(a) Any mortgage servicer who receives funds from a mortgagor to be held in escrow for payment of taxes and insurance premiums shall:

(1) Keep records that (A) reflect the mortgage servicer's handling of each mortgagor's escrow account, which may involve electronic storage, microfiche storage or any method of computerized storage of information, provided the information is readily retrievable, and (B) shall include, but need not be limited to, the payment of amounts into and from the escrow account and the submission of initial and annual escrow account statements to the mortgagor in accordance with subsections (g) and (i) of 12 CFR 1024.17. Such records shall be maintained for each such account for a period of at least five years after the mortgage servicer last serviced the escrow account.

(2) Pay the taxes and insurance premiums of the mortgagor to the appropriate taxing authority and insurance company in the amount required and at the time such taxes and insurance premiums are due, provided (A) the mortgage servicer has been provided with the tax or insurance bills at least fifteen days prior to the date such taxes and insurance premiums are due, and (B) the mortgagor has paid to the mortgage servicer the amounts required to be paid into the escrow account, as determined by the mortgage servicer, for all amounts scheduled to be paid to the mortgage servicer prior to the date such taxes and insurance premiums are due.

(b) Each mortgage servicer shall, through its own effort and expense, determine and notify the mortgagor of the amounts necessary to be paid into the escrow account to assure that sufficient funds will be available for the payment of such taxes and insurance premiums as of the date such payment is due.

(c) If the amount held in the escrow account as of the date such taxes and insurance premiums are due is insufficient to pay the taxes and insurance premiums despite compliance by the mortgagor with subparagraph (B) of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, the mortgage servicer shall pay such taxes and insurance premiums from its own funds. The mortgage servicer shall then give the mortgagor the option of paying the shortage over a period of not less than one year. The mortgage servicer shall not charge or collect interest on such shortage during the one-year period.

(d) Whenever a mortgage servicer licensee receives funds from a mortgagor to be held in escrow for the payment of taxes and insurance, the mortgage servicer licensee shall deposit or invest such funds in one or more segregated deposit or trust accounts maintained at a federally insured bank, Connecticut credit union, federal credit union or out-of-state bank, which account or accounts shall be reconciled monthly. Such reconciliation may be evidenced by a monthly account statement or statements furnished by the depository institution, provided (1) such account or accounts shall be maintained with the depository institution in a manner that reasonably reflects the fact that the funds held therein are being maintained for escrow purposes, (2) such funds shall not be commingled with funds belonging to the mortgage servicer licensee and may not be used to pay business operating expenses of the mortgage servicer licensee, and (3) the mortgage servicer licensee shall adopt, implement and maintain internal accounting controls that are reasonably designed to ensure compliance with this section. For purposes of this subsection, “mortgage servicer licensee” means a person who is licensed pursuant to section 36a-719 or exempt from licensure pursuant to subdivision (4) or (5) of subsection (b) of section 36a-718.

(P.A. 89-347, S. 4; P.A. 14-89, S. 2; P.A. 16-65, S. 8.)

History: Sec. 36-442n transferred to Sec. 36a-716 in 1995; P.A. 14-89 replaced references to mortgage servicing company with references to mortgage servicer; P.A. 16-65 amended Subsec. (a) by adding new Subdiv. (1) re records and designating existing provisions re payment of taxes and insurance premiums as new Subdiv. (2), added new Subsec. (d) re mortgage servicer licensee requirements, and made conforming changes, effective July 1, 2016.