A handful of license applications require personal financial statements from officers, directors, and certain other individuals named in the application. The requirement is certainly one of the most significant pain points when it comes to the license application process, as individuals are often (understandably) sensitive about disclosing their finances. For this reason, the requirement must…
On May 30, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania reversed an order by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities Commission (Commission) issued against a mobile giving app and two of its executives (petitioner), holding that the petitioner was not required to be licensed by the Commission because it was not transmitting money under the court’s interpretation…
While nearly every state requires a license to act as a mortgage servicer, the requirements differ greatly. In some states, the license is a stand-alone mortgage servicer license. In others, a general mortgage license covers the activity. Further still, mortgage servicers trigger some state (and even city) collection agency licensing laws. And mortgage servicer licensing…
On May 22, the Minnesota governor signed HF 990, which exempts manufactured home dealers and salespersons from the state’s licensing requirements for residential mortgage originators. Under the bill, manufactured home dealers or salespersons qualify for the exemption if they (i) perform only clerical or support duties in connection with assisting a consumer in filling out a…
On May 15, the New Hampshire governor signed HB 649 to, among other things, amend the state licensing requirements for nondepository mortgage bankers, brokers, and servicers, as well as pawnbrokers and moneylenders. Specifically, licensing applicants must file with the banking commissioner a written verified application through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry (NMLS) using the NMLS…
On May 13, the Colorado governor signed SB19-002, the “Colorado Student Loan Servicers Act,” which requires an entity that services a student education loan owned by a Colorado resident to be licensed by the state. Under the bill, “student loan servicer” is generally defined as a person that receives a scheduled periodic payment from a student…
On May 10, the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State published in the Illinois Register a notice by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation of adopted amendments to certain parts of its Residential Mortgage License Act. In general, the amendments impact independent loan processor licensing as well as residential mortgage loan bond and advertising requirements. Specifically, an…
On May 7, the Georgia governor signed HB 185, which amends various state laws related to financial institutions, including the licensing requirements for mortgage lenders and mortgage loan originators. The bill specifies that any licensed mortgage lender is authorized to engage in all activities that are authorized for a mortgage broker and therefore, is not required…
On May 19, the Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Kansas published in the Kansas Register an amended Administrative Interpretation No. 1004 covering Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP). In general, the interpretation provides guidance for creditors to follow to exclude the cost of GAP waiver agreements from the calculation of the finance charge with consumer credit sales and closed-end…
On May 16, the Iowa governor signed SF 619, which, among other things, amends the state’s service contract provider provisions to require any provider that issues, offers for sale, or sells motor vehicle service contracts in the state to be licensed as a service company. Persons who provide support services or work under the direction of…
For a company to obtain a license in a state other than its state of incorporation or formation, it typically first needs to be authorized to do business in the state. Becoming authorized to do business in a state is commonly referred to as foreign qualification (“foreign” here refers to another state, not another country).…
On May 14, the Vermont governor signed S.154, which, among other things, amends the state’s mortgage licensing statute. Specifically, the legislation repeals various provisions of the state’s licensing process for mortgage lenders and servicers and replaces the provisions with a new chapter (8 V.S.A. Chapter 72) intended to streamline the law and bring more clarity and…
Prospective licensees will be excited to hear about the addition of another license to the NMLS, which we understand will be the South Dakota non-residential mortgage lender license. According to a contact at the South Dakota Division of Banking, the license is expected to be added on or around July 1. While a transition plan…
On April 4, the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS) issued a set of guidelines and FAQs clarifying federal SAFE Act amendments created by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the Act), to establish “temporary authority” provisions for mortgage loan originators (MLOs). According to the guidelines, temporary authority to act as a loan originator while…
On April 29, the New Jersey governor approved several bills related to mortgage lending in the state. According to a press release issued by the governor, the package of nine bills addresses the state’s foreclosure crisis and includes the following: A 4997, known as the Mortgage Services Licensing Act, requires persons who act as mortgage servicers—either directly…
On April 18, the Georgia governor signed HB 212, which amends the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to the licensing of mortgage lenders and mortgage brokers. Under the Act, the following persons, who meet certain requirements, are exempt from state licensing requirements: “retailers and retail brokers of manufactured homes, mobile homes, or residential industrialized buildings.”…
On April 18, the Oklahoma governor signed SB 720 to create the Oklahoma Small Lenders Act (the Act) and establish a framework to license and regulate small loan lenders in the state through the Department of Consumer Credit (ODCC). Beginning on January 1, 2020, any licensee under the Deferred Deposit Lending Act (DDLA) may begin an application…
On April 18, the Maryland Governor approved several bills concerning debt settlement service providers, mortgage lenders, and credit service businesses. Under HB 59, registrants providing debt settlement services are required to apply for a license or renewal and obtain a valid unique identifier issued by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry (NMLS) on or after…
On April 11, the Maryland Attorney General announced an administrative proceeding taken against a title company, its owner, and related businesses for allegedly making unlicensed and usurious title loans secured by consumers’ motor vehicles. According to the AG’s charges, the defendants, among other things, allegedly engaged in unfair or deceptive trade practices by offering consumers high-interest, short-term…
On April 10, NYDFS announced that it denied a company’s applications to engage in virtual currency business and money transmission activity in New York due to the company’s alleged deficiencies in BSA/AML and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) compliance requirements, capital requirements, and token and product launches. According to the denial letter, the company applied for a…