(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Applicant” means a natural person who applies for a mortgage loan;

(2) “Financial institution” means a bank, out-of-state bank, Connecticut credit union, federal credit union, out-of-state credit union, mortgage lender, mortgage correspondent lender or mortgage broker licensee; and

(3) “Mortgage loan” means a loan to be secured by a mortgage on one, two, three or four family residential real property, including a unit of a condominium.

(b) Any financial institution which directly or indirectly imposes a fee on any applicant for an appraisal on real property to secure a mortgage loan shall make available to such applicant at no charge a copy of the appraisal report promptly after the financial institution's receipt of the applicant's written request for a copy of the appraisal report, provided the financial institution receives the written request not later than ninety days after the financial institution has provided the applicant with notice of action taken on the applicant's application or not later than ninety days after the application is withdrawn by the applicant, as applicable.

(c) Any financial institution which directly or indirectly imposes a fee on any applicant for an appraisal shall either (1) notify such applicant in writing of the availability of a copy of the appraisal report or (2) provide such applicant with a copy of the appraisal report at no charge, such notice or copy to be provided not later than ten days after receipt of the appraisal report, but in any event not later than the date on which the sale of such property is to be consummated.

(d) Any person who prepares such appraisal report shall not be liable to any person with whom the preparer has not contracted to make such appraisal report for opinions or facts stated in or omitted from such appraisal report, unless such statement or omission results from intentional misrepresentation.

(e) The commissioner may adopt such regulations pursuant to chapter 54 as the commissioner deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

(P.A. 78-157, S. 1–5, 7; 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 87-6; 87-9, S. 2, 3; P.A. 88-262, S. 2, 3; P.A. 94-122, S. 322, 340; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1, S. 105, 130; P.A. 08-176, S. 75.)

History: P.A. 78-303 allowed substitution of banking commissioner for bank commissioner to achieve conformity with changes enacted under P.A. 77-614; P.A. 87-6 redefined “financial institution” in Subsec. (a) to include federally chartered institutions and first and second mortgage lenders; (Revisor's note: Pursuant to P.A. 87-9 “banking commissioner” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “commissioner of banking”); P.A. 88-262 amended Subsec. (b) to require that copies of appraisal reports be made available to mortgage applicants at no charge and deleted provisions in Subsec. (b) re fees for copies of appraisal reports; (Revisor's note: In 1991 the word “the” was inserted editorially by the Revisors before “commissioner” in Subsec. (a)(4)); P.A. 94-122 deleted the definition of “commissioner”, reordered the definitions, added language at the end of Subsec. (b) specifying that the lender must make the appraisal report available promptly after receiving the applicant's written request for a copy within a ninety-day time period, gave lenders the option of giving the applicant a copy of the report whether or not requested in Subsec. (c), and made technical changes, effective January 1, 1995; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1 made technical changes to Subsec. (a), effective January 1, 1994, and applicable January 1, 1995; Sec. 36-9h transferred to Sec. 36a-755 in 1995; P.A. 08-176 redefined “financial institution” in Subdiv. (2) to include references to “mortgage correspondent lender” and “mortgage broker” and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 2008.

Subsec. (d), when read in context of section, applies only to appraisals performed in conjunction with obtaining a mortgage from a financial institution and commissioned either directly or indirectly by such financial institution, and therefore action against party that was not a financial institution was not barred by Subsec. (d). 132 CA 51.