A licensed attorney and underwriter in both North Carolina and South Carolina, John assists with residential underwriting, drawing on his many years of closing experience, and his excellent relationship with his underwriters, to bring practical and innovative solutions to problems confronting residential closing attorneys on their transactions.
In 2008, after nearly 25 years of experience as a real estate attorney and title counsel, John Surles founded Harbor City Title in Charlotte, North Carolina. John works primarily on commercial real estate transactions, overseeing everything from routine refinance transactions to complex, multi-state purchases in excess of $250 million.
In 1987, John entered private law practice focusing primarily on real estate, first as a partner with the Wishart Norris law firm, and later as a partner at McMillan, Surles & Terry, PA. John joined the title insurance industry in 2001 when he became General Counsel and Senior Underwriter for Colonial Title Company.
John received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He moved to Charlotte in 1982, where he joined Bahakel Communications and handled real estate and contract matters for the multi-state radio and television broadcast company.
