(a) Every person subject to this division shall keep documents and records that will properly enable the commissioner to determine whether the residential mortgage lending or residential mortgage loan servicing functions performed by that person comply with the provisions of this division and with all rules and orders made by the commissioner under this division. Upon request of the commissioner, residential mortgage lenders and residential mortgage loan servicers shall file an authorization for disclosure to the commissioner of financial records of the licensed business pursuant to Section 7473 of the Government Code.

(b) The business documents and records of every residential mortgage lender or residential mortgage loan servicer, whether required to be licensed under this division or not, are subject to inspection and examination by the commissioner at any time without prior notice. The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to persons specified in subdivision (g) of Section 50003.

Any person subject to this division shall, upon request and within the time specified in the request, allow inspection and copying of any documents and records by the commissioner or his or her authorized representative.

(c) The cost of every inspection and examination of a licensee or other person subject to this division shall be paid to the commissioner by the licensee or person examined, and the commissioner may maintain an action for the recovery of these costs in any court of competent jurisdiction. In determining the cost of any inspection or examination, the commissioner may use the estimated average hourly cost, including overhead, for all persons performing inspections or examinations of licensees or other persons subject to this division for the fiscal year.

For the purpose of this subdivision only, no person other than a licensee shall be deemed to be a person subject to this division unless and until the person is determined to be a person subject to this division by an administrative hearing in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, or by a judicial hearing in any court of competent jurisdiction.

(d) Investigation and examination reports prepared by the commissioner’s duly designated representatives are not public reports. Those reports may be disclosed to the officers or directors of a licensee that is the subject of the report for the purpose of corrective action by the officers or directors. Such a disclosure shall not operate as a waiver of the exemption specified in subdivision (d) of Section 6254 of the Government Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 968, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2001.)