CHAPTER 7. Prohibited Practices and Penalties [50500. - 50513.]

Cal. Financial Code - FIN 7.

in effect

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50500. Section 50500.

Any person who willfully violates any provision of this division, or any rule or order under this division, shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code, or in a county jail for not more than one year, or to both that fine and imprisonment. No person may be imprisoned for the violation of any rule or order unless he or she had knowledge of the rule or order. Conviction under this section shall not preclude the commissioner from exercising the authority provided in Section 50320.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50501. Section 50501.

(a) Any person who violates a provision of this division, or any rule or order under this division, shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for each violation. This penalty shall be assessed and recovered in a civil action brought in the name of the people of the State of California by the commissioner in any court of competent jurisdiction. (b) As applied to the penalties for acts in violation of this division, the remedies provided by this section and by other sections of this division are not exclusive, and may be sought and employed in any combination to enforce the provisions of this division.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50501.5. Section 50501.5.

(a) If, upon inspection, examination, or investigation, the commissioner has cause to believe that a licensee or person is violating or has violated any provision of this division or any rule or order thereunder, the commissioner or his or her designee may issue a citation to that licensee or person in writing, describing with particularity the basis of the citation. Each citation may contain an order to correct the violation or violations identified and provide a reasonable time period or periods by which the violation or violations must be corrected. In addition, each citation may assess an administrative fine not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) that shall be deposited in the State Corporations Fund. In assessing a fine, the commissioner shall give due consideration to the appropriateness of the amount of the fine with respect to factors including the gravity of the violation, the good faith of the person or licensees cited, and the history of previous violations. A citation issued and a fine assessed pursuant to this section, while constituting punishment for a violation of law, shall be in lieu of other administrative discipline by the commissioner for the offense or offenses cited, and the citation and fine payment thereof by a licensee shall not be reported as disciplinary action taken by the commissioner. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), nothing in this section shall prevent the commissioner from issuing an order to desist and refrain from engaging in a specific business or activity or activities, or an order to suspend all business operations to a person or licensee who is engaged in or who has engaged in continued or repeated violations of this division. In any of these circumstances, the sanctions authorized under this section shall be separate from, and in addition to, all other administrative, civil, or criminal remedies. (c) If, within 30 days from the receipt of the citation, the person cited fails to notify the department that the person intends to request a hearing as described in subdivision (d), the citation shall be deemed final. (d) Any hearing under this section shall be conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. (e) After the exhaustion of the review procedures provided for in this section, the commissioner may apply to the appropriate superior court for a judgment in the amount of the administrative fine and an order compelling the cited person to comply with the order of the commissioner. The application, which shall include a certified copy of the final order of the commissioner, shall constitute a sufficient showing to warrant the issuance of the judgment and order.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50502. Section 50502.

It is a violation of this division for any person to make any untrue statement of a material fact in any document filed with the commissioner under this division or rules adopted thereunder, or to omit any material fact which is required to be stated in any document.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50503. Section 50503.

(a) It is a violation for any person subject to this law or any director, partner, shareholder controlling an ownership interest of 10 percent or more, trustee, officer, agent, or employee of any such person to do any of the following: (1) Knowingly or recklessly disburse or cause the disbursal of trust funds, except as permitted by Section 50202, or knowingly or recklessly to direct, participate in, or aid or abet in a material way, any activity that constitutes theft or fraud in connection with any trust fund transaction. (2) Knowingly or recklessly make or cause to be made any misstatement or omission of a material fact, pertaining to a loan or loan servicing. (b) Any director, officer, partner, shareholder controlling an ownership interest of 10 percent or more, trustee, or employee of a residential mortgage loan servicer who abstracts or misappropriates money, funds, trust obligations, or property deposited with a licensee, commits a violation of this section. If a violation results in a criminal conviction, the court shall, in addition to any other punishment imposed, order the person to make full restitution. Nothing in this section shall be deemed or construed to repeal, amend, or impair any existing provision of law prescribing a punishment for such an offense.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50504. Section 50504.

(a) If an amount other than or in excess of the charges permitted by this division is willfully charged, contracted for, or received, in addition to any other penalties or remedies, the commissioner may order the licensee to refund to all borrowers charged the excess amount, the excess amount and the amount of the charge, both with interest at the rate of 10 percent per annum, calculated from the date the improper charge was imposed. (b) If interest on the principal amount of a loan in excess of the amount authorized by this division is willfully charged, contracted for, or received, in addition to any other penalties or remedies, the commissioner may order the licensee to refund the excess interest amount to all borrowers charged the excess amount, with interest at the rate of 10 percent per annum, calculated from the date the improper charge was imposed.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50505. Section 50505.

Any person who violates any provision of any of the following federal acts or regulations violates this division: (a) The federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, as amended (12 U.S.C. Sec. 2601 et seq.). (b) The federal Truth in Lending Act, as amended (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1601 et seq.). (c) The federal Home Ownership Equity Protection Act (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1639). (d) Any regulation promulgated under any of the federal acts in subdivision (a), (b), or (c).

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50506. Section 50506.

