17:16ZZ-10 Additional authority of the commissioner.

10. a. In addition to any authority provided under Title 17 of the Revised Statutes, the commissioner shall have the authority to conduct investigations and examinations as follows:

(1) For purposes of initial licensing, license renewal, license suspension, license revocation or termination, or general or specific inquiry or investigation to determine compliance with this act, the commissioner may access, receive and use any books, accounts, records, files, documents, information or evidence including, but not limited to: (a) criminal, civil and administrative history information; (b) personal history and experience information, including independent credit reports obtained from a consumer reporting agency described in Section 603(p) of the "Fair Credit Reporting Act" (15 U.S.C. s.1681a); and (c) any other documents, information or evidence the commissioner deems relevant to the inquiry or investigation regardless of the location, possession, control or custody of documents, information or evidence.

(2) For the purposes of investigating violations or complaints arising under this act or for the purposes of examination, the commissioner may review, investigate or examine any student loan servicer licensee or person subject to this act. The commissioner may direct, subpoena or order the attendance of and examine under oath all persons whose testimony may be required about the student education loan or the business or subject matter of any examination or investigation, and may direct, subpoena or order any person subject to this act to produce books, accounts, records, files and any other documents the commissioner deems relevant to the inquiry.

b. In making any examination or investigation authorized by this section, the commissioner may control access to any documents and records of the student loan servicer licensee or person under examination or investigation. The commissioner may take possession of the documents and records or place a person in exclusive charge of the documents and records in the place where they are usually kept. During the period of control, no person shall remove or attempt to remove any of the documents and records except pursuant to a court order or with the consent of the commissioner. Unless the commissioner has reasonable grounds to believe the documents or records of the student loan servicer licensee or person have been, or are at risk of being, altered or destroyed for purposes of concealing a violation of this act, the student loan servicer licensee or owner of the documents and records shall have access to the documents or records as necessary to conduct its ordinary business affairs.

c. When making an examination or investigation under this act, the commissioner may:

(1) retain attorneys, appraisers, independent actuaries, independent certified public accountants or other professionals and specialists as examiners, the cost of which shall be borne by the company which is the subject of the examination or investigation;

(2) enter into agreements or relationships with other government officials or regulatory associations in order to improve efficiencies and reduce regulatory burden by sharing resources, standardized or uniform methods or procedures, and documents, records, information or evidence obtained under this section;

(3) use, hire, contract or employ public or privately available analytical systems, methods or software to examine or investigate the student loan servicer licensee or any person subject to this act;

(4) accept and rely on examination or investigation reports made by other government officials, within or without this State; and

(5) accept audit reports made by an independent certified public accountant for the student loan servicer licensee or person subject to this act in the course of that part of the examination covering the same general subject matter as the audit and may incorporate the audit report in the report of examination, report of investigation or other writing of the commissioner.

d. The authority of this section shall remain in effect, whether the student loan servicer licensee or person subject to this act, acts or claims to act under any licensing or registration law of this State, or claims to act without that authority.

e. No student loan servicer licensee or person subject to investigation or examination under this section may knowingly withhold, abstract, remove, mutilate, destroy or secrete any books, records, computer records or other information.

L.2019, c.200, s.10.