Total loss salvage and nonrepairable vehicles.

Existing law requires, if the owner of a total loss salvage or nonrepairable vehicle retains possession of the vehicle, the insurance company to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of the retention, as specified. Existing law requires the owner, within 10 days from the settlement of loss, to forward to the department the properly endorsed certificate of ownership or other evidence of ownership acceptable to the department, the license plates, and a specified fee. Upon receipt of these items, existing law requires the department to issue a salvage or nonrepairable vehicle certificate for the vehicle. Existing law authorizes an insurance company to request the department to issue a salvage or nonrepairable vehicle certificate for a total loss salvage or nonrepairable vehicle, respectively, if the insurance company is unable to obtain a properly endorsed certificate of ownership or acceptable evidence of title, as specified, within 30 days following an oral or written acceptance by the owner of an offer in settlement of a total loss. Existing law requires the insurance company to make this request on a department-provided form and the request to include the license plates and fee as well as documentation that the requester has made at least 2 attempts to obtain the certificate of ownership or acceptable evidence of title. This bill would reduce the number of days from the owner's written or oral acceptance of the offer to 15 before the insurance company can request the department to issue a salvage or nonrepairable vehicle certificate. With regard to the department-provided form, the bill would only require an attestation that the requester has attempted to obtain the certificate of ownership, as specified. The bill would also require the insurance company's attempt to obtain the certificate of ownership or other acceptable evidence of title to be provided concurrently with the payment of the claim or by mail, as specified, other commercially available delivery service showing proof of delivery, or electronic mail.