AI-assisted research summary: Title insurers and related escrow/title companies may not pay or give referral commissions, rebates, or discounted charges, and insureds or others may not knowingly receive them.
(a) No title insurer, controlled escrow company, or underwritten title company shall: (1) Pay to the insured or to any other person any commission, any part of its premiums, fees or other charges; or any other consideration as inducement or compensation for the referral of title business, for performance of any escrow, or other service in connection with which a title policy is issued; (2) Make any rebate of any portion of the fee or charge shown by the schedule required in section 431:20-120. For purposes of this article, the amount by which any fee or charge is less than that called for by the then currently effective schedule of fees and charges of the title insurer is an unlawful rebate; or (3) Quote any fee or make any charge for a title policy to any person that is less than that currently available to others for the same type of title policy in a like amount covering property in the same county and involving the same factors as set forth in its then currently effective schedule of fees and charges. Nothing in this article shall prohibit bulk rates or special rates for customers of prescribed classes if the bulk or special rates are provided for in the schedule. (b) No title insurer shall issue any title policy in any transaction in connection with which it or any person, who is a controlled escrow company or underwritten title company by reason of its relationship with such title insurer, has paid or contemplates paying any commission in violation of subsection (a)(1) or, in connection with which it or any such controlled escrow company or underwritten title company, has made or contemplates making any unlawful rebate in violation of subsection (a)(2). (c) No insured named in a title insurance policy nor any other person may knowingly receive or accept, directly or indirectly, any commission, rebate or inducement referred to in subsection (a). (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting reasonable payments, other than for the referral of title insurance business, for services actually rendered to a title insurer in connection with title insurance business. [L 1987, c 347, pt of §2; am L 2004, c 122, §78]