You are not likely to get an answer from anyone who actually works for NA.
Not sure why !!
I would try to get the truth from some horses mouths. There are several threads on NA and the vast majority of posts on all are not complimentary at all. I am yet to see any real rebuttal from any current flight crew.
It has been stated several times on here that you pay up front for type rating but that may have been changed recently.