HOUSE BILL No. 5288

 

October 11, 2007, Introduced by Reps. Coulouris, Young, Kathleen Law, Hopgood, Brown, Valentine, Hammel, Robert Jones, Vagnozzi, Mayes, Gonzales, Donigan, Dean and Tobocman and referred to the Committee on Banking and Financial Services.

 

     A bill to amend 1987 PA 173, entitled

 

"Mortgage brokers, lenders, and servicers licensing act,"

 

(MCL 445.1651 to 445.1684) by adding section 2a.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 2a. (1) An employee of a licensee or registrant shall not

 

perform services of a loan officer unless he or she registers or

 

otherwise complies with this section.

 

     (2) If an individual is employed as a loan officer by a

 

mortgage broker, mortgage lender, or mortgage servicer, that

 

individual shall apply for loan officer registration under this

 

section within 90 days after he or she begins providing services as

 

an employee of the mortgage broker, mortgage lender, or mortgage

 

servicer, by submitting the application described in subsection


 

(3), in writing, and including with the application the annual

 

operating fee established under section 8(3).

 

     (3) The commissioner shall prescribe the form of application

 

for registration as a loan officer. Subject to subsection (8), the

 

application form shall require that an applicant provide at least

 

all of the following to the commissioner:

 

     (a) The name and home address of the applicant.

 

     (b) A statement as to whether the applicant has ever been

 

convicted of, or pled no contest to, any felony involving

 

embezzlement, forgery, fraud, a financial transaction, or

 

securities.

 

     (c) A statement as to whether the applicant has had an

 

application denied, or a license, registration, or similar

 

authority revoked or suspended, to practice any profession or

 

occupation in any jurisdiction, including, but not limited to,

 

licensure or registration as a mortgage broker, mortgage lender, or

 

mortgage servicer in which the applicant held more than 25% of the

 

ownership interest or as a loan officer.

 

     (d) Except for an application described in subsection (4),

 

proof in the form of a certificate of completion or other evidence

 

acceptable to the commissioner that the applicant has completed at

 

least 24 hours of live professional classroom instruction in this

 

state in an introductory course in residential mortgage lending

 

that is sponsored or provided by a person, and taught by an

 

instructor, approved by the commissioner. The 24 hours of

 

instruction shall include at least 3 hours of live classroom

 

instruction concerning state and federal laws and regulations


 

governing residential mortgage lending, the content of which has

 

been approved by the commissioner.

 

     (e) Evidence acceptable to the commissioner that the applicant

 

correctly answered at least 75% of the questions on an examination

 

approved by the commissioner that tests an applicant’s knowledge of

 

the contents of the introductory course in residential mortgage

 

lending described in subdivision (d).

 

     (f) The results of a criminal records check of the applicant

 

conducted by the employer, that includes a check of the applicant's

 

fingerprints, taken by a law enforcement agency or any other person

 

determined by the department to be qualified to take fingerprints.

 

     (g) Any other information required by the commissioner.

 

     (4) An applicant for loan officer registration may perform

 

services as a loan officer while his or her application is pending

 

if all of the following are met:

 

     (a) The applicant has submitted his or her fingerprints to his

 

or her employer for purposes of the criminal records check

 

described in subsection (3)(f).

 

     (b) The employer of the applicant has submitted the request

 

for the criminal records check of the applicant described in

 

subsection (3)(f) to the law enforcement agency or person that is

 

conducting that records check of the applicant on behalf of the

 

employer.

 

     (c) If the employer receives the results of the criminal

 

records check submitted under subdivision (b) while the loan

 

officer registration application is pending, the criminal records

 

check does not disclose that the applicant has been convicted of,


 

or pled no contest to, any felony involving embezzlement, forgery,

 

fraud, a financial transaction, or securities.

 

     (d) The employer of the applicant has provided the

 

commissioner with written notice that the applicant is beginning to

 

provide services as any employee to the employer.

 

     (5) The commissioner shall not issue a registration to any of

 

the following:

 

     (a) An applicant who has been convicted of, or pled no contest

 

to, any felony involving embezzlement, forgery, fraud, a financial

 

transaction, or securities.

 

     (b) An applicant against whom the commissioner has issued a

 

prohibition order under section 18a.

 

     (6) The commissioner must register a loan officer who meets

 

all of the following:

 

     (a) For the 5-year period immediately preceding the effective

 

date of the amendatory act that added this section, he or she meets

 

any of the following:

 

     (i) Was employed as a loan officer for at least 4-1/2 years by

 

1 or more licensees, registrants, or persons exempt from this act

 

under section 25.

 

     (ii) Continuously owned at least a 25% interest in a licensee

 

or registrant.

 

     (b) He or she was not the subject of any prohibition orders

 

issued by the commissioner under section 18a in the 5-year period

 

immediately preceding the effective date of the amendatory act that

 

added this section.

 

     (c) Within 8 months after the effective date of the amendatory


 

act that added this section, he or she takes the examination

 

described in subsection (3)(e) and correctly answers at least 75%

 

of the questions on the examination.

 

     (d) Within 8 months after the effective date of the amendatory

 

act that added this section, he or she submits an application under

 

subsection (3). However, the applicant is not required to complete

 

or submit proof of completion of the instruction described in

 

subsection (3)(d).

 

     (7) An employee of a mortgage broker, mortgage lender, or

 

mortgage servicer that is exempt from licensing or registration

 

under this act may apply to be a loan officer registrant under this

 

section.

 

     (8) The commissioner may waive any of the requirements of this

 

section for loan officer registration if the applicant has a valid,

 

similar license or registration from another state that has a

 

reciprocal agreement with the commissioner.

 

     (9) The commissioner may disclose, provide, or make available

 

to the public the names, business addresses, and business telephone

 

numbers of loan officer registrants. The commissioner shall not

 

disclose, provide, or make available to the public any other

 

personal identifying information about loan officer registrants or

 

applicants for loan officer registration.

 

     (10) An individual employed by a licensee as a loan officer

 

shall not use the title or designation "loan officer", "loan

 

originator", "mortgage loan officer", or "mortgage loan originator"

 

if he or she is not a loan officer registrant. A loan officer

 

registrant and the employer of a loan officer registrant shall not


 

use the word "registered", "certified", or any word of similar

 

import in his or her title or designation to identify him or her as

 

an individual who has met the registration requirements of this act

 

unless use of that word is approved by OFIS.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless all of the following bills of the 94th Legislature are

 

enacted into law:

 

     (a) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

03068'07).

 

     (b) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

03157'07).

 

     (c) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

05192'07).

 

     (d) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5289(request no.

 

05193'07).

 

     (e) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

05194'07).

 

     (f) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

05195'07).

 

     (g) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

05196'07).

 

     (h) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5290(request no.

 

05197'07).

 

     (i) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5291(request no.

 

05198'07).

 

     (j) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

05199'07).


 

     (k) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

05200'07).