(a) An initial application, at a minimum, shall include the following:

(1) A release authorizing the department, during consideration of the application and for the duration of licensure, to have access to and obtain financial information from both of the following:

(A) The applicant’s files with credit reporting agencies.

(B) The applicant’s files with banks, savings and loan associations, or any other financial institutions with whom the applicant has done business in the past or with whom the applicant intends to do business during the year of licensure.

(2) A notice signed by the applicant that the department may obtain criminal record information during the course of a licensing investigation or upon presentation with a reasonable basis to believe the licensee has been convicted of a crime. An applicant whose application is incomplete shall be given written notice that a failure to complete it within 60 calendar days shall result in denial of the application.

(b) The documents and information procured pursuant to this section shall be considered the records of a consumer and shall not be construed to be a public record. The documents and information shall remain confidential, except in actions brought by the department to enforce this division, or as a result of the issuance of a subpoena in accordance with Section 1985.4 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The unauthorized release of the documents received from the Department of Justice or the information contained in those documents is a misdemeanor.

(c) The department shall adopt regulations that specify the proper and necessary information and supporting documentation the department requires for an application to be considered complete.

(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 198, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2000.)