Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner

Title Agents

RCW 48.29.160 Agents - County Tract Indexes

To be licensed as an agent of a title insurer, the applicant must own or lease and maintain a complete set of tract indexes of the county or counties in which such agent will do business.

RCW 48.29.170 Agents - Separate licenses for individuals not required.

  • Title insurance agents shall be exempt from the provisions of RCW 48.17.090(2) and 48.17.180(1) which otherwise require that each individual empowered to exercise the authority of a licensed firm or corporation must be licensed separately.
  • RCW 48.29.155 Agent license -- Financial responsibility -- Definitions

INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS

  • NEW Title Agent --- Plant Inspection is required prior to issuance of a license. Call Jim Tompkins 360 725-7036 regarding this procedure.

BRANCH OFFICES

  • Inspection is not required, if the branch office is conducting business in the SAME county as the Main office.
  • Inspection is required if the branch office is conducting business IN OTHER COUNTIES as well.
  • Title Plants must provide a list of all counties in which a Branch Office will conduct business.

BOND REQUIREMENT

Proof of $200,000 insurance policy or bond(s) coverage must be demonstrated in one of the following ways.

  1. Insurance coverage by an authorized insurer or by a surplus line insurer
    1. A complete copy of your fidelity insurance policy or fidelity bond (Form INS-08 (PDF 18Kb) in the amount of $200,000 with the Washington Insurance Commissioner listed as a Certificate Holder or
    2. A complete copy of your fidelity insurance policy or fidelity bond (Form INS-08 (PDF 18Kb) in the amount of $200,000 with the Washington Insurance Commissioner listed as a Certificate Holder and with a deductible of no more than $10,000 and

      A surety bond (Form INS-09 (PDF 18Kb) in the amount of the deductible with the State of Washington as the obligee.
  2. Guarantee by authorized appointing title insurer
    1. A title insurance company authorized to do business in Washington may provide a guarantee in a form satisfactory to the commissioner accepting financial responsibility, up to the aggregate amount of two hundred thousand dollars, for any fraudulent or dishonest acts committed by any one or more of the employees, officers, or owners of a title insurance agent that is appointed as the title insurance company's agent. A title insurance company providing a guarantee as permitted under this subsection may only do so on behalf of its properly appointed title insurance agents. If the title insurance agent is an agent for two or more title insurance companies, any liability under the guarantee shall be borne by the title insurance company for those escrows for which a title insurance commitment or policy was issued on behalf of that title insurance company. If no commitment or policy was issued regarding the escrow for which moneys were lost, including but not limited to collection escrows, each title insurance company, for which the agent was appointed at the time of the fraudulent or dishonest act, shares in the liability. The liability will be shared proportionally, as follows: The premium the agent remitted to the title insurance company in the year prior to the fraudulent or dishonest act will be compared to the total premium the agent remitted to all title insurance companies, for whom the title insurance agent was appointed, during the same period.

LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

  • Complete License Application INS-14A (PDF 101Kb)
  • Provide a list of counties in which business is conducted
  • Provide a Copy of the Articles of Incorporation
  • Appointment Notice INS-18 (PDF 13Kb) - Corporation must be appointed by at least one Title insurer. The appointment is due at time of application, unless the appointment is going to be submitted electronically through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) within thirty (30) calendar days of the acceptance of the first insurance application executed by the agent with the insurer.
  • Proof of $200,000 insurance policy or bond(s) coverage (see above)
    • License Fee $50
    • Filing Fee $5
    • Appointment Fee $20 each.
       If the appointment is being done electronically through NIPR, fees are to be submitted to them. Do not send $20 to our office for the appointment if it is being processed through NIPR.
    • License Fee for Branch Offices $50 per Branch

    Note: Non-Resident Plants --- The Washington Insurance Code is silent as it relates to licensing Title Plants located out-of-state. However, the logistics of maintaining a title plant from an out-of-state location would be difficult, if not impossible to overcome. It may be possible in a city adjacent to this State, however, the location may not pass inspection. Determination of license availability will be made by Jim Tompkins, 360 751-7036.


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