(A) A mortgage broker licensed pursuant to this chapter must maintain at his usual place of business books, records, and documents pertaining to the business conducted, to enable the administrator to determine compliance with this chapter, and shall include a mortgage loan log that contains these specific data elements: (i) credit score of the borrower, (ii) adjustable or fixed type of loan, (iii) term of the loan, (iv) annual percentage rate of the loan, and (v) appraised value of the collateral. Each licensee shall submit its mortgage loan log data and the data identified in 12 C.F.R. part 1003, et seq., in a form determined by the administrator by March thirty-first of each year. The licensee shall pay a fine of one hundred dollars a day for late or incomplete data submissions. Data collected by the administrator pursuant to this section is confidential and may be released only in composite form. The administrator shall prepare and make available to the public a report based on the above data. The report must be available by June thirtieth of each year. The mortgage loan log must be completed with information known at the time of review by the administrator and must include loans in process, closed loans, turndowns, denials, and withdrawals. A mortgage broker with two or more licensed offices may consolidate the records at any one of the licensed offices so long as the administrator is notified of the location of the records. The records must be available for examination to the administrator or his designee upon request. Books and records must be maintained for at least three years. A licensee’s records may be maintained electronically, if approved by the administrator, so long as they are readily accessible for examination by the administrator.

(B) A licensed mortgage broker with an official place of business also may maintain one or more branch offices if the:

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 40-58-65

  • Administrator: means the Administrator of the Department of Consumer Affairs (department) or the administrator's designees. See South Carolina Code 40-58-20
  • Annual percentage rate: The cost of credit at a yearly rate. It is calculated in a standard way, taking the average compound interest rate over the term of the loan so borrowers can compare loans. Lenders are required by law to disclose a card account's APR. Source: FDIC
  • Borrower: means a natural person in whose dwelling a security interest is or is intended to be retained or acquired if that person's ownership interest in the dwelling is or is to be subject to the security interest. See South Carolina Code 40-58-20
  • Branch manager: means the natural person who is in charge of and who is responsible for the business operations of a branch office of a licensee. See South Carolina Code 40-58-20
  • Branch office: means an office of the licensee that is separate and distinct from the licensee's principal office. See South Carolina Code 40-58-20
  • Credit Score: A number, roughly between 300 and 800, that measures an individual's credit worthiness. The most well-known type of credit score is the FICO score. This score represents the answer from a mathematical formula that assigns numerical values to various pieces of information in your credit report. Source: OCC
  • Licensee: means a person who is licensed pursuant to this chapter. See South Carolina Code 40-58-20
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Mortgage broker: means a person who acts as a mortgage broker, as that term is defined in item (1). See South Carolina Code 40-58-20
  • Mortgage loan: means a loan made to a natural person primarily for personal, family, or household use, primarily secured by a mortgage, deed of trust, or other security interest on residential real property or security interest arising under an installment sales contract or equivalent security interest against the borrower's dwelling and: (i) located in South Carolina, (ii) negotiated, offered, or otherwise transacted within this State, in whole or in part, or (iii) made or extended within this State. See South Carolina Code 40-58-20
  • Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. Source: OCC

(1) mortgage broker notifies the administrator in writing seven days before the opening of a branch office of the location of the branch office, the branch manager for each branch location, the location of all records pertaining to business transacted from the branch office, and the branch location’s business hours;

(2) mortgage broker notifies the administrator in writing within seven business days of closing a branch office; and

(3) mortgage broker licensee is responsible and accountable for the activities of all licensed locations, branch managers, and loan originators. Compliance reviews must include examination of all facts and circumstances of branch operations to ensure this responsibility and accountability.

(C) The administrator may examine the books and records of a mortgage broker and other documents and records to determine whether there has been substantial compliance with this chapter. Unless there is reason to believe a violation of this chapter has occurred, examinations must be limited to one each year. Records and information obtained by the administrator during an examination are confidential and the administrator must certify that it is in compliance with the Right to Financial Privacy Act (RFPA).

(D) The administrator may cooperate and share information with an agency of this State, other states, or the federal government. The administrator may accept or participate in examinations conducted by one of these agencies.

(E) If the mortgage broker fails to notify the administrator of the existence or closing of a branch office, the actual operating hours of the main or branch offices where records are kept, or the whereabouts of its records, the broker is subject to penalties as set forth in § 40-58-80.

(F) A mortgage broker licensee who ceases doing business in this State must notify the administrator at least seven days in advance. The notification must include a withdrawal plan that includes a timetable for disposition of the business, the location of the books, records, and accounts until the end of the retention period, and certification of the proper disposal of those records.

(G) A mortgage broker licensee may develop, maintain, and test disaster recovery plans for all records that are maintained.

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