A settlement agent is most often an employee of a title company, where you will close your loan. These agents are the jugglers in the paper blizzard you'll be hit with at closing. They ask for driver's licenses or other identification to make sure that buyer and seller are who they say they are, and they also make sure that all closing costs have been paid by the appropriate parties. Some states require a settlement officer to be an attorney, but in most cases, it is an employee of the title company or related office trained to handle these transactions.