West Virginia updates licensing of mortgage brokers and lenders

Licensing State Legislation State Issues Broker

On March 26, the Governor of West Virginia signed into law SB 613, a bill that amended certain statutes regarding mortgage broker, lender, and loan originator licensing requirements. The bill updated definitions relating to the licensure and regulation of mortgage brokers, lenders, and loan originators, permitted the Commissioner of Financial Institutions to participate in the multistate licensing and examination process, and updated net worth requirements to use generally accepted accounting principles. The bill also established new information requirements for applicants and individuals involved in a change of control, requiring fingerprints, credit reports, and judicial findings to be provided to the NMLS and Registry.

This bill also amended the West Virginia Mortgage Licensing Act to permit employees of a mortgage broker, lender, or servicer to perform remote work, subject to appropriate data security requirements, monitoring, and others. SB 613 will go into effect on June 3.