Any director, officer, partner, trustee, or employee of a licensee, its holding company, or its affiliates who knowingly receives or appropriates any of the licensee’s property, other than in payment of a just demand or with intent to defraud, or who omits to make or causes an omission to be made in the full and true entry thereof in its books and accounts or concurs in omitting to make any material entry thereof, violates this division.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50507. Section 50507.

Any director, officer, partner, trustee, or employee of a licensee, its holding company, or its affiliates who knowingly makes or concurs in making or publishing any false entry in its books or records, any written report, exhibit, or statement of its affairs or pecuniary condition containing any material statement which is false, or having the custody of its books, willfully refuses or neglects to make any proper entry in the books as required by law or to allow the books to be inspected by the commissioner or his or her deputies or investigators, violates this division.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50508. Section 50508.

Any director, officer, partner, trustee, or employee of a licensee, its holding company, or its affiliates who makes a false entry in any book or record of the business, or in connection with any transaction of the business, with intent to deceive any officer, director, or employee thereof, or any agent or examiner, employed or lawfully appointed to examine into its condition or any of its affairs or transactions, or to any public officer who has authority to examine into its affairs or transactions, or who, with like intent, omits to make a new entry of any matter particularly pertaining to the business property condition, or transactions of the entity in any document of the licensee, or who, with like intent, makes unavailable any document of the licensee made, written, or kept, or required to be made, written, or kept by him or her under his or her direction, violates this division.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50509. Section 50509.

Any officer, director, partner, trustee, or employee of any entity who abstracts or misapplies any of the money, funds, or property of a licensee, or misapplies its credit, or abstracts or misapplies money, funds, trust obligations, or property deposited with a licensee, violates this division. If a violation results in a criminal conviction, the court shall, in addition to any other punishment imposed, order the person to make full restitution to the licensee. Nothing in this section shall be deemed or construed to repeal, amend, or impair any existing provision of law prescribing a punishment for such an offense.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50510. Section 50510.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to authorize a criminal prosecution for a violation of a civil statute incorporated by reference into this division. Civil monetary penalties and fines shall not be imposed under this law for a violation of subdivision (e) or (j) of Section 50204 or Section 50505 if a licensee demonstrates that it has paid a civil monetary penalty or fine for the same act or transaction, as a violation of Section 17200 or 17500 of the Business and Professions Code, Section 2941 of the Civil Code, or provisions of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (12 U.S.C.A. Sec. 2601 et seq.).

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50511. Section 50511.

The commissioner may, subject to the requirements of subdivisions (b), (c), and (d) of Section 50318, suspend for a period not to exceed 12 months or bar a person from any position of employment with a licensee if the commissioner finds that the person has willfully used or claimed without authority a designation or certification of special education, practice, or skill that the person has not attained, or willfully held out to the public a confusingly similar designation or certification for the purpose of misleading the public regarding his or her qualifications or experience.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50512. Section 50512.

(a) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly alter, destroy, mutilate, conceal, cover up, falsify, or make a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the administration or enforcement of any provision of this division. (b) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly make an untrue statement to the commissioner during the course of licensing, investigation, or examination, with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the administration or enforcement of any provision of this division.

Cal. Financial Code - FIN § 50513. Section 50513.

(a) The commissioner may do one or more of the following: (1) Deny, suspend, revoke, condition, or decline to renew a mortgage loan originator license for a violation of this division, or any rules or regulations adopted thereunder. (2) Deny, suspend, revoke, condition, or decline to renew a mortgage loan originator license if an applicant or licensee fails at any time to meet the requirements of Section 50141 or 50144, or withholds information or makes a material misstatement in an application for a license or license renewal. (3) Order restitution against a mortgage loan originator or any residential mortgage lender or servicer licensee employing a mortgage loan originator for a violation of this division. (4) Impose fines on a mortgage loan originator or any residential mortgage lender or servicer licensee employing a mortgage loan originator pursuant to subdivisions (b), (c), and (d). (5) Issue orders or directives to mortgage loan originators under this division as follows: (A) Order or direct a mortgage loan originator or any residential mortgage lender or servicer licensee employing a mortgage loan originator to desist and refrain from conducting business, including immediate temporary orders to desist and refrain. (B) Order or direct a mortgage loan originator or any residential mortgage lender or servicer licensee employing a mortgage loan originator to cease any harmful activities or violations of this division, including immediate temporary orders to desist and refrain. (C) Enter immediate temporary orders to cease business under a license issued pursuant to the authority granted under Section 50002 if the commissioner determines that the license was erroneously granted or the mortgage loan originator is currently in violation of this division. (D) Order or direct any other affirmative action as the commissioner deems necessary. (b) The commissioner may impose a civil penalty on a mortgage loan originator or any residential mortgage lender or servicer licensee employing a mortgage loan originator, if the commissioner finds, on the record after notice and opportunity for hearing, that the mortgage loan originator or any residential mortgage lender or servicer licensee employing a mortgage loan originator has violated or failed to comply with any requirement of this division or any regulation prescribed by the commissioner under this division or order issued under authority of this division. (c) The maximum amount of penalty for each act or omission described in subdivision (b) shall be twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). (d) Each violation or failure to comply with any directive or order of the commissioner is a separate and distinct violation or failure.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026