Collapse to view only § 5114. State examination authority
- § 5101. Purposes and methods for establishing a mortgage licensing system and registry
- § 5102. Definitions
- § 5103. License or registration required
- § 5104. State license and registration application and issuance
- § 5105. Standards for State license renewal
- § 5106. System of registration administration by Federal agencies
- § 5107. Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection backup authority to establish loan originator licensing system
- § 5108. Backup authority to establish a nationwide mortgage licensing and registry system
- § 5109. Fees
- § 5110. Background checks of loan originators
- § 5111. Confidentiality of information
- § 5112. Liability provisions
- § 5113. Enforcement by the Bureau
- § 5114. State examination authority
- § 5115. Reports and recommendations to Congress
- § 5116. Study and reports on defaults and foreclosures
- § 5117. Employment transition of loan originators
The term “Bureau” means the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
The term “Federal banking agency” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
The term “depository institution” has the same meaning as in section 1813 of this title, and includes any credit union.
For purposes of this subsection, an individual “assists a consumer in obtaining or applying to obtain a residential mortgage loan” by, among other things, advising on loan terms (including rates, fees, other costs), preparing loan packages, or collecting information on behalf of the consumer with regard to a residential mortgage loan.
The term “administrative or clerical tasks” means the receipt, collection, and distribution of information common for the processing or underwriting of a loan in the mortgage industry and communication with a consumer to obtain information necessary for the processing or underwriting of a residential mortgage loan.
The term “Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry” means a mortgage licensing system developed and maintained by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators for the State licensing and registration of State-licensed loan originators and the registration of registered loan originators or any system established by the Director under section 5108 of this title.
The term “nontraditional mortgage product” means any mortgage product other than a 30-year fixed rate mortgage.
The term “residential mortgage loan” means any loan primarily for personal, family, or household use that is secured by a mortgage, deed of trust, or other equivalent consensual security interest on a dwelling (as defined in section 1602(v) 1
The term “Director” means the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
The term “State” means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, any territory of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
To the greatest extent possible and to accomplish the purpose of this chapter, States shall use unique identifiers in lieu of social security numbers.
A loan processor or underwriter who does not represent to the public, through advertising or other means of communicating or providing information (including the use of business cards, stationery, brochures, signs, rate lists, or other promotional items), that such individual can or will perform any of the activities of a loan originator shall not be required to be a State-licensed loan originator.
An independent contractor may not engage in residential mortgage loan origination activities as a loan processor or underwriter unless such independent contractor is a State-licensed loan originator.
For purposes of paragraph (1), pre-licensing education courses shall be reviewed, and approved by the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry.
To maintain the independence of the approval process, the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry shall not directly or indirectly offer pre-licensure educational courses for loan originators.
In approving courses under this section, the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry shall apply reasonable standards in the review and approval of courses.
In order to meet the written test requirement referred to in subsection (b)(5), an individual shall pass, in accordance with the standards established under this subsection, a qualified written test developed by the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry and administered by an approved test provider.
An individual shall not be considered to have passed a qualified written test unless the individual achieves a test score of not less than 75 percent correct answers to questions.
An individual may retake a test 3 consecutive times with each consecutive taking occurring at least 30 days after the preceding test.
After failing 3 consecutive tests, an individual shall wait at least 6 months before taking the test again.
A State-licensed loan originator who fails to maintain a valid license for a period of 5 years or longer shall retake the test, not taking into account any time during which such individual is a registered loan originator.
Each mortgage licensee shall submit to the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry reports of condition, which shall be in such form and shall contain such information as the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry may require.
For purposes of paragraph (1), continuing education courses shall be reviewed, and approved by the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry.
A State-licensed loan originator who is approved as an instructor of an approved continuing education course may receive credit for the originator’s own annual continuing education requirement at the rate of 2 hours credit for every 1 hour taught.
To maintain the independence of the approval process, the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry shall not directly or indirectly offer any continuing education courses for loan originators.
In approving courses under this section, the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry shall apply reasonable standards in the review and approval of courses.
The Bureau shall develop and maintain a system for registering employees of a depository institution, employees of a subsidiary that is owned and controlled by a depository institution and regulated by a Federal banking agency, or employees of an institution regulated by the Farm Credit Administration, as registered loan originators with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry. The system shall be implemented before the end of the 1-year period beginning on July 21, 2010.
The Bureau,1
To facilitate the transfer of information required by subsection (a)(2), the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry shall coordinate with the Bureau,1 and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection concerning the development and operation, by such System and Registry, of the registration functionality and data requirements for loan originators.
