50317
. (a) Any person who has been convicted of, or pleaded nolo
contendere to any crime specified in subdivision (b) within the past
10 years or has been held liable in any civil action by final
judgment or any administrative judgment by any public agency within
the past seven years, of any of the provisions specified in
subdivision (b), shall not serve as an officer, director, partner,
shareholder controlling 10 percent or more of the ownership
interests, trustee, or employee of a residential mortgage lender or
residential mortgage loan servicer. This subdivision shall not apply
to any person whose office, employment, ownership interest, or other
participation in the business of a licensed residential mortgage
lender or residential mortgage loan servicer commenced prior to
January 1, 1995, or whose criminal conviction, plea, or judgment
occurred prior to January 1, 1995.
(b) Subdivision (a) applies to criminal convictions of, pleas of
nolo contendere to, or civil or administrative judgments entered for
offenses including the following:
(1) Offenses specified in Chapter 18 (commencing with Section
3350) of Division 1.
(2) Offenses specified in Article 4 (commencing with Section 5300)
of Chapter 1 of Division 2.
(3) Offenses specified in Article 8 (commencing with Section
14750) of Chapter 4 of Division 5.
(4) Offenses specified in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section
17700) of Division 6.
(5) Offenses specified in Chapter 6 (commencing with Section
18435) of Division 7.
(6) Offenses specified in provisions of the laws of the United
States added or amended by the federal Financial Institutions Reform,
Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-73).
(7) Offenses involving robbery, burglary, theft, embezzlement,
fraud, fraudulent conversion or misappropriation of property,
forgery, bookmaking, receiving stolen property, counterfeiting,
extortion, checks, credit cards, or computer violations specified in
Section 502 of the Penal Code. For the purpose of this section, but
not Section 50318, an offense does not include a conviction for which
the person has obtained a certificate of rehabilitation from a court
of competent jurisdiction under Section 1203.4 or 4852.13 of the
Penal Code or a similar certificate of rehabilitation obtained in a
foreign jurisdiction.
(c) On and after January 1, 1995, any officer, director, or other
person who seeks a controlling ownership interest of 10 percent or
more in the business of a licensed residential mortgage lender or
residential mortgage loan servicer shall, as a condition to obtaining
that interest or participation, authorize the commissioner to have
access to that person's state summary criminal history information,
as defined in Section 11105 of the Penal Code, for purposes of
determining whether the person has a prior conviction of, or pleaded
nolo contendere to, a criminal offense specified in subdivision (b).
(d) Any state summary criminal history information obtained
pursuant to this section shall be kept confidential and no recipient
shall disclose the contents other than for the purpose of acquisition
of an ownership interest in or other participation in the business
of a licensed residential mortgage lender or residential mortgage
loan servicer.
(e) Any person who knowingly violates subdivision (a), including,
but not limited to, any residential mortgage lender or residential
mortgage loan servicer who permits an ownership interest in or other
participation in the business of a residential mortgage lender or
residential mortgage loan servicer in violation of subdivision (a)
shall, upon conviction, be subject to punishment as set forth in
Section 50500.
(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the
reinstatement of any person barred by the commissioner pursuant to
Section 50320 nor to prohibit the commissioner from bringing any
action pursuant to Section 50320.
(g) If any provision of this section or the application of this
section to any person or circumstances is held invalid, that
invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this
section that can be given effect without the invalid provision or
application, and to this end the provisions of this section are
severable.
(h) For purposes of this section, the term "employee" means (1) a
mortgage loan originator, including a loan officer or other
individual who negotiates agreements with the public, or (2) an
individual with access to or responsibility for trust funds held by
the licensee.