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A.(1)  Each person required to be licensed under this Chapter shall maintain in its offices such books, records, and accounts of its residential mortgage lending activities as the commissioner may reasonably require in order to determine whether such person is complying with the provisions of this Chapter and the rules and regulations promulgated under the provisions of this Chapter.  Required records may be maintained in any electronic format consistent with the person’s ordinary business practices unless the person receives specific written instructions from the commissioner to the contrary.  Such books, records, and accounts shall be maintained separate and apart from any other business in which the person is involved and shall be kept at the location in the state at which the residential mortgage lending activity occurred or at the person’s principal office unless otherwise permitted in writing by the commissioner.  Records must be made available for review or examination at a nonresidential location approved by the commissioner.

(2)  The commissioner either in person or through an employee appointed by him shall examine the books, records, and accounts of all licensed residential mortgage lenders at least once every three years on an examination schedule which focuses on appropriate risk management and concentrations of consumer complaints and is consonant with the resources of the office and in accordance with good examination practices.  The commissioner shall include the dates of each licensed residential mortgage lender‘s last two examinations beginning with examinations conducted after January 1, 2008, which information shall be updated quarterly, with the licensee’s identifying information on the list of active residential mortgage lenders maintained by the office of financial institutions and accessible by the general public.  The commissioner may also examine any formerly licensed person who is engaged in the collection or enforcement of mortgage loans or brokerage agreements.  Nothing in this Subsection shall limit the authority of the commissioner to examine any licensed or formerly licensed person as frequently as he deems necessary to protect the public interest.

(3)  If the books and records of any person described in this Subsection are located outside of the state, he shall make them available to the commissioner at a location within this state convenient to the commissioner or pay the reasonable and necessary expenses for the commissioner or his representative to examine them at the place where they are maintained.  The commissioner may designate representatives, including comparable officials of the state in which the records are located, to inspect the records on his behalf.

(4)  The commissioner shall assess an examination fee in an amount not to exceed four hundred dollars per location examined.  If the examination fee is not paid within thirty days of its assessment, the person examined shall be subject to an administrative penalty of not more than fifty dollars for each day it is delinquent.

B.  If the commissioner receives a written complaint pertaining to the residential mortgage activities of a person exempt from the provisions of this Part or this Chapter, or exempt from licensure pursuant to the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 6:1087, the commissioner may refer the complaint to the exempted person for comment or response or to the appropriate federal or state regulatory, licensing, supervisory, or auditing agency or body.

C.  In addition to any authority allowed under this Title, the commissioner shall have the authority to conduct investigations and examinations as follows:

(1)  For purposes of initial licensing, license renewal, license suspension, license conditioning, license revocation or termination, or general or specific inquiry or investigation to determine compliance with this Chapter, the commissioner shall have the authority to access, receive, and use any books, accounts, records, files, documents, information, or evidence, including but not limited to:

(a)  Criminal, civil, and administrative history information.

(b)  Personal history and experience information including independent credit reports obtained from a consumer reporting agency described in the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.

(c)  Any other documents, information, or evidence the commissioner deems relevant to the inquiry or investigation regardless of the location, possession, control, or custody of such documents, information, or evidence.

(2)  For the purposes of investigating violations or complaints arising under this Chapter, or for the purposes of examination, the commissioner may review, investigate, or examine any licensee, individual, or person subject to this Chapter, as often as necessary in order to carry out the purposes of this Chapter.  The commissioner may direct, subpoena, or order the attendance of and examine under oath all persons whose testimony may be required about the loans or the business or subject matter of any such examination or investigation, and may direct, subpoena, or order such person to produce books, accounts, records, files, and any other documents the commissioner deems relevant to the inquiry.

(3)  Each person subject to this Chapter shall make available to the commissioner upon request the books and records relating to the operations of such licensee, individual, or person subject to this Chapter.  The commissioner shall have access to such books and records and interview the officers, principals, mortgage loan originators, employees, independent contractors, agents, and customers of the licensee, individual, or person subject to this Chapter concerning their business.

(4)  Each person subject to this Chapter shall make or compile reports or prepare other information as directed by the commissioner in order to carry out the purposes of this Section, including but not limited to information lists and data concerning loan transactions in a format prescribed by the commissioner.

(5)  In making any examination or investigation authorized by this Chapter, the commissioner may control access to any documents and records of the person under examination or investigation.  The commissioner may take possession of the documents and records or place a person in exclusive charge of the documents and records in the place where they are usually kept.  During the period of control, no person shall remove or attempt to remove any of the documents and records except pursuant to a court order or with the consent of the commissioner.  Unless the commissioner has reasonable grounds to believe the documents or records of the person have been, or are at risk of being altered or destroyed for purposes of concealing a violation of this Chapter, the person who is the owner of the documents and records shall have access to the documents or records as necessary to conduct its ordinary business affairs.

(6)  In order to carry out the purposes of this Section, the commissioner may:

(a)  Retain attorneys, accountants, or other professionals and specialists as examiners, auditors, or investigators to conduct or assist in the conduct of examinations or investigations.

(b)  Enter into agreements or relationships with other government officials or regulatory associations by sharing resources, standardized or uniform methods or procedures, and documents, records, information, or evidence obtained under this Section.

(c)  Use, hire, contract, or employ public or privately available analytical systems, methods, or software to examine or investigate each person subject to this Chapter.

(d)  Accept and rely on examination or investigation reports made by other government officials, within or outside this state.

(7)  The authority of this Section shall remain in effect, whether such person subject to this Chapter acts or claims to act under any licensing or registration law of  this state, or claims to act without such authority.

(8)  No licensee, individual, or person subject to investigation or examination under this Section shall knowingly withhold, abstract, remove, mutilate, destroy, or secrete any books, records, computer records, or other information.

D.  Each licensee shall submit to the NMLS&R reports of condition which shall be in such form and contain such information as the NMLS&R may require.

Acts 1999, No. 1098, §1, eff. July 9, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 617, §1, eff. June 22, 2001; Acts 2003, No. 875, §1; Acts 2008, No. 531, §1, eff. June 30, 2008; Acts 2009, No. 522, §1, eff. July 31, 2009.