In establishing the registration procedures under subsection (a) and the protocols for assigning a unique identifier to a registered loan originator, the Bureau shall make such de minimis exceptions as may be appropriate to paragraphs (1)(A) and (2) of section 5103(a) of this title, shall make reasonable efforts to utilize existing information to minimize the burden of registering loan originators, and shall consider methods for automating the process to the greatest extent practicable consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
If, by the end of the 1-year period, or the 2-year period in the case of a State whose legislature meets only biennially, beginning on July 30, 2008, or at any time thereafter, the Director determines that a State does not have in place by law or regulation a system for licensing and registering loan originators that meets the requirements of sections 5104 and 5105 of this title and subsection (d) of this section, or does not participate in the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry, the Director shall provide for the establishment and maintenance of a system for the licensing and registration by the Director of loan originators operating in such State as State-licensed loan originators.
The system established by the Director under subsection (a) for any State shall meet the requirements of sections 5104 and 5105 of this title for State-licensed loan originators.
The Director shall coordinate with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry to establish protocols for assigning a unique identifier to each loan originator licensed by the Director as a State-licensed loan originator that will facilitate electronic tracking and uniform identification of, and public access to, the employment history of and the publicly adjudicated disciplinary and enforcement actions against loan originators.
The Director may extend, by not more than 24 months, the 1-year or 2-year period, as the case may be, referred to in subsection (a) for the licensing of loan originators in any State under a State licensing law that meets the requirements of sections 5104 and 5105 of this title and subsection (d) if the Director determines that such State is making a good faith effort to establish a State licensing law that meets such requirements, license mortgage originators under such law, and register such originators with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry.
The Bureau is authorized to promulgate regulations setting minimum net worth or surety bond requirements for residential mortgage loan originators and minimum requirements for recovery funds paid into by loan originators.
In issuing regulations under paragraph (1), the Bureau shall take into account the need to provide originators adequate incentives to originate affordable and sustainable mortgage loans, as well as the need to ensure a competitive origination market that maximizes consumer access to affordable and sustainable mortgage loans.
If at any time the Director determines that the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry is failing to meet the requirements and purposes of this chapter for a comprehensive licensing, supervisory, and tracking system for loan originators, the Director shall establish and maintain such a system to carry out the purposes of this chapter and the effective registration and regulation of loan originators.
The Bureau, the Farm Credit Administration, and the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry may charge reasonable fees to cover the costs of maintaining and providing access to information from the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry, to the extent that such fees are not charged to consumers for access to such system and registry.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in providing identification and processing functions, the Attorney General shall provide access to all criminal history information to the appropriate State officials responsible for regulating State-licensed loan originators and other financial service providers to the extent criminal history background checks are required under the laws of the State for the licensing of such loan originators or other financial service providers.
For the purposes of this section and in order to reduce the points of contact which the Federal Bureau of Investigation may have to maintain for purposes of subsection (a), the Conference of State Bank Supervisors or a wholly owned subsidiary may be used as a channeling agent of the States for requesting and distributing information between the Department of Justice and the appropriate State agencies .
Except as otherwise provided in this section, any requirement under Federal or State law regarding the privacy or confidentiality of any information or material provided to the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry or a system established by the Director under section 5108 of this title, and any privilege arising under Federal or State law (including the rules of any Federal or State court) with respect to such information or material, shall continue to apply to such information or material after the information or material has been disclosed to the system. Such information and material may be shared with all State and Federal regulatory officials with mortgage or financial services industry oversight authority without the loss of privilege or the loss of confidentiality protections provided by Federal and State laws.
Any State law, including any State open record law, relating to the disclosure of confidential supervisory information or any information or material described in subsection (a) that is inconsistent with subsection (a) shall be superseded by the requirements of such provision to the extent State law provides less confidentiality or a weaker privilege.
This section shall not apply with respect to the information or material relating to the employment history of, and publicly adjudicated disciplinary and enforcement actions against, loan originators that is included in Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry for access by the public.
If the Director establishes a licensing system under section 5107 of this title for any State, the Director shall appoint examiners for the purposes of administering such section.
Any examiner appointed under paragraph (1) shall have power, on behalf of the Director, to make any examination of any loan originator operating in any State which is subject to a licensing system established by the Director under section 5107 of this title whenever the Director determines an examination of any loan originator is necessary to determine the compliance by the originator with this chapter.
Each examiner appointed under paragraph (1) shall make a full and detailed report of examination of any loan originator examined to the Director.
In connection with examinations of loan originators operating in any State which is subject to a licensing system established by the Director under section 5107 of this title, or with other types of investigations to determine compliance with applicable law and regulations, the Director and examiners appointed by the Director may administer oaths and affirmations and examine and take and preserve testimony under oath as to any matter in respect to the affairs of any such loan originator.
