09/09/2025 - Order Appointing Insurance Commissioner as Conservator
On September 9, 2025 the California Insurance Commissioner was appointed statutory Conservator (the "Conservator") of Real Advantage Title Insurance Company ("RATIC") by order of the Orange County Superior Court (the "Court"). This action was initiated in order to protect policyholders, claimants, creditors and the public from further harm which might be caused by RATIC's continued operation. The Commissioner is responsible to determine whether the company can be rehabilitated and continue to operate as a financially stable insurance company.
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ROB BONTA
Attorney General of California
MICHAEL D. GOWE
Supervising Deputy Attorney General
RACHEL J. Yoo
Deputy Attorney General
State Bar No. 293598
Attorneys for Petitioner Insurance Commissioner of the State of California
Filing Fees Exempt from fees pursuant to Government Code Section 6103
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF ORANGE — CENTRAL JUSTICE CENTER
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER OF THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA,
Petitioner,
v.
REAL ADVANTAGE TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY,
Respondent.
Case No. 30-2025-01506669-CU-PT-CJC
ORDER APPOINTING
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER AS
CONSERVATOR
Date:
September 9, 2025
Time:
9:30 a.m.
Dept.:
C33
Judge:
Hon. Sandy N. Leal
Trial Date:
TBD
Action Filed:
August 25, 2025
Having considered the moving party's motion and all evidence presented by the parties, it is ORDERED that:
The Commissioner is appointed as Conservator (Conservator) of Real Advantage and directing him to conduct the business of Real Advantage or so much thereof as he deems appropriate;
The Conservator is authorized, in his discretion, to pay or defer payment of some or all proper claims, expenses, liabilities and obligations of Real Advantage, in whole or in part, accruing prior or subsequent to his appointment as Conservator;
The Conservator is authorized to appoint and employ special deputies, estate managers, other professionals, clerks and assistants and to give each of them such power and authority as he may deem necessary and to compensate these persons from the assets of Real Advantage as he may deem appropriate;
Joseph Holloway is appointed as Deputy Conservator empowered to carry out any and all duties and exercise the authority of the Conservator granted herein and the Insurance Code, and Scott Pearce is appointed as Conservation Manager empowered to carry out any and all duties and exercise the authority of the Conservator and Deputy Conservator, and as may be delegated by the Conservator and Deputy Conservator;
The Conservator is authorized to assume or reject, or to modify, any executory contract, including without limitation, any lease, rental or utilization contract or agreement (including any schedule to any such contract or agreement), and any license or other arrangement for the use of computer software or business information systems to which Real Advantage is a party or as to which it agrees to accept an assignment of such contract. The Conservator is directed to effect any such assumption or rejection or modification of any executory contract not later than 120 days after the date of this Order, unless such date is extended by application to and further order of this Court. It is ordered that all executory contracts that are not expressly assumed by the Conservator shall be deemed rejected;
The Conservator is authorized to take possession of all of the assets of Real Advantage, including books, records and property, both real and personal, accounts, safe deposit boxes, rights of action, and all such assets as may be in the name of Real Advantage, wherever situated;
Title to all property and assets of Real Advantage, including deposits, securities, contracts, rights of actions, books, records, and other assets of every type and nature, including both those presently in Real Advantage's possession and those which may be discovered hereafter, wherever situated, is vested in the Commissioner in his official capacity as Conservator of Real Advantage and/or his successor in office, in his or her official capacity as Conservator, authorizing the Conservator to deal with the same in his own name as Conservator or in the name of Real Advantage, and enjoining all persons from interfering with the Conservator's possession and title thereto;
The Conservator is granted all the powers of the directors, officers, and managers of Real Advantage, whose authorities are suspended except as such powers may be re-delegated by the Conservator;
The Conservator is authorized to terminate compensation arrangements with employees, to enter into new compensation arrangements with employees, including arrangements containing retention incentives, and to hire employees on such terms and conditions as he deems reasonable;
