(1) Individual
applicants and control persons shall evidence honesty, integrity, and
truthfulness.
(a) An applicant may not have:
(i) been convicted of, pled guilty to, pled
no contest to, or pled guilty in a similar manner to:
(A) a felony involving an act of fraud,
dishonesty, a breach of trust, or money laundering;
(B) any felony in the seven years preceding
the day on which an application is submitted to the division; or
(C) in the three years preceding the day on
which an application is submitted to the division, any misdemeanor involving a
finding of:
(I) fraud;
(II) misrepresentation;
(III) theft; or
(IV) dishonesty;
(ii) had a license as a mortgage
loan originator revoked by a government regulatory body at any time, unless the
revocation is subsequently vacated or converted;
(iii) had a professional license or
registration, whether issued by a Utah regulatory body or by another
jurisdiction, suspended, surrendered, canceled, or denied in the five years
preceding the date the individual applies for licensure if the suspension,
surrender, cancellation, or denial is based on misconduct in a professional
capacity that relates to:
(A)
honesty;
(B) integrity;
(C) truthfulness; or
(D) the competency to transact the business
of residential mortgage loans;
(iv) in the five years preceding the day on
which an application is submitted to the division, been the subject of a bar by
the:
(A) Securities and Exchange
Commission;
(B) New York Stock
Exchange; or
(C) Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority;
(v) had a permanent injunction entered
against the individual:
(A) by a court or
administrative agency; and
(B) on
the basis of:
(I) conduct or a practice
involving the business of residential mortgage loans; or
(II) conduct involving fraud,
misrepresentation, or deceit.
(b) An applicant may be denied a license or
issued a restricted license for incidents in the applicant's past other than
those specified in Subsection (1)(a) that reflect negatively on the applicant's
honesty, integrity, and truthfulness. In evaluating an applicant for these
qualities, the division and commission may consider any evidence, including the
following:
(i) other criminal convictions or
plea agreements;
(ii) the
circumstances that led to any criminal conviction or plea agreement under
consideration;
(iii) past acts
related to honesty, integrity, or truthfulness, with particular consideration
given to any acts involving the business of residential mortgage
loans;
(iv) dishonest conduct that
would be grounds under Utah law for sanctioning an existing licensee;
(v) civil judgments in lawsuits brought on
grounds of fraud, misrepresentation, or deceit;
(vi) court findings of fraudulent or
deceitful activity;
(vii) evidence
of non-compliance with court orders or conditions of sentencing;
(viii) evidence of non-compliance with:
(A) terms of a diversion agreement still
subject to prosecution;
(B) a
probation agreement; or
(C) a plea
in abeyance; or
(ix)
failure to pay taxes or child support obligations.
(2) Individual
applicants and control persons shall evidence competency to transact the
business of residential mortgage loans. In evaluating an applicant for
competency, the division and commission may consider any evidence that reflects
negatively on an applicant's competency, including:
(a) civil judgments, with particular
consideration given to any judgments involving the business of residential
mortgage loans;
(b) failure to
satisfy a civil judgment that has not been discharged in bankruptcy;
(c) failure of any previous mortgage loan
business in which the individual was engaged, as well as the circumstances
surrounding that failure;
(d)
evidence as to the applicant's business management and employment practices,
including the payment of employees, independent contractors, and third
parties;
(e) the extent and quality
of the applicant's training and education in mortgage lending;
(f) the extent and quality of the applicant's
training and education in business management;
(g) the extent of the applicant's knowledge
of the Utah Residential Mortgage Practices Act;
(h) evidence of disregard for licensing laws;
(i) evidence of drug or alcohol
dependency;
(j) sanctions placed on
professional licenses; and
(k)
investigations conducted by regulatory agencies relative to professional
licenses.
(3) Individual
applicants shall evidence financial responsibility. To evaluate an applicant
for financial responsibility, the division shall:
(a) access the credit information available
through the NMLS; and
(b) give
particular consideration to:
(i) outstanding
civil judgments;
(ii) outstanding
tax liens;
(iii)
foreclosures;
(iv) multiple social
security numbers attached to the individual's name;
(v) child support arrearages; and
(vi) bankruptcies.
(4) An applicant shall be at least
18 years of age.
(5) Minimum
education. An applicant shall have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent
education as approved by the commission.