The cost of conducting any examination of any loan originator operating in any State which is subject to a licensing system established by the Director under section 5107 of this title shall be assessed by the Director against the loan originator to meet the Secretary’s 1
If the Director finds, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that any person is violating, has violated, or is about to violate any provision of this chapter, or any regulation thereunder, with respect to a State which is subject to a licensing system established by the Director under section 5107 of this title, the Director may publish such findings and enter an order requiring such person, and any other person that is, was, or would be a cause of the violation, due to an act or omission the person knew or should have known would contribute to such violation, to cease and desist from committing or causing such violation and any future violation of the same provision, rule, or regulation. Such order may, in addition to requiring a person to cease and desist from committing or causing a violation, require such person to comply, or to take steps to effect compliance, with such provision or regulation, upon such terms and conditions and within such time as the Director may specify in such order. Any such order may, as the Director deems appropriate, require future compliance or steps to effect future compliance, either permanently or for such period of time as the Director may specify, with such provision or regulation with respect to any loan originator.
The notice instituting proceedings pursuant to paragraph (1) shall fix a hearing date not earlier than 30 days nor later than 60 days after service of the notice unless an earlier or a later date is set by the Director with the consent of any respondent so served.
Whenever the Director determines that the alleged violation or threatened violation specified in the notice instituting proceedings pursuant to paragraph (1), or the continuation thereof, is likely to result in significant dissipation or conversion of assets, significant harm to consumers, or substantial harm to the public interest prior to the completion of the proceedings, the Director may enter a temporary order requiring the respondent to cease and desist from the violation or threatened violation and to take such action to prevent the violation or threatened violation and to prevent dissipation or conversion of assets, significant harm to consumers, or substantial harm to the public interest as the Director deems appropriate pending completion of such proceedings. Such an order shall be entered only after notice and opportunity for a hearing, unless the Director determines that notice and hearing prior to entry would be impracticable or contrary to the public interest. A temporary order shall become effective upon service upon the respondent and, unless set aside, limited, or suspended by the Director or a court of competent jurisdiction, shall remain effective and enforceable pending the completion of the proceedings.
At any time after the respondent has been served with a temporary cease and desist order pursuant to paragraph (3), the respondent may apply to the Director to have the order set aside, limited, or suspended. If the respondent has been served with a temporary cease and desist order entered without a prior hearing before the Director, the respondent may, within 10 days after the date on which the order was served, request a hearing on such application and the Director shall hold a hearing and render a decision on such application at the earliest possible time.
The commencement of proceedings under subparagraph (B) shall not, unless specifically ordered by the court, operate as a stay of the Secretary’s 1 order.
In any cease and desist proceeding under paragraph (1), the Director may issue an order to prohibit, conditionally or unconditionally, and permanently or for such period of time as the Director shall determine, any person who has violated this chapter or regulations thereunder, from acting as a loan originator if the conduct of that person demonstrates unfitness to serve as a loan originator.
The Director may impose a civil penalty on a loan originator operating in any State which is subject to a licensing system established by the Director under section 5107 of this title, if the Director finds, on the record after notice and opportunity for hearing, that such loan originator has violated or failed to comply with any requirement of this chapter or any regulation prescribed by the Director under this chapter or order issued under subsection (c).
The maximum amount of penalty for each act or omission described in paragraph (1) shall be $25,000.
Not later than 1 year after July 30, 2008, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit a report to Congress on the effectiveness of the provisions of this chapter, including legislative recommendations, if any, for strengthening consumer protections, enhancing examination standards, streamlining communication between all stakeholders involved in residential mortgage loan origination and processing, and establishing performance based bonding requirements for mortgage originators or institutions that employ such brokers.
Not later than 6 months after July 30, 2008, the Director shall make recommendations to Congress on legislative reforms to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 [12 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.], that the Director deems appropriate to promote more transparent disclosures, allowing consumers to better shop and compare mortgage loan terms and settlement costs.
The Director shall conduct an extensive study of the root causes of default and foreclosure of home loans, using as much empirical data as is available.
Not later than 6 months after July 30, 2008, the Director shall submit to Congress a preliminary report regarding the study required by this section.
Not later than 12 months after July 30, 2008, the Director shall submit to Congress a final report regarding the results of the study required by this section, which shall include any recommended legislation relating to the study, and recommendations for best practices and for a process to provide targeted assistance to populations with the highest risk of potential default or foreclosure.
The term “application State” means a State in which a registered loan originator or a State-licensed loan originator seeks to be licensed.
The term “State-licensed mortgage company” means an entity that is licensed or registered under the law of any State to engage in residential mortgage loan origination and processing activities.
Any person employing an individual who is deemed to have temporary authority to act as a loan originator in an application State under this section shall be subject to the requirements of this chapter and to applicable State law to the same extent as if that individual was a State-licensed loan originator licensed by the application State.
Any individual who is deemed to have temporary authority to act as a loan originator in an application State under this section and who engages in residential mortgage loan origination activities shall be subject to the requirements of this chapter and to applicable State law to the same extent as if that individual was a State-licensed loan originator licensed by the application State.