On January 11, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (Department) announced the issuance of a Final Order taken against a Florida-based money transmitter and two of its officers for allegedly failing to, among other things, timely file suspicious activity reports (SARs) or conduct required background checks on covered employees. Following a hearing, the Department issued the Final…
On December 19, 2018, the Ohio Governor signed Substitute House Bill 489 (HB 489), which amends the Ohio Residential Mortgage Lending Act (RMLA) to, among other things, require a person acting as mortgage servicer to obtain a Residential Mortgage Lending Act Certificate of Registration in the state, unless exempt from the RMLA. The amendments define a “mortgage…
Nevada’s administrative code requires that a qualified employee be present at the in-state office of a licensed mortgage broker or banker for the majority of the time that the office is open to the public. In the past, the Nevada Division of Mortgage Lending has permitted certain mortgage broker and banker licensees to satisfy this…
On December 18, the Court of Appeals of Maryland held that the licensing requirement, §12-302, of the Maryland Consumer Loan Law (MCLL) is a “statutory specialty” and causes of action under it are accorded a 12-year statute of limitations period. The decision results from a question of law posed to the appeals court by the U.S. District…
On December 19, the Illinois governor signed HB 5542, which amends the state’s Residential Mortgage License Act of 1987 (the Act) to make various changes to state licensing requirements. Among other things, the amended Act (i) clarifies the definition of a “bona fide nonprofit organization”; (ii) provides a list of prohibited acts and practices; (iii) stipulates…
There are two types of NMLS company users: account administrators, who have full access to a company’s NMLS record; and organization users, who have limited access. And while any individual can be an organization user, NMLS specifies in the NMLS Policy Guidebook and elsewhere that only employees can be account administrators. For example, the NMLS…
On December 3, the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) issued a final rule adopting amendments including student education loan servicing and servicers as activities and persons regulated under the state’s Consumer Loan Act. According to DFI, the amendments will provide consumers with student education loans a number of consumer protections and allow DFI to monitor servicers’ activities.…
On October 24, the Pennsylvania governor signed HB 2453, which amends the state’s Check Casher Licensing Act to make several changes in the licensing process for check-cashing entities. Specifically, the amendments (i) allow for check-cashing licenses to be issued for up to 14 months; (ii) require a licensee to demonstrate that it is conducting business in…
Just a friendly reminder that the mortgage call report for the third quarter of 2018 is due by November 14. The report must be filed by any company that maintains one or more specified licenses (typically, mortgage licenses) in the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System. Note that even if your company does not engage in mortgage-related…
The 2019 Nationwide Multistate Licensing System renewal period will open on November 1 and close on December 31. The NMLS Resource Center has state-by-state renewal checklists and three renewal handbooks specifically written for companies, individuals, and money services business, debt, and consumer finance companies. Prior to the opening of the renewal period, there are a…
The California Department of Business Oversight has notified California Financing Law licensees and California Residential Mortgage Lending Act (CRMLA) licensees of their annual assessment obligations for fiscal year 2018-2019. The assessments cover each licensee’s share of the cost of administering the programs under the California Financial Code and must be paid by October 31, 2018.…
On September 21, the Washington state Attorney General announced that it filed a lawsuit against several collection agencies and their owner (defendants) for allegedly purchasing and suing on charged-off consumer debts in violation of the Washington Collection Agency Act (WCAA) and the Washington Consumer Protection Act (WCPA). The complaint alleges that defendants bought and then obtained judgements on…
On October 1, without notice, the New York State Department of Financial Services and the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System announced that the NMLS would begin receiving new application and transition filings for the check casher license, the commercial check casher license, and the virtual currency license in New York. The announcement from the NYSDFS explained…
On October 1, NYDFS announced the commencement of the final phase of its initiative to manage the license application and regulation of all non-depository financial institutions operating in the state through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry (NMLS). As such, NYDFS now allows financial services companies holding check casher and virtual currency business activity licenses to…
On September 30, the California governor signed AB 237, which establishes a pilot program under the California Financing Law with the stated purpose of encouraging lenders to provide affordable small dollar loans to consumers. Significant features of the program include: (i) an increase to the upper limit of a permissible loan, from $2,500 to $7,500; and…
Fingerprints for purposes of conducting a criminal background check may be required of any number of individuals associated with a licensee/license applicant: from employees to senior officers to ultimate owners. The fingerprinting process typically involves an individual making an appointment with and traveling to an authorized fingerprint technician who will then capture the individual’s fingerprints…
On September 20, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies Division of Banking (Division) issued interim guidance exempting certain types of cryptocurrency exchanges from the state’s money transmitter licensing requirements. Under the interim guidance — which outlines the Division’s interpretation of Colorado’s existing Money Transmitters Act (the Act) — the Division determined that the Act regulates the transmission…
On September 21, the Federal Reserve Board (Board) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comment on the repeal of certain provisions of regulations that incorporate the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act (SAFE Act), which the Board states are intended to reflect the transfer of rulemaking authority to the CFPB by the Dodd-Frank Act. Specifically, the…
On September 14, the California governor approved AB 38 amending the state’s Student Loan Servicing Act (Act). The Act provides for the licensure, regulation, and oversight of student loan servicers by the California Department of Business Oversight (CDBO). Among other things, the amendments: (i) clarify the circumstances under which the Commissioner of the CDBO may deny a…
On September 19, the Massachusetts Division of Banks (the Division) issued an Industry Letter to provide guidance regarding a new mortgage licensing exemption for “bona fide nonprofit affordable homeownership organizations.” These bona fide nonprofits, who must have as their primary purpose helping qualified low-income individuals build, repair, and purchase affordable housing, may apply to the…