This Part is promulgated pursuant to the authority granted in R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-20.9-7, 5-20.9-9, 5-20.9-15, 5-20.9-16, 5-20.9-18, 5-20.9-19 and 42-14-17.

The purpose of this Part is to establish standards and procedures for the registration of Appraisal Management Companies, and to generally assist the Department in carrying out the administration and enforcement of the Real Estate Appraisal Management Company Registration Act, R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-1 et seq., so that the public interest may be effectively served.

A. In addition to the terms defined in R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-20.7-2 and 5-20.9-2, for this Part, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

1. "AMC" means Appraisal Management Company.

2. "Department" means the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation.

3. “Registrant” means the holder of an AMC Registration.

4. "Registration" or "AMC Registration" means the Registration issued by the Department to an AMC that meets the requirements of R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-1, et seq.

A. In accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-3, AMCs are required to register with the Department.

B. Every applicant for AMC registration shall submit a complete application to the Department along with the applicable fees.

C. In addition to the information required by R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-4, the application must also include:

1. All trade names and fictitious names used by the AMC.

2. Identification of whether it is a single state or multistate AMC. If multistate, a list of all other states the AMC is registered in.

3. A designated controlling person that will be the principal contact for all communication between the AMC and the Department, in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-11.

4. A certification that the AMC is registered with the Rhode Island Secretary of State.

5. A Certification regarding criminal history and a Criminal History Record from the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General for each person identified by R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-4(d). Non-residents must also submit a Criminal History Record from their home state law enforcement agency.

6. A certification in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-10(b) that each owner or controlling person of an AMC has never had a license or registration to act as an appraiser denied, suspended or revoked, in this state or in any other state.

7. For nonresident AMCs, consent to service of process and identification of a registered agent in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-5.

8. A certification that the AMC has systems in place to comply with the requirements of R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-4(c).

9. A completed taxpayer status affidavit.

10. A list of all independent fee appraisers on the AMC’s appraisal panel in Rhode Island.

A. All application requirements must be maintained and kept current for the duration of the Registration.

B. Change of Address. Written notice shall be given to the Department within fourteen (14) days of any change in a Registrant’s mailing address, email address, controlling person, or any other change in contact information reported on the most recent application. Note that a change in business address, ownership or management would require a Transfer Application or other additional information to be submitted.

C. Registrations are Not Transferable. A Registration shall be granted only to the applicant. A Registration is not subject to transfer, assignment or leasing to another person or entity without prior application to, and approval from the Department.

D. Dissolution of AMC. When a Registrant dissolves a firm or otherwise ceases operation, the Registrant must notify the Department within ten (10) days of ceasing operations.

A. The term of Registration shall be one (1) year from the date on which it was issued.

B. The expiration date of the Registration shall appear on the Registration. It is the obligation of the Registrant to timely renew its Registration.

A. Renewal applications must be received by the Department prior to the expiration of the AMC Registration.

B. Every AMC registered pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-1, et seq., which desires to renew its Registration shall apply for the renewal of the Registration upon a form to be furnished by the Department, which shall contain whatever information the Department requires. Any renewal of a Registration shall be subject to the same provisions and requirements covering issuance, suspension, and revocation of any Registration as originally issued.

C. Criminal History Records are required for initial applications and upon renewal only for any new persons identified by R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-4(d). However, all such persons identified by R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-4(d) must certify each year that they have not been convicted of or plead nolo contendere to any felony or misdemeanor since the last renewal.

A. Applications for the restoration of an expired Registration, which has been allowed to lapse for less than one (1) year, may be renewed upon submission of a complete renewal application and payment of a reinstatement fee of one hundred ($100) dollars, in addition to the required renewal fee.

B. If the Registration has been expired for more than one (1) year, the AMC must follow the procedure for a new application.

C. Any AMC seeking to reinstate a Registration after expiration must affirm by affidavit that the AMC has not engaged in any unregistered activity since the expiration of the Registration.

D. If an AMC has engaged in unregistered activity pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-9, the AMC must file an affidavit with the Department listing all such unregistered activity. The Department shall review the affidavit submitted and may take disciplinary action in accordance with § 3.11 of this Part.

A. AMC Registration fees are payable to the General Treasurer and are non-refundable.

B. The Department will collect the AMC Federal Registry Fee and transmit it to the Federal Registry in accordance with 12 C.F.R. § 1102.403.

C. Fees:

When the Department conducts an inspection of an AMC, the Department may request that photocopies or electronic copies of required records be produced by the Registrant for submission to the Department. The Department will consider the AMC in compliance with its record keeping requirements if the records are stored electronically so long as they can be readily retrieved in compliance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-6 and this Part.

A. Complaints. The Department shall have authority to investigate all complaints against AMCs for violations of R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-1, et seq., or this Part. In furtherance thereof, the Department shall notify the AMC in writing of the Department's receipt of a complaint, enclosing a copy thereof. The AMC shall within twenty (20) days from the date of the Department's letter, file with the Department a written answer to the complaint. The Department shall review the answer and submit a copy thereof to the complainant for further response, if necessary. Upon receipt of the response, the Department will then evaluate the complaint and response thereto and the matter will be handled in compliance with the Department's applicable procedures and regulations for such matters. The Department may, upon its own motion, with or without a complaint, notice a hearing for the purposes of further investigating whether to sanction a Registrant or other Person.

B. All hearings and enforcement actions shall be conducted in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act, R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-35-1 et seq., and the Department’s Rules of Procedure for Administrative Hearings, Part 10-00-2 of this Title.

C. It is sufficient cause for denial, suspension or revocation of an AMC Registration if an owner, controlling person, principal or employee of an AMC has been found by the Department to be responsible for any act or omission that would be cause for refusing, suspending, or revoking a Registration.

Any AMC or principal thereof who fails to comply with the provisions of this Part or the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-1 et seq., may be subject to any of the penalties outlined in R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.9-9.

A. Any AMC whose registration is disciplined by any state agency resulting in the denial, suspension or revocation of that AMC’s registration shall file a written report of such discipline with the Department within sixty (60) days of the final order or consent agreement in the case.

B. Any owner, controlling person, principal of an AMC whose real estate appraiser license is disciplined by any state appraiser regulatory agency resulting in the denial, suspension or revocation of that person’s real estate appraiser license shall file a written report of such discipline with the Department within sixty (60) days of the final order or consent agreement in the case.