24-5-23.5-8. Creditor's duty to provide notice concerning homeowner protection unit's contact information and borrower's right to inspect settlement statement before closing; unit to prescribe form of notice; promotion of unit's contact information; information sharing; exemption from liability for disclosing suspected violation; report to legislative council of complaints received

IN Code § 24-5-23.5-8 (2019) (N/A)
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Sec. 8. (a) This subsection applies with respect to a completed application for a mortgage loan that is received by a creditor after December 31, 2009. A creditor shall, not later than three (3) business days after receiving a completed written application for a mortgage loan from a borrower or prospective borrower, provide to the borrower or prospective borrower a notice, on a form prescribed by the homeowner protection unit under subsection (b), that includes the following:

(1) Contact information for the homeowner protection unit established by the attorney general under IC 4-6-12, including:

(A) an electronic mail address for the homeowner protection unit; and

(B) the toll free telephone number described in IC 4-6-12-3.5.

(2) A statement that the borrower or prospective borrower may contact the homeowner protection unit to report:

(A) a suspected violation of section 7 of this chapter; or

(B) other information about suspected fraudulent residential real estate transactions, as authorized by IC 4-6-12-3.5(b).

(3) A statement that the borrower in a real estate transaction that involves the making, refinancing, or consolidation of a mortgage loan has the right to inspect the HUD-1 or HUD-1A settlement statement during the business day immediately preceding settlement, as provided by the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (12 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.), as amended.

The creditor shall provide the notice required by this subsection by delivering it to the borrower or prospective borrower or placing it in the United States mail to the borrower or prospective borrower within the time prescribed by this subsection.

(b) Not later than September 1, 2009, the home owner protection unit established by the attorney general under IC 4-6-12 shall prescribe the form required under subsection (a) for use by creditors who receive completed written applications for mortgage loans after December 31, 2009.

(c) The homeowner protection unit established by the attorney general under IC 4-6-12, in cooperation with the real estate appraiser licensure and certification board created by IC 25-34.1-8-1, shall publicize and promote awareness of the availability of the:

(1) electronic mail address; and

(2) toll free telephone number;

described in subsection (a)(1) to accept complaints from real estate appraisers, creditors, borrowers, potential borrowers, and other persons concerning suspected violations of section 7 of this chapter.

(d) A creditor may share any information obtained concerning a suspected violation of section 7 of this chapter with the homeowner protection unit established by the attorney general under IC 4-6-12. The homeowner protection unit may, in turn, share any information received from a creditor under this subsection with the following:

(1) Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and federal regulatory agencies in accordance with IC 4-6-12-3(a)(4).

(2) Any entity listed in IC 4-6-12-4 that may have jurisdiction over any person who is suspected of violating section 7 of this chapter, including any entity that may have jurisdiction over the creditor or an agent of the creditor if the homeowner protection unit suspects that the creditor or an agent of the creditor has violated section 7 of this chapter. However, the homeowner protection unit and any entity listed in IC 4-6-12-4 that receives information under this subdivision shall treat the information, including information concerning the identity of the complainant, as confidential and shall exercise all necessary caution to avoid disclosure of the information, except as otherwise permitted or required by law.

(e) Any:

(1) real estate appraiser, creditor, borrower, potential borrower, or other person that makes, in good faith, a voluntarily disclosure of a suspected violation of section 7 of this chapter to the homeowner protection unit under this section or otherwise; and

(2) director, officer, manager, employee, or agent of a person described in subdivision (1) who makes, or requires another person to make, a disclosure described in subdivision (1);

is not liable to any person under any law or regulation of the United States, under any constitution, law, or regulation of any state or a political subdivision of any state, or under any contract or other legally enforceable agreement, including an arbitration agreement, for a disclosure described in subdivision (1) or for failing to provide notice of a disclosure described in subdivision (1) to any person who is the subject of the disclosure.

(f) Beginning in 2009, the report provided by the mortgage lending and fraud prevention task force to the legislative council under P.L.145-2008, SECTION 35, must include the following information:

(1) The total number of complaints or reports:

(A) received by the homeowner protection unit during the most recent state fiscal year; and

(B) concerning a suspected violation of section 7 of this chapter.

(2) From the total number of complaints or reports reported under subdivision (1), a breakdown of the sources of the complaints or reports, classified according to the complainants' interest in or relationship to the real estate transactions upon which the complaints or reports are based.

(3) A description of any:

(A) disciplinary or enforcement actions taken; or

(B) criminal prosecutions pursued;

by the homeowner protection unit or any entity listed in IC 4-6-12-4 and having jurisdiction in the matter, as applicable, in connection with the complaints or reports reported under subdivision (1).

The homeowner protection unit shall make available to the mortgage lending and fraud prevention task force any information necessary to provide the information required under this subsection in the task force's report to the legislative council.

As added by P.L.52-2009, SEC.2.