2023 New York Laws › RPA - Real Property Actions and Proceedings › Article 13 - Action to Foreclose a Mortgage › 1310 - Vacant and Abandoned Property; Statewide Vacant and Abandoned Property Electronic Registry.

§  1310. Vacant and abandoned property; statewide vacant and abandoned
  property electronic registry. 1. The department  of  financial  services
  shall maintain a statewide vacant and abandoned property registry in the
  form  of  an  electronic  database. The department of financial services
  may, in accordance with the applicable provisions of the  state  finance
  law,  retain  a  private  contractor to administer such database for the
  purposes of satisfying this requirement. The information provided to the
  department of financial services  pursuant  to  this  section  shall  be
  deemed and treated confidential, provided however, the superintendent of
  financial  services,  in  her  or  his  sole discretion, may release the
  information if it is in the  best  interest  of  the  public.  Any  such
  released  information shall continue to be treated confidentially by the
  parties. The  department  of  financial  services  shall,  upon  written
  request,  provide  public officials of any state district, county, city,
  town or village with access  to  information  specific  to  such  public
  official's  district,  county,  city, town or village maintained on such
  database to further the  purposes  of  this  section,  section  thirteen
  hundred  seven of this article or article nineteen-A of this chapter, or
  any other related law, code, rule, regulation or ordinance.
2. A lender, assignee or mortgage loan servicer shall submit or  cause
  to  be  submitted  to  the  department of financial services information
  required by the superintendent of financial services  about  any  vacant
  and  abandoned  residential  real  property,  as that term is defined in
  subdivision two of section thirteen hundred nine of this article, or  as
  the superintendent of financial services may otherwise define that term,
  within twenty-one business days of when the lender, assignee or mortgage
  loan  servicer  learns,  or  should  have learned, that such property is
  vacant and abandoned. Such information shall, at a minimum, include: (a)
  the current name,  address  and  contact  information  for  the  lender,
  assignee  or  mortgage  loan  servicer  responsible  for maintaining the
  vacant property; (b) whether a foreclosure action has been filed for the
  property in question, and, if so, the  date  on  which  the  foreclosure
  action  was  commenced;  and  (c)  the  last  known  address and contact
  information for the mortgagor(s) of record.
3. Where any of the information contained in a lender's, assignee's or
  mortgage  loan  servicer's  initial  submission  to  the  registry   has
  materially  changed  since  such  submission,  such  lender, assignee or
  mortgage loan servicer shall make an amended submission to the  registry
  not  later  than thirty days after the lender, assignee or mortgage loan
  servicer learns, or reasonably  should  have  learned,  of  the  new  or
  changed information.
4. The department of financial services is authorized and empowered to
  adopt  such  rules  and  regulations  as  may  in  the  judgment  of the
  superintendent  of  financial  services  necessary  for  the   effective
  administration and operation of such registry, including but not limited
  to rules and regulations governing access to the registry and specifying
  the  manner  and frequency of registration and the information that must
  be provided. The superintendent of financial  services  may  amend  such
  regulations  from time to time as necessary to effectuate the purpose of
  this section and section thirteen hundred seven of this article.
5. The department of financial services shall establish and maintain a
  toll-free hotline that neighbors of real property that is, or appears to
  be, vacant and abandoned residential real  property,  as  such  term  is
  defined  in  subdivision  two  of  section thirteen hundred nine of this
  article, and  other  community  residents  can  use  to  report  to  the
  superintendent  of  financial  services  any  hazards,  blight  or other
  concerns related to such property. The department of financial  services

  shall  include  on  its  official  public website information about such
  toll-free hotline.
No local law, ordinance, or resolution shall impose a duty to register
  vacant  and  abandoned  property  as defined in section thirteen hundred
  nine of the article in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of this
  section that are related  to  registration  as  provided  under  section
  thirteen  hundred  ten of this article or establish related penalties or
  other  monetary  obligation,  with  respect  to  a  state  or  federally
  chartered  bank,  savings  bank,  savings and loan association or credit
  union that originates, owns, services or maintains a mortgage related to
  such property.
No local law, ordinance, or resolution shall impose a duty to maintain
  vacant and abandoned property upon  any  state  or  federally  chartered
  bank,  savings  bank,  savings and loan association or credit union that
  originates, owns, services or  maintains  a  mortgage  related  to  such
  property  for  which  the  provisions  of  this section, pursuant to the
  opening paragraph of section thirteen hundred eight of this article,  do
  not apply.