626.8417 Title insurance agent licensure; exemptions.
626.8417 Title insurance agent licensure; exemptions.
(1) A person may not act as a title insurance agent as defined in s. 626.841 until a valid title insurance agent’s license has been issued to that person by the department.
(2) An application for license as a title insurance agent shall be filed with the department on printed forms furnished by the department.
(3) The department shall not grant or issue a license as title agent to any individual found by it to be untrustworthy or incompetent, who does not meet the qualifications for examination specified in s. 626.8414, or who does not meet the following qualifications:
(a) Within the 4 years immediately preceding the date of the application for license, the applicant must have completed a 40-hour classroom course in title insurance, 3 hours of which shall be on the subject matter of ethics, as approved by the department, or must have had at least 12 months of experience in responsible title insurance duties, while working in the title insurance business as a substantially full-time, bona fide employee of a title agency, title agent, title insurer, or attorney who conducts real estate closing transactions and issues title insurance policies but who is exempt from licensure pursuant to paragraph (4)(a). If an applicant’s qualifications are based upon the periods of employment at responsible title insurance duties, the applicant must submit, with the application for license on a form prescribed by the department, the affidavit of the applicant and of the employer setting forth the period of such employment, that the employment was substantially full time, and giving a brief abstract of the nature of the duties performed by the applicant.
(b) The applicant must have passed any examination for licensure required under s. 626.221.
(4)(a) Title insurers or attorneys duly admitted to practice law in this state and in good standing with The Florida Bar are exempt from the provisions of this chapter with regard to title insurance licensing and appointment requirements.
(b) An insurer may designate a corporate officer of the insurer to occasionally issue and countersign binders, commitments, title insurance policies, or guarantees of title. A designated officer is exempt from the provisions of this chapter with regard to title insurance licensing and appointment requirements while the officer is acting within the scope of the designation.
(c) If an attorney or attorneys own a corporation or other legal entity which is doing business as a title insurance agency other than an entity engaged in the active practice of law, the agency must be licensed and appointed as a title insurance agent.
History. s. 5, ch. 85-185; s. 1, ch. 86-286; s. 4, ch. 89-305; s. 118, ch. 90-363; s. 184, ch. 91-108; ss. 15, 114, ch. 92-318; s. 46, ch. 98-199; s. 56, ch. 2003-267; s. 49, ch. 2003-281.