2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 32. Financial Institutions › Chapter 9. Residential Mortgage Brokers, Lenders, Servicers, and Loan Originators › Part 1. Montana Mortgage Act › 32-9-124. Prohibitions -- required disclosure

32-9-124. Prohibitions -- required disclosure.
(1) A mortgage broker, mortgage lender, mortgage servicer, or mortgage loan originator may not do any of the following:
(a) retain original documents owned by the borrower and submitted in connection with the loan application;
(b) directly or indirectly employ any scheme to defraud or mislead a borrower, a mortgage broker, a mortgage lender, a mortgage servicer, or any other person;
(c) make any misrepresentation or deceptive statement in connection with a residential mortgage loan, including but not limited to interest rates, points, costs at closing, or other financing terms or conditions;
(d) fail to pay a bona fide third party within 30 days after recording of the loan closing documents or within 90 days after completion of the bona fide third-party service, whichever is earlier, unless otherwise agreed by the parties;
(e) accept any fees or compensation in excess of those allowed by state or federal law;
(f) sign a borrower's application or related documents on behalf of or in lieu of another mortgage broker, mortgage lender, or mortgage loan originator;
(g) assist or aid and abet any person in the conduct of business under this part without a valid license as required under this part;
(h) conduct any business covered by the provisions of the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act, Title V of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, Public Law 110-289, without holding a valid license as required under this part;
(i) fail to comply with this part or rules promulgated under this part or fail to comply with any other state or federal laws, including the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to those laws, applicable to any business authorized by or conducted under this part;
(j) fail to account for or deliver to any person any funds, documents, or other thing of value obtained in connection with a mortgage loan that the mortgage broker, mortgage lender, mortgage servicer, or mortgage loan originator is not entitled to retain under the circumstances;
(k) refuse to permit an investigation or examination of the mortgage broker's, mortgage lender's, mortgage servicer's, or mortgage loan originator's books and records or refuse to comply with a department subpoena or subpoena duces tecum;
(l) knowingly withhold, abstract, remove, mutilate, destroy, alter, or keep secret any books, records, computer records, or other information from the department; or
(m) negligently make any false statement or knowingly and willfully make any omission of material fact in connection with any information or reports filed with a government agency or the NMLS or in connection with any investigation conducted by the department or another governmental agency.
(2) Within 3 business days of taking an application, the mortgage loan originator working for a mortgage broker, in addition to other disclosures required by this part and other state and federal laws, shall provide to the borrower a written disclosure as prescribed by the department by rule.
(3) A mortgage broker or mortgage lender may not accept any fees or compensation that were not disclosed as required by state or federal law.
(4) A mortgage broker or mortgage lender may not charge or receive, directly or indirectly, fees for assisting a borrower in obtaining a mortgage until all of the services that the mortgage broker or mortgage lender has agreed to perform for the borrower are completed.
(5) A mortgage broker or mortgage lender may not charge or receive an amount in excess of the amount allowed by federal law. (See part compiler's comment regarding contingent suspension.)
History: En. Sec. 16, Ch. 516, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 498, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 25, Ch. 321, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 23, Ch. 317, L. 2011; amd. Sec. 20, Ch. 125, L. 2013.