California Code, Financial Code - FIN § 22318

On any loan made that is secured by real property, an escrow fee of a reasonable amount may be charged.  The fee shall be considered reasonable when paid to a company licensed to do business under the Escrow Law (Division 6 (commencing with Section 17000)), or any person exempted by the Escrow Law, provided that the fees are comparable to fees charged by escrow companies authorized to do business in this state.  The fee is not included in charges defined in this division in determining the applicable maximum charges that may be made under this article.