Montana Code Annotated
Part 1. Regulation of Escrow Businesses
32-7-115. Maintenance of records

32-7-115. Maintenance of records. (1) A licensee shall establish and maintain the books, accounts, and records necessary to enable the department at any time to determine whether the escrow transactions performed by the licensee comply with the provisions of this part. The books, accounts, and records must be maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and good business practice.
(2) A licensee shall establish and maintain the following records concerning general accounts:
(a) a general record reflecting the assets, liabilities, capital, income, and expense of the business, maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(b) a cash receipt and disbursement journal; and
(c) a reconciliation of monthly statements to the general record.
(3) The records referred to in subsections (1) and (2) must be reconciled at least once each month with the bank statements reflecting each escrow account.
(4) A licensee shall preserve for at least 3 years after the close of any escrow:
(a) all bank statements reflecting each escrow account and records of monthly reconciliations of the statements to the general record;
(b) all canceled checks drawn on each escrow account;
(c) any additional records reflecting banking transactions regarding each escrow account, including copies of all receipts for funds transferred from other accounts into each escrow account;
(d) all statements of account;
(e) all escrow instructions and amendments to them; and
(f) all additional records pertinent to each escrow transaction.
(5) A licensee shall file annually with the department by a date set by the department by rule a statement of the licensee's financial condition as of December 31 of the preceding calendar year and its transactions and escrow activities during that preceding calendar year concerning consumers in this state. The financial statement must be reviewed by an independent public accountant every odd-numbered year and must be in a form and contain the information that the department requires.
History: En. Sec. 8, Ch. 651, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 216, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 32, L. 2019.