18.44.301 - Prohibited practices.

Prohibited practices.

It is a violation of this chapter for any escrow agent, controlling person, officer, designated escrow officer, independent contractor, employee of an escrow business, or other person subject to this chapter to:

     (1) Directly or indirectly employ any scheme, device, or artifice to defraud or mislead borrowers or lenders or to defraud any person;

     (2) Directly or indirectly engage in any unfair or deceptive practice toward any person;

     (3) Directly or indirectly obtain property by fraud or misrepresentation;

     (4) Knowingly make, publish, or disseminate any false, deceptive, or misleading information in the conduct of the business of escrow, or relative to the business of escrow or relative to any person engaged therein;

     (5) Knowingly receive or take possession for personal use of any property of any escrow business, other than in payment authorized by this chapter, and with intent to defraud, omit to make, or cause or direct to be made, a full and true entry thereof in the books and accounts of the business;

     (6) Make or concur in making any false entry, or omit or concur in omitting to make any material entry, in its books or accounts;

     (7) Knowingly make or publish, or concur in making or publishing any written report, exhibit, or statement of its affairs or pecuniary condition containing any material statement which is false, or omit or concur in omitting any statement required by law to be contained therein;

     (8) Willfully fail to make any proper entry in the books of the escrow business as required by law;

     (9) Fail to disclose in a timely manner to the other officers, directors, controlling persons, designated escrow officer, or other licensed escrow officers the receipt of service of a notice of an application for an injunction or other legal process affecting the property or business of an escrow agent, including in the case of a licensed escrow agent an order to cease and desist or other order of the director;

     (10) Fail to make any report or statement lawfully required by the director or other public official;

     (11) Fail to comply with any requirement of any applicable federal or state act including the truth-in-lending act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 1601 et seq. and Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. Sec. 226; the real estate settlement procedures act, 12 U.S.C. Sec. 2601 et seq. and Regulation X, 24 C.F.R. Sec. 3500; the equal credit opportunity act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 1691 et seq. and Regulation B, Sec. 202.9, 202.11, and 202.12; Title V, Subtitle A of the financial modernization act of 1999 (known as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley act), 12 U.S.C. Secs. 6801-6809; the federal trade commission's privacy rules, 16 C.F.R. Secs. 313-314, mandated by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley act; as these acts existed on January 1, 2007, or such subsequent date as may be provided by the department by rule, or any other applicable escrow activities covered by the acts; or

     (12) Collecting [Collect] a fee for tracking unclaimed funds unless it is a bona fide out-of-pocket expense or converting [convert] unclaimed funds for personal use.

[2010 c 34 § 8; 1999 c 30 § 9.]