“Business of title insurance” includes:

(a) Issuing or proposing to issue any title policy as insurer, guarantor, or indemnitor;

(b) Transacting or proposing to transact any phase of title insurance, including solicitation, negotiation preliminary to execution, or execution of a title policy, insuring and transacting matters subsequent to the execution of a title policy and arising out of such policy, excluding reinsurance;

(c) The performance by a title insurer, an underwritten title company or a controlled escrow company of any service in conjunction with the issuance or contemplated issuance of a title policy including but not limited to the handling of any escrow, settlement or closing in connection therewith; or the doing of or proposing to do any business, which is in substance the equivalent of any of the above.

(d) The issuance, by a title insurer, of a letter of indemnity. Any such letter of indemnity shall be limited to and issued solely for the purpose of indemnifying the commissioner on behalf of any member of the public who transacts an escrow with an underwritten title company, with whom the title insurer has an underwriting agreement. A title insurer may charge a reasonable fee in connection with the issuance of any such letter. No rate or form filing shall be required with respect to any such letter of indemnity.

(e) The act of an insurer in furnishing in writing to a prospective purchaser of the insurer’s title policy a statement which assures, and assumes the liability for, the proper performance of services necessary to the conduct of a real estate closing performed by an underwritten title company with whom the insurer maintains an underwriting agreement. A title insurer may charge a reasonable fee in connection with the furnishing of any such statement. No rate or form filing shall be required with respect to any such statement.

(Amended by Stats. 1981, Ch. 479, Sec. 1.)