In this chapter,

1. (1) “applicants for insurance” means those persons, whether or not prospectively insured, who apply to a title insurance company or to its agent, for title insurance, and who at the time of the application are not agents for a title insurance company;

2. (2) “business of title insurance” is

   1. (A) the making or proposing to make as insurer, guarantor, or surety, a contract or policy of title insurance; or
   2. (B) the transacting or proposing to transact, any phase of title insurance including solicitation, negotiation preliminary to execution, execution of a title insurance contract, and insuring and transacting matters subsequent to the execution of the contract and arising out of it, including reinsurance;
3. (3) “net retained liability” means the total liability retained by a title insurance company under a policy or contract of insurance, or under a single insurance risk as defined in or computed in accordance with (5) of this section, less the amount of reinsurance ceded;
4. (4) “rate” means a charge for title insurance risk, abstracting, searching, examination or determination of insurability, and every other activity, exclusive of escrow, settlement, or closing charges, whether denominated premium or otherwise, made by a title insurance company or an agent of a title insurance company to an insured or to an applicant for insurance, for a policy or contract of title insurance; however, “rate” does not include charges paid to and retained by an attorney at law, abstractor, surveyor, tax service, or any other person acting in a capacity other than as a title insurance limited producer and on behalf of a client other than a title insurance company, or charges made for special services, even though performed in connection with a title insurance policy or contract;
5. (5) “single insurance risk” means the insured amount of a policy or contract of title insurance issued by a title insurance company unless two or more policies or contracts are simultaneously issued on different estates in identical real property, in which case, it means the sum of the insured amounts of all of the policies or contracts; however, any policy or contract that insures a mortgage interest that is excepted in a fee or leasehold policy or contract, and that does not exceed the insured amount of the fee or leasehold policy or contract, is excluded in computing the amount of a single insurance risk;

6. (6) “title insurance” means insuring, guaranteeing, or indemnifying owners of real or personal property or the holders of liens or encumbrances on it or others interested therein against loss or damage suffered by reason of

   1. (A) liens, encumbrances upon, defects in, or the unmarketability of the title to the property; or
   2. (B) the invalidity or unenforceability of liens or encumbrances on the property;
7. (7) “title insurance company” means a domestic company organized under the provisions of this title for the purpose of carrying on the business of title insurance, or any foreign title insurance company issued a certificate of authority to transact a title insurance business in this state and any title insurance company having the power and authority to transact a title insurance business within this state;
8. (8) “title insurance limited producer” means a person, firm, association, trust, corporation, cooperative, joint-stock company, or other legal entity authorized in writing by a title insurance company to solicit title insurance, collect premiums, determine insurability in accordance with the underwriting rules and standards prescribed by the title insurance company that the licensee represents, and issue policies in its behalf.