West Virginia Code 31-17-12 – Grounds for suspension or revocation of license; suspension and revocation generally; reinstatement or new license; penalties and fines for violation of this article
(a) The commissioner may suspend or revoke any broker or lender license issued hereunder if he or she finds that the licensee or any owner, director, officer, member, partner, stockholder, employee or agent of the licensee:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 31-17-12
- Broker: means any person acting in the regular course of business who, for a fee or commission or other consideration, negotiates or arranges, or who offers to negotiate or arrange, or originates or assigns a primary or subordinate mortgage loan between a lender and a borrower. See West Virginia Code 31-17-1
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of this state. See West Virginia Code 31-17-1
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- Lender: means any person who makes or offers to make or accepts or offers to accept or purchases or services any primary or subordinate mortgage loan in the regular course of business. See West Virginia Code 31-17-1
- Licensee: means any person duly licensed by the commissioner under the provisions of this article or article seventeen-a of this chapter as a lender, broker or mortgage loan originator. See West Virginia Code 31-17-1
- Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
- Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. Source: OCC
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Person: means an individual, partnership, association, trust, corporation or any other legal entity, or any combination thereof. See West Virginia Code 31-17-1
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(1) Has knowingly violated any provision of this article or any order, decision or rule of the commissioner lawfully made pursuant to the authority of this article;
(2) Has knowingly made any material misstatement in the application for the license;
(3) Does not have available the net worth required by the provisions of section four of this article, if applicable;
(4) Has failed or refused to keep the bond required by this article in full force and effect, if applicable;
(5) In the case of a foreign corporation, does not remain qualified to do business in this state;
(6) Has committed any fraud or engaged in any dishonest activities with respect to any mortgage loan business in this state or failed to disclose any of the material particulars of any mortgage loan transaction in this state to anyone entitled to the information; or
(7) Has otherwise demonstrated bad faith, dishonesty or any other quality indicating that the business of the licensee in this state has not been or will not be conducted honestly or fairly within the purpose of this article. It shall be a demonstration of bad faith and an unfair or deceptive act or practice to engage in a pattern of making loans where the consumer has insufficient sources of income to timely repay the debt and the lender had the primary intent to acquire the property upon default rather than to derive profit from the loan. This section may not limit any right the consumer may have to bring an action for a violation of section one hundred four, article six, chapter forty-six-a of this code in an individual case.
The commissioner may also suspend or revoke the license of a licensee if he or she finds the existence of any ground upon which the license could have been refused or any ground which would be cause for refusing a license to the licensee were he or she then applying for the same. The commissioner may also suspend or revoke the license of a licensee pursuant to his or her authority under section thirteen, article two, chapter thirty-one-a of this code.
(b) The suspension or revocation of the license of any licensee does not impair or affect the obligation of any preexisting lawful mortgage loan between the licensee and any obligor.
(c) The commissioner may reinstate a suspended license, or issue a new license to a licensee whose license has been revoked, if the grounds upon which any license was suspended or revoked have been eliminated or corrected and the commissioner is satisfied that the grounds are not likely to recur.
(d) In addition to the authority conferred under this section, the commissioner may impose a fine or penalty not exceeding$2,000 upon any lender or broker required to be licensed under this article who the commissioner determines has violated any of the provisions of this article. For the purposes of this section, each separate violation is subject to the fine or penalty provided in this section. Each day excluding Sundays and holidays, that an unlicensed person engages in the business or holds himself or herself out to the general public as a mortgage lender or broker is a separate violation.