 26‑7.
(b) The fact that an instrument contains a provision waiving any defense of any surety, indorser or guarantor by reason of the extension of the time for payment does not prevent the operation of this section. Any such notice to the holder or owner of the obligation as is authorized by G.S. 26‑7 may be given at or subsequent to the time such obligation is due or at or subsequent to the termination of a period of extension.
(c) The failure of any co‑surety, co‑indorser or co‑guarantor to join in or adopt a notice to the holder or owner of the obligation as authorized by subsection (b) of G.S. 26‑7 does not prevent such co‑surety, co‑indorser or co‑guarantor from giving a separate notice as authorized by subsection (a) of G.S. 26‑7. (1868‑9, c. 232, s. 2; Code, s. 2098; Rev., s. 2847; C.S., s. 3969; 1951, c. 763, s. 3.)
§ 26‑10. Repealed by Session Laws 1943, c. 543.
§ 26‑11. Cancellation of judgment as to surety.
Whenever a judgment shall be rendered in any court in accordance with the provisions of G.S. 26‑1 and the surety, endorser or other person shown in said judgment to be secondarily liable thereon and having the rights as by this chapter prescribed against the person or persons primarily liable, and the surety, endorser or other person so shown in the judgment to be secondarily liable, shall pay the said judgment or shall be compelled to pay an execution issued thereon and such fact shall appear to the satisfaction of the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the said judgment is rendered and docketed, such judgment shall be canceled as to said surety, endorser or other person secondarily liable and shall ceased to be a lien upon his real estate and other property, but such cancellation shall not have the force and effect nor operate as a cancellation and discharge of the judgment as to any other person against whom the said judgment shall be rendered and the person so paying the said judgment shall have all the rights given to a surety who has been compelled to pay a judgment against the principal debtor and co‑sureties which are given in this chapter, notwithstanding the cancellation of the said judgment as herein provided for. (1925, c. 38.)
§ 26‑12. Joinder of debtor by surety.
(a) As used in this section, "surety" includes guarantors, accommodation makers, accommodation indorsers, or others who undertake liability on the obligation and for the accommodation of another.
(b) When any surety is sued by the holder of the obligation, the court, on motion of the surety may join the principal as an additional party defendant, provided the principal is found to be or can be made subject to the jurisdiction of the court. Upon such joinder the surety shall have all rights, defenses, counterclaims, and setoffs which would have been available to him if the principal and surety had been originally sued together. (1959, c. 1121.)