New York Title Agent License: PSI Exam, Application, and Renewal

To meet New York title agent license requirements, you must be at least 18, pass a written exam administered by PSI Services, secure an appointment with an authorized title insurance corporation, clear a background check, and pay an $80 fee for the standard two-year license. There is no pre-licensing coursework requirement. The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issues the license under Insurance Law § 2139.¹

Who Qualifies

You must be 18 years old at the time the license is issued.¹ Beyond age, NYDFS runs a background check. A record of financial dishonesty or prior regulatory action can sink your application.

Federal law adds a hard bar that catches some applicants by surprise. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1033, anyone convicted of a felony involving dishonesty or breach of trust cannot work in any capacity in the insurance business, title agents included, unless they first obtain written consent from the state insurance regulator. In New York, that means written approval from the NYDFS superintendent. The prohibition applies regardless of when the conviction occurred, so if this affects you, resolve the consent question before you invest time in the exam and application.

The PSI Licensing Exam

Every individual applicant must pass a written exam before the license is issued. NYDFS contracts with PSI Services to administer it at PSI testing centers throughout the state.² You have two years from the date you file your license application to pass.

The exam covers title insurance principles, New York Insurance Law (particularly Article 21 and the title insurance provisions), title searches and examination, escrow and settlement procedures, underwriting standards, and ethics. Questions ask you to apply those concepts to realistic transaction scenarios rather than recite definitions. RESPA and the New York Recording Act are also tested.

The exam fee is set at the actual administrative cost of conducting the examination, as certified by the superintendent, and you pay PSI directly when you register.¹ Check PSI’s website for the current amount and available dates. There is no cap on retakes, but PSI imposes a mandatory waiting period between attempts and every attempt requires a new fee.

Appointment With a Title Insurance Corporation

You cannot work as an independent title agent in New York. Insurance Law § 2139 authorizes the superintendent to license you only to act as agent “of any authorized title insurance corporation,” which means you need an affiliation with a title insurance company licensed in New York before the license becomes active.¹ The insurer files the appointment through NYDFS. Without it, your application does not move forward.

The appointment also matters after licensure. If your relationship with the title insurer ends, you’ll need a new appointment from another authorized corporation to keep working.

How to Apply and What It Costs

Applications must be submitted online through the NYDFS licensing portal, NY LINX. Paper applications are not accepted for individual applicants.² The application collects personal information, employment history, and details about any prior professional licenses or regulatory actions.

The licensing fee is fixed by statute at $40 per year the license will be valid.¹ The standard term is two years, so a New York resident pays $80. A license issued for one year or less costs $40. Fees are non-refundable.²

Continuing Education and Renewal

The license runs for two years. Once it has been in effect for more than two years, you must complete 15 credit hours of continuing education (CE) during each subsequent two-year period to qualify for renewal.³ Courses must be approved by NYDFS and generally cover regulatory updates, ethics, fraud prevention, and changes to real estate and insurance law. In-person seminars, online modules, and self-study options all count.

One exemption is worth flagging. If you also hold an active New York attorney license in good standing, the 15-hour CE requirement does not apply to you, though your bar CLE obligations still do.³

To renew, complete any required CE, submit the renewal application through the NYDFS portal, and pay the $80 renewal fee for the next two-year term. NYDFS usually sends renewal notices, but the responsibility to renew on time is yours. Miss the deadline and the license expires automatically; you must stop title work until reinstated. A long lapse can mean retaking the exam, and unresolved complaints, unpaid fines, or incomplete CE can delay renewal. Finish CE early and file ahead of the deadline.

Rules That Trip Up New Agents

Passing the exam gets you licensed. Staying licensed depends on rules the exam only samples. Three areas produce most of the trouble.

Anti-Kickback Restrictions

Insurance Law § 6409(d) prohibits title agents from offering rebates, referral fees, or anything of value to real estate brokers, attorneys, or lenders to steer business. Indirect incentives count too. Paying for a broker’s marketing costs or giving a referral source free services can violate the statute as clearly as writing a check.⁴ Anyone who accepts such a kickback faces a penalty equal to the greater of $1,000 or five times the amount received.⁵

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) layers a federal prohibition on fee-splitting and unearned referral fees in federally related mortgage transactions, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforces it independently of NYDFS.⁶ The same conduct can draw both state and federal action.

Escrow Handling

Misappropriation of closing funds is one of the more common enforcement triggers in the industry, and NYDFS scrutinizes title agents who handle escrow accounts closely. Sloppy recordkeeping alone can trigger an investigation. Set up disciplined escrow procedures before you start closing files.

Form 1099-S Reporting

If you serve as the settlement or closing agent, the IRS treats you as the “person responsible for closing” and requires you to file Form 1099-S reporting gross proceeds to the seller. The duty attaches when you prepare the closing disclosure, disburse funds, or prepare the deed or transfer documents.⁷ When multiple parties are involved, the person named as settlement agent on the closing disclosure carries the obligation. Penalties for failing to file run from $60 to $660 per form depending on how late the filing is and whether the failure was intentional.

Data Security

Title companies and settlement agents handle Social Security numbers, bank account details, and other nonpublic personal information, and are classified as financial institutions under the FTC Safeguards Rule. You must develop, implement, and maintain a written information security program with administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to your size and the sensitivity of the data.⁸ Since 2024 the rule also requires breach notification when covered data is compromised. Wire fraud aimed at title agents is common, and an inadequate program is both a regulatory violation and a source of losses your errors-and-omissions coverage may not fully absorb.

1
New York State Senate. New York Code 2139 – Title Insurance Agents Licensing
2
Department of Financial Services. Licensing Application Title Insurance Agent
3
New York State Senate. New York Code ISC 2132 – Continuing Education
4
Legal Information Institute. New York Code 11 NYCRR 35.4 – Insurance Law Section 6409(d) Affiliated Business Relationships Other Prohibitions
5
New York State Department of Financial Services. OGC Opinion No. 01-12-04
6
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Appendix B to Part 1024 – Illustrations of Requirements of RESPA
7
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1099-S (04/2025)
8
Federal Trade Commission. FTC Safeguards Rule What Your Business Needs to Know