Except upon the express authorization of the Conservator, Real Advantage, its officers, directors, agents and employees are enjoined from transacting any of the business of Real Advantage, whether in the State of California or elsewhere, or from disposing of, using, transferring, selling, assigning, canceling, alienating, hypothecating, diminishing, impairing, waiving, limiting or concealing in any manner or in any way, or assisting any person in any of the foregoing, of the property or assets of Real Advantage or property or assets in the possession of Real Advantage, of any nature or kind, including intangible assets, tax assets and attributes, claims or causes of action, until further order of this Court and further, such persons are enjoined from obstructing or interfering with the Conservator's conduct of his duties as Conservator;
All persons are enjoined from instituting, prosecuting, or maintaining any action at law or suit in equity, and matters in arbitration, including but not limited to actions or proceedings to compel discovery or production of documents or testimony and matters in arbitration, and from attaching, executing upon, redeeming of or taking any other legal proceedings against any of the property of Real Advantage, and from doing any act interfering with the conduct of said business by the Conservator, except after an order from this Court obtained after reasonable notice to the Conservator;
Real Advantage and all officers, directors, agents and employees of Real Advantage are directed to deliver to, and immediately make available to, the Conservator all assets, books, records, accounts, tax returns, information, computers, tapes, discs, writings, other recordings of information, equipment and other property of Real Advantage, wherever situated, in said persons custody or control and further, directing the aforesaid to disclose verbally, or in writing if requested by the Conservator, the exact whereabouts of the foregoing items if such items are not in the possession custody or control of said persons;
All officers, directors, trustees, employees or agents of Real Advantage, or any other person, firm, association, partnership, corporate parent, holding company, affiliate or other entity in charge of any aspect of Real Advantage's affairs, either in whole or in part, including but not limited to banks, savings and loan associations, financial or lending institutions, brokers, stock or mutual associations, or any parent, holding company, subsidiary or affiliated corporation or any other representative acting in concert with Real Advantage, shall cooperate with the Conservator in the performance of his duties;
The Conservator is authorized to pay out of the funds and assets of Real Advantage all costs and fees incurred in preparing for, bringing and maintaining this action, including the reasonable expenses incurred by the Special Examiner and or the Regulatory Services Group and the California Department of Insurance prior to the filing of this application, and for such other actions and activities as are necessary to carry out his functions as Conservator. Such payments may include reimbursements for third-party advisory and consulting services incurred by an employee or consultant of the Regulatory Services Group in preparation for conservation of Real Advantage;
The Conservator is authorized to pay all reasonable costs of taking possession of and conserving Real Advantage out of the funds and assets of Real Advantage;
The Conservator is authorized to pay all reasonable costs of operating Real Advantage as Conservator (including direct and allocated direct costs, direct and allocated general and administrative costs and overhead, and all other allocated costs) out of any and all funds and assets of Real Advantage, and if there are insufficient funds, to pay for the costs out of the Insurance Fund pursuant to section 1035;
All funds and assets, including certificates of deposit, bank accounts, and mutual fund shares of Real Advantage, in various financial depositary institutions, including but not limited to banks, savings and loan associations, industrial loan companies, mutual funds or stockbrokerages, wherever situated, shall be vested in the Conservator and subject to withdrawal upon his order only;
All persons who maintain records for Real Advantage, pursuant to written contract or any other agreement, are ordered to maintain such records and to deliver to the Conservator such records upon his request;
All agents of Real Advantage, and all brokers who have done business with Real Advantage, are directed to make all remittances of all funds collected by them or in their hands that are payable to Real Advantage directly to the Conservator;
All persons having possession of any lists of policyholders or escrow holders of Real Advantage are directed to deliver such lists to the Conservator, and all persons are enjoined from using any such lists or any information contained therein without the consent of the Conservator;
The Conservator is authorized to initiate such equitable or legal actions or proceedings in this or other states as may appear necessary to him to carry out his functions as Conservator;
