53-304. Activities not requiring a charter, license, or approval.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, a company does not act as a fiduciary; engage in trust business or in any other business requiring a charter, license, or approval under the provisions of this Chapter; or engage in unauthorized trust activity by:

(1) Acting in a manner authorized by law as an agent of a trust institution with respect to any activity that is not unauthorized trust activity;

(2) Rendering legal services in a manner authorized by the North Carolina State Bar;

(3) Acting as trustee under a deed of trust delivered only as security for the payment of money or for the performance of another act;

(4) Receiving and distributing rents and proceeds of sales of real property in a manner authorized by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission;

(5) Engaging in securities transactions or providing investment advisory services in accordance with applicable securities laws;

(6) Engaging in the issuance, sale, or administration of an insurance or annuity product in a manner authorized by the North Carolina Department of Insurance;

(7) Engaging in the lawful sale of prepaid funeral benefits in accordance with and subject to Article 13D of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes or engaging in the lawful business of a perpetual care cemetery corporation in accordance with and subject to Chapter 65 of the General Statutes;

(8) Acting as trustee under a voting trust;

(9) Acting as fiduciary by an organization described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 170(c) or section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, with respect to endowment funds or other funds owned, controlled, provided to, or otherwise made available to the organization with respect to its exempt purposes (including, without limitation, trust funds in which the organization has a beneficial interest).

(10) Engaging in other activities expressly excluded from the application of this Article by rule, order, or declaratory ruling of the Commissioner;

(11) Rendering services as a certified public accountant in a manner authorized by the North Carolina State Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners;

(12) Provided the company is a trust institution and is not barred by order of the Commissioner from engaging in trust marketing in this State pursuant to G.S. 53-321(b), (i) marketing or soliciting in this State with respect to acting as a fiduciary outside this State; (ii) delivering money or other intangible assets to, and receiving money or other intangible assets for administration outside this State from, a person in this State; or (iii) accepting an account outside this State or otherwise engaging in trust business outside this State; or

(13) Receiving, holding, administering, or distributing real or personal property for or on behalf of another person solely incidental to a lawfully conducted activity or transaction.