Section 12404.

(a)  It is unlawful for any title insurer, underwritten title company or controlled escrow company to pay, directly or indirectly, any commission, compensation, or other consideration to any person as an inducement for the placement or referral of title business. Actual placement or referral of title business is not a precondition to a violation of this section, whether the violation is or is not a per se violation pursuant to subdivision (c).

(b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions are applicable:

(1) "Compensating balance" is a balance maintained in a lending institution by any title insurer, underwritten title company, or controlled escrow company for the express or implied purpose of influencing the extension of credit to a third party or the provision of goods, services, or benefits to a third party as an inducement for the placement or referral of title business by a third party.

(2) "Person" means any individual or entity who is any owner or prospective owner, lessee or prospective lessee of real property or any interest therein, any obligee or prospective obligee of an obligation secured or to be secured either in whole or in part by real property or any interest therein, or any person who is acting or who is in the business of acting as agent, representative, attorney, or employee of those persons.

(3) "Title business" means the "business of title insurance" as defined in Section 12340.3, and includes, but is not limited to, the offering of title insurance, escrow, or other services by a title insurer, underwritten title company, or controlled escrow company.

(c) The following activities, whether performed directly or indirectly, are deemed per se inducements for the placement or referral of title insurance business by any person and are unlawful:

(1) Paying or offering to pay, furnishing or offering to furnish, or providing or offering to provide assistance with the business expenses of any person, including, but not limited to, rent, employee salaries, furniture, copiers, facsimile machines, automobiles, telephone services or equipment, or computers.

(2) Providing or offering to provide any form of consideration intended for the benefit of any person, including cash, below market rate loans, automobile charges, or merchandise or merchandise credits.

(3) Placing or offering to place on behalf of any person, compensating balances.

(4) Advancing or paying or offering to advance or pay money on behalf of any person into an escrow to facilitate the closing thereof, other than any sum which represents the proceeds of a loan made in the ordinary course of business; or an advance not to exceed 2 percent of the sales price of the real property being sold or exchanged through the escrow or the amount of any loan secured by real property involved in the escrow, whichever is greater; or the extension of credit or an advance for the costs, fees and expenses of the escrow or of the title insurance issued or to be issued in connection therewith.

(5) Disbursing or offering to disburse on behalf of any person escrow funds held by a title insurer, underwritten title company or controlled escrow company before the conditions of the escrow applicable to that disbursement have been met, or in a manner which does not conform to Section 12413.1, including disbursing or offering to disburse before the expiration of the appropriate period established in Section 12413.1.

(6) Furnishing or offering to furnish all or any part of the time or productive effort of any employee of the title insurer, underwritten title company, or controlled escrow company to any person for any service unrelated to the title business.

(7) Advertising or paying for the advertising in any newspaper, newsletter, magazine, or publication that is produced by, or on behalf of, a person, or that results in a direct, or indirect, subsidy to a person.

(8) Expenditures for food, beverages, and entertainment for a person.

(d) Expenditures for the following are not deemed to be unlawful or in violation of this section:

(1) Promotional items with a permanently affixed company logo of the underwritten title company, title insurer, or controlled escrow company, with a value of not more than ten dollars ($10) each. "Promotional item" does not include a gift certificate, gift card, or other item that has a specific monetary value on its face, or that may be exchanged for any other item having a specific monetary value.

(2) Furnishing education or educational materials exclusively related to the business of title insurance for a person if continuing education credits are not provided.

(3) Other expenditures for a person, as permitted by the Department of Insurance by regulation.

(e) The provision or payment of any form of consideration as an inducement for the placement or referral of title business not specifically set forth in this section shall not be presumed lawful merely because they are not specifically prohibited.

(f)  The Insurance Commissioner may determine compliance and enforce the provisions of this section by written order, regulation or written consent which may take into consideration standards, conditions, guidelines, principles, or definitions utilized by other states or federal agencies but those standards, conditions, guidelines, principles, or definitions shall not be determinative.

(g) It is the intent of the Legislature that the enactment of this section shall have no effect on the applicability of other sections of the Insurance Code that are in existence prior to the enactment of this section and which specifically, or by implication, refer to this section. The Legislature hereby intends that this section, including the specific terms employed within it, shall be liberally construed for the purpose of protecting consumers of title business.

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 280, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2009.)