(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.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 160, Sec. 73. (SB 36) Effective October 11, 2009.)