(1) The following are exempt from all provisions of this chapter:

(a) Any person doing business under the laws of the state of Washington or the United States, and any federally insured depository institution doing business under the laws of any other state, relating to commercial banks, bank holding companies, savings banks, trust companies, savings and loan associations, credit unions, insurance companies, or real estate investment trusts as defined in 26 U.S.C. Sec. 856 and the affiliates, subsidiaries, and service corporations thereof;

(b) Any person doing business under the consumer loan act is exempt from this chapter only for that business conducted under the authority and coverage of the consumer loan act;

(c) An attorney licensed to practice law in this state. However, (i) all mortgage broker or loan originator services must be performed by the attorney while engaged in the practice of law; (ii) all mortgage broker or loan originator services must be performed under a business that is publicly identified and operated as a law practice; and (iii) all funds associated with the transaction and received by the attorney must be deposited in, maintained in, and disbursed from a trust account to the extent required by rules enacted by the Washington supreme court regulating the conduct of attorneys;

(d) Any person doing any act under order of any court, except for a person subject to an injunction to comply with any provision of this chapter or any order of the director issued under this chapter;

(e) A real estate broker or salesperson licensed by the state who obtains financing for a real estate transaction involving a bona fide sale of real estate in the performance of his or her duties as a real estate broker and who receives only the customary real estate broker's or salesperson's commission in connection with the transaction;

(f) The United States of America, the state of Washington, any other state, and any Washington city, county, or other political subdivision, and any agency, division, or corporate instrumentality of any of the entities in this subsection (1)(f);

(g) A real estate broker who provides only information regarding rates, terms, and lenders in connection with a CLI system, who receives a fee for providing such information, who conforms to all rules of the director with respect to the providing of such service, and who discloses on a form approved by the director that to obtain a loan the borrower must deal directly with a mortgage broker or lender. However, a real estate broker shall not be exempt if he or she does any of the following:

(i) Holds himself or herself out as able to obtain a loan from a lender;

(ii) Accepts a loan application, or submits a loan application to a lender;

(iii) Accepts any deposit for third-party services or any loan fees from a borrower, whether such fees are paid before, upon, or after the closing of the loan;

(iv) Negotiates rates or terms with a lender on behalf of a borrower; or

(v) Provides the disclosure required by RCW 19.146.030(1);

(h) Registered mortgage loan originators, or any individual required to be registered;

(i) A manufactured or modular home retailer employee who performs purely administrative or clerical tasks and who receives only the customary salary or commission from the employer in connection with the transaction; and

(j) Nonprofit housing organizations brokering residential mortgage loans under housing programs that are funded in whole or in part by federal or state programs if the primary purpose of the programs is to assist low-income borrowers with purchasing, repairing, or otherwise providing housing for low-income Washington state residents.

(2) Any person otherwise exempted from the licensing provisions of this chapter may voluntarily submit an application to the director for a mortgage broker's license. The director shall review such application and may grant or deny licenses to such applicants upon the same grounds and with the same fees as may be applicable to persons required to be licensed under this chapter.

(a) Upon receipt of a license under this subsection, the licensee is required to continue to maintain a valid license, is subject to all provisions of this chapter, and has no further right to claim exemption from the provisions of this chapter except as provided in (b) of this subsection.

(b) Any licensee under this subsection who would otherwise be exempted from the requirements of licensing by this section may apply to the director for exemption from licensing. The director shall adopt rules for reviewing such applications and shall grant exemptions from licensing to applications which are consistent with those rules and consistent with the other provisions of this chapter.

[2015 c 229 § 6; 2013 c 30 § 2; 2009 c 528 § 2; 2006 c 19 § 3; 1997 c 106 § 2; 1994 c 33 § 5; 1994 c 33 § 4; 1993 c 468 § 3; 1987 c 391 § 4.]

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