October 4, 2017
Salem — The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Division of Financial Regulation issued a cease-and-desist order against Gilliam County Title of Clackamas, Ore., for attempting to sell title insurance without a license.
Oregonians should beware that Gilliam County Title continues to attempt to sell insurance illegally. Anyone who has been contacted by, or purchased title insurance from, Gilliam County Title is urged to call division investigators as soon as possible at 888-877-4894 (toll-free).
In July 2017, the division received a call from someone whose elderly parents had received sales pitches for title insurance from Gilliam County Title. The caller checked if Gilliam County Title was licensed and became suspicious when there was no record of the company being licensed. Gillam County Title was not then, and is not now, licensed to sell insurance in the state of Oregon.
Gilliam County Title’s principal place of business is 10121 SE Sunnyside Road, Suite 300 in Clackamas. According to Secretary of State records, Lowell C. Hallock is the registered agent and president of the company. Division investigators were told by a company receptionist that William Ezra was a manager at the company. Neither Hallock nor Ezra is licensed to sell insurance in Oregon.
Gilliam County Title, Hallock, and Ezra all have not responded to inquiries and communications from the division.
In Oregon, insurance agents and agencies must be licensed to sell insurance by the division. This license ensures that insurance agents are held to high standards of education and ethics. Selling insurance without a license is illegal.
“This is another reminder to always check that the person or company you are working with is licensed to sell insurance in the state of Oregon,” said Jean Straight, acting DCBS director.
Oregonians can look up licensing information by calling 888-877-4894 (toll-free) or visiting
dfr.oregon.gov.
The final order can be found online at
http://dfr.oregon.gov/AdminOrders/enf-orders-2017/Gilliam%20Final%20Order%20with%20SSIG.pdf.
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The Division of Financial Regulation is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. Visit
dcbs.oregon.gov and
dfr.oregon.gov.