Section 81-18-21 - Maintenance and investigation of business records; biennial investigation; examination fee; department authorized to examine persons suspected of conducting business requiring a license; licensee to make records and books available to commissioner and compile reports; commissioner may control access to records of licensee under investigation(1) Any person required to be licensed under this chapter shall maintain in its offices, or such other location as the department shall permit, the books, accounts and records necessary for the department to determine whether or not the person is complying with the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations adopted by the department under this chapter. These books, accounts and records shall be maintained apart and separate from any other business in which the person is involved and may represent historical data for five (5) years from the final disposition of the loan application to which the records relate. The books, accounts and records for individual consumer mortgage files shall be maintained apart and separate from any other personal loan files made by the same consumer. The books, accounts and records shall be kept in a secure location under conditions that will not lead to their damage or destruction. If the licensee wishes to keep the files in a location other than the location listed on the license, then the licensee first must submit a written request on a form designated by the department and gain written approval from the commissioner before storing the files at an off-site secure location.(2) To assure compliance with the provisions of this chapter, the department may examine the books and records of any licensee without notice during normal business hours. The commissioner shall charge the licensee an examination fee in an amount not less than Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00) nor more than Six Hundred Dollars ($600.00) per day with a maximum examination fee of Two Thousand Four Hundred Dollars ($2,400.00) for each office or location within the State of Mississippi, and an examination fee in an amount not less than Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00) nor more than Eight Hundred Dollars ($800.00) per day for each office or location outside the State of Mississippi, plus any actual expenses incurred while examining the licensee's records or books that are located outside the State of Mississippi. However, in no event shall a licensee be examined more than once in a two-year period unless for cause shown based upon consumer complaint and/or other exigent reasons as determined by the commissioner.(3) The department, its designated officers and employees, or its duly authorized representatives, for the purposes of discovering violations of this chapter and for the purpose of determining whether any person or individual reasonably suspected by the commissioner of conducting business that requires a license under this chapter, may investigate those persons and individuals and examine all relevant books, records and papers employed by those persons or individuals in the transaction of business, and may summon witnesses and examine them under oath concerning matters as to the business of those persons, or other such matters as may be relevant to the discovery of violations of this chapter, including, without limitation, the conduct of business without a license as required under this chapter.(4) Each licensee, individual or person subject to this chapter shall make available to the commissioner upon request the books and records relating to the operations of the licensee, individual or person subject to this chapter. The commissioner shall have access to those books and records and interview the officers, principals, mortgage loan originators, employees, independent contractors, agents, and customers of the licensee, individual or person subject to this chapter concerning their business. Failure to produce the books and records within sixty (60) days from the date of request may result in a violation of this chapter, resulting in a civil penalty.(5) Each licensee, individual or person subject to this chapter shall make or compile reports or prepare other information as directed by the commissioner in order to carry out the purposes of this section, including, but not limited to: (a) Accounting compilations;(b) Information lists and data concerning loan transactions in a format prescribed by the commissioner; or(c) Such other information deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.(6) In making any examination or investigation authorized by this chapter, the commissioner may control access to any documents and records of the 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 individual or person shall remove or attempt to remove any of the documents and records except under a court order or with the consent of the commissioner. Unless the commissioner has reasonable grounds to believe the documents or records of the licensee have been or are at risk of being altered or destroyed for purposes of concealing a violation of this chapter, the licensee or owner of the documents and records shall have access to the documents or records as necessary to conduct its ordinary business affairs.(7) The commissioner shall report regularly violations of this chapter, as well as enforcement actions and other relevant information, to the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry subject to the provisions contained in Section 81-18-63.(8) Examinations and investigations conducted under this chapter and information obtained by the department, except as provided in subsection (7) of this section, in the course of its duties under this chapter are confidential.(9) In the absence of malice, fraud or bad faith a person is not subject to civil liability arising from the filing of a complaint with the department, furnishing other information required by this chapter, information required by the department under the authority granted in this chapter, or information voluntarily given to the department related to allegations that a licensee or prospective licensee has violated this chapter. Failure of a person to respond to a formal complaint made with the department by a consumer may result in a violation of this chapter, resulting in a civil penalty.(10) In order to carry out the purposes of this section, the commissioner may:(a) Accept and rely on examination or investigation reports made by other government officials, within or without this state; or(b) Accept audit reports made by an independent certified public accountant for the licensee, individual or person subject to this chapter 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 the examination, report of investigation or other writing of the commissioner; or(c) Rely upon attorneys, accountants, or other professionals and specialists as examiners, auditors or investigators to conduct or assist in the conduct of examinations or investigations; or(d) Enter into agreements or relationships with other government officials or regulatory associations, including, but not limited to, joint enforcement action, by sharing resources, standardized or uniform methods or procedures, and documents, records, information or evidence obtained under this section.(11) The authority of this section shall remain in effect, whether such a licensee, individual or person subject to this chapter acts or claims to act under any licensing or registration law of this state, or claims to act without that authority.(12) No licensee, individual or person subject to investigation or examination under this section may knowingly withhold, abstract, remove, mutilate, destroy, falsify, abandon or secret any books, records, computer records or other information. Laws, 2000, ch. 579, § 11; reenacted and amended, Laws, 2002, ch. 500, § 12; reenacted and amended, Laws, 2004, ch. 364, § 12; reenacted and amended, Laws, 2007, ch. 581, § 12; Laws, 2009, ch. 544, § 12; reenacted without change, Laws, 2010, ch. 462, § 13; reenacted without change, Laws, 2012, ch. 571, § 12, eff. 7/1/2012.Reenacted and amended by Laws, 2020, ch. 310, SB 2427,§ 13, eff. 7/1/2020.Reenacted and amended by Laws, 2016, ch. 360, SB 2504, 13, eff. 7/1/2016.Amended by Laws, 2013, ch. 499, SB 2696, 6, eff. 7/1/2013.