Arizona Laws 6-837. Duty of escrow agent to produce escrow records for inspection; violation; classification
A. Any escrow agent shall produce for inspection any escrow records concerning the assets, existence, condition, management and administration and the names of the parties, including any or all beneficiaries, of any escrow of which the person is the escrow agent to any peace officer or local, state or federal law enforcement agency, provided such person requesting information signs and submits a sworn statement to the escrow agent that the request is made in the lawful performance of such person’s duties. The peace officer or local, state or federal law enforcement agency shall be prohibited from using or releasing said information except in the proper performance of the person’s duties.
Attorney's Note
Under the Arizona Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 misdemeanor | up to 4 months | up to $750 |
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 6-837
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Deputy director: means the deputy director of the financial institutions division of the department. See Arizona Laws 6-101
- Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
- Escrow: means any transaction in which any escrow property is delivered with or without transfer of legal or equitable title, or both, and irrespective of whether a debtor-creditor relationship is created, to a person not otherwise having any right, title or interest therein in connection with the sale, transfer, encumbrance or lease of real or personal property, to be delivered or redelivered by that person upon the contingent happening or nonhappening of a specified event or performance or nonperformance of a prescribed act, when it is then to be delivered by such person to a grantee, grantor, promisee, promisor, obligee, obligor, bailee or bailor, or any designated agent or employee of any of them. See Arizona Laws 6-801
- Escrow agent: means any person engaged in the business of accepting escrows. See Arizona Laws 6-801
- including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
B. Any escrow agent shall produce for inspection required by law any escrow records of any escrow of which he or she is the escrow agent to the deputy director or to any state or federal administrative agency lawfully requiring such disclosure. The deputy director or any state or federal administrative agency shall be prohibited from using or releasing said information except in the proper performance of the deputy director’s or agency’s duties.
C. Any person who knowingly fails to produce records pursuant to this section or who obtains information under subsection A or B of this section and is prohibited from releasing such information but does release such information is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.