2023 Revised Code of Washington › Title 31 - Miscellaneous Loan Agencies › Chapter 31.04 - Consumer Loan Act. › 31.04.045 - License—Application—Background checks—Fee—Surety bond.

RCW 31.04.045
License—Application—Background checks—Fee—Surety bond.
(1) Application for a license under this chapter must be made to the nationwide mortgage licensing system and registry or in the form prescribed by the director. The application must contain at least the following information:
(a) The name and the business addresses of the applicant;
(b) If the applicant is a partnership, limited liability company, or association, the name of every member;
(c) If the applicant is a corporation, the name, residence address, and telephone number of each officer and director;
(d) The street address, county, and municipality from which business is to be conducted; and
(e) Such other information as the director may require by rule.
(2) As part of or in connection with an application for any license under this section, or periodically upon license renewal, each officer, director, and owner applicant must furnish information concerning his or her identity, including fingerprints for submission to the Washington state patrol, the federal bureau of investigation, or any governmental agency or entity authorized to receive this information for a state and national criminal history background check; personal history; experience; business record; purposes; and other pertinent facts, as the director may reasonably require. As part of or in connection with an application for a license under this chapter, or periodically upon license renewal, the director is authorized to receive criminal history record information that includes nonconviction data as defined in RCW 10.97.030. The department may only disseminate nonconviction data obtained under this section to criminal justice agencies. This section does not apply to financial institutions regulated under chapters 31.12 and 31.13 RCW and Titles 30A, 32, and 33 RCW.
(3) At the time of filing an application for a license under this chapter, each applicant shall pay to the director or through the nationwide mortgage licensing system and registry an investigation fee and the license fee in an amount determined by rule of the director to be sufficient to cover the director's costs in administering this chapter.
(4) Each applicant must file and maintain a surety bond, approved by the director, executed by the applicant as obligor and by a surety company authorized to do a surety business in this state as surety, whose liability as such surety must not exceed in the aggregate the penal sum of the bond. The penal sum of the bond must be a minimum of thirty thousand dollars and based on the annual dollar amount of loans originated or residential mortgage loans serviced. The bond must run to the state of Washington as obligee for the use and benefit of the state and of any person or persons who may have a cause of action against the obligor under this chapter. The bond must be conditioned that the obligor as licensee will faithfully conform to and abide by this chapter and all the rules adopted under this chapter. The bond will pay to the state and any person or persons having a cause of action against the obligor all moneys that may become due and owing to the state and those persons under and by virtue of this chapter. The bond must be continuous and may be canceled by the surety upon the surety giving written notice to the director of its intent to cancel the bond. The cancellation is effective forty-five days after the notice is received by the director. In lieu of a surety bond, if the applicant is a Washington business corporation, the applicant may maintain unimpaired capital, surplus, and long-term subordinated debt in an amount that at any time its outstanding promissory notes or other evidences of debt (other than long-term subordinated debt) in an aggregate sum do not exceed three times the aggregate amount of its unimpaired capital, surplus, and long-term subordinated debt. The director may define qualifying "long-term subordinated debt" for purposes of this section.
(5) The director may waive one or more requirements of this section or permit an applicant to submit other information in lieu of the required information.
[ 2015 c 229 § 22; 2014 c 36 § 5; 2010 c 35 § 3; 2009 c 120 § 5; 2001 c 81 § 4; 1994 c 92 § 162; 1991 c 208 § 5.]
NOTES:
Effective date—2009 c 120 § 5: "In order to facilitate an orderly transition to licensing and minimize disruption in the mortgage marketplace, section 5 of this act takes effect January 1, 2010." [ 2009 c 120 § 32.]
Findings—Declaration—2009 c 120: See note following RCW 31.04.015.