On December 19, 2018, the Ohio Governor signed Substitute House Bill 489 (HB 489), which amends the Ohio Residential Mortgage Lending Act (RMLA) to, among other things, require a person acting as mortgage servicer to obtain a Residential Mortgage Lending Act Certificate of Registration in the state, unless exempt from the RMLA. The amendments define a “mortgage servicer” as an entity that holds mortgage servicing rights, records mortgage payments on its books, or carries out other responsibilities under the mortgage agreement.

HB 489 also revises the laws governing financial institution regulations and consumer protections. Specifically, it includes amendments which (i) provide some regulatory relief to state banks and credit unions concerning the frequency of examinations that meet certain conditions; (ii) enable requests for data analytics to be conducted on publicly available information regarding regulated state banks, credit unions, and consumer finance companies; and (iii) require that a specified notice be given to a debtor for certain collections related to defaulted debt secured by junior liens on residential properties.

The amendments take effect 91 days after the bill is filed with the Ohio Secretary of State.