(a) The commissioner shall develop, publish, and disseminate a brochure for consumers who are required to buy title insurance as part of a residential real estate transaction. The brochure shall inform consumers that competing title insurers and underwritten title companies may offer different costs or services for the title insurance required in the transaction. The brochure shall also inform consumers about the potential availability of discounts in cases involving first-time buyers, short-term rates if a home is resold in less than a five-year period, concurrent rates if the company is providing both the homeowners’ and the lenders’ title insurance policies in the transaction, subdivision bulk rates if the property being purchased is in a new subdivision, refinancing discounts, short-term financing rates, and discounts that may be available in other special cases. The brochure shall encourage consumers to contact more than one title insurer or underwritten title company in order to compare costs and services.
(b) The brochure developed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall include the department’s toll-free consumer assistance telephone number and shall invite consumers to call the department if they need assistance.
(c) The department shall display the brochure developed pursuant to subdivision (a) on its Internet Web site, and the brochure shall include the department’s Internet address.
(d) The brochure developed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall also educate consumers about laws involving unlawful commissions and rebates associated with the placement or referral of title insurance and shall encourage consumers to report to the department, to the Bureau of Real Estate, and to any other appropriate government agencies any suspected incidents of probable unlawful commissions or rebates subject to Article 6.5 (commencing with Section 12414).
(e) One copy of the brochure developed pursuant to this section shall be made available to a member of the public at no cost, and the department may charge its actual cost for providing additional copies. The brochure shall be made available for reproduction at no cost to any vendor who wishes to publish the brochure as written, provided any vendor who wishes to publish the brochure agrees to submit any documents containing the brochure to the department prior to publication.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 352, Sec. 396. (AB 1317) Effective September 26, 2013. Operative July 1, 2013, by Sec. 543 of Ch. 352.)
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