The Conservator is authorized to divert, take possession of and secure all mail of Real Advantage, in order to screen such mail, and to effect a change in the rights to use any and all post office boxes and other mail collection facilities used by Real Advantage;
Real Advantage and its officers, directors, agents, servants, employees, successors, assigns, affiliates, and other persons or entities under their control and all persons or entities in concert or participation with Real Advantage, and each of them, shall turn over to the Conservator all records, documentation, charts and/or descriptive materials of all funds, assets, property (owned beneficially or otherwise), all books and records of accounts, title documents and other documents in their possession or under their control, which relate directly or indirectly to assets or property owned or held by Real Advantage or to the business or operations of Real Advantage, and all other assets of Real Advantage wherever situated;
Except upon further order of the Court issued after a hearing in which the Conservator has received reasonable notice, all persons are enjoined from obtaining preferences, judgments, attachments or other liens, or making any levy against Real Advantage or its assets or property, from executing or issuing or causing the execution or issuance of any court attachment, subpoena, replevin, execution or other process for the purpose of impounding or taking possession of or interfering with or creating or enforcing a lien upon any property or assets owned or in the possession of Real Advantage or the Conservator, wherever situated, and from doing any act interfering with the conduct of said business by the Conservator;
Except upon further order of the Court issued after a hearing in which the Conservator has received reasonable notice, all persons are enjoined from accelerating the due date of any obligation or claimed obligation, from exercising any right of set-off, from taking, retaining, retaking or attempting to retake possession of any real or personal property, from withholding or diverting any rent or other obligation, from doing any act or other thing whatsoever to interfere with the possession of or management by the Conservator of the property and assets, owned or controlled by Real Advantage or in the possession of Real Advantage, from interfering in any way with the Conservator, or from interfering in any manner during the pendency of this proceeding with the exclusive jurisdiction of this Court over Real Advantage and its assets;
Any and all provisions of any agreement as well as any amendments, assignments, or modifications thereto entered into by and between any third party and Real Advantage, including but not limited to financial guarantee bonds, promissory notes, loan agreements, security agreements, deeds of trust, mortgages, indemnification agreements, subrogation agreements, subordination agreements, pledge agreements, assignments of rents or other collateral, financial statements, letters of credit, leases, insurance policies, guaranties, escrow agreements, management agreements, real estate brokerage and rental agreements, servicing agreements, attorney agreements, consulting agreements, easement agreements, license agreements, tax sharing agreements, franchise agreements, or employment contracts that provide in any manner that selection, appointment or retention of a conservator, receiver or trustee by any court, or entry of any order deemed to be, or otherwise operate as, a breach, violation, event of default, termination, event of dissolution, event of acceleration, insolvency, bankruptcy, or liquidation, shall be stayed, and the assertion of any and all rights and remedies relating thereto shall also be stayed and barred, except as otherwise ordered by this Court, and this Court shall retain jurisdiction over any cause of action that has arisen or may otherwise arise under any such provision;
The Conservator is authorized to invest and reinvest Real Advantage assets and funds in such a manner as he deems suitable for the best interest of Real Advantage creditors. However, no investment or reinvestment shall be made exceeding the sum of $100,000 without first obtaining permission of this Court, except the Conservator may make investments or reinvestments in excess of$100,000, but not exceeding $5,000,000 per investment or reinvestment, without prior approval if such investments or reinvestments are made pursuant to any provisions of the existing investment guidelines and investment programs of Real Advantage that the Conservator determines are prudent and appropriate to continue. Such investment guidelines shall be applicable only to non-pledged and or unencumbered assets in the estate;
The Conservator is authorized to pay such priority liabilities during conservation as the Commissioner, as statutory conservator, shall determine appropriate and to immediately reserve against the full payment of such expenses; and
All persons are enjoined from the waste of the assets of Real Advantage.