§34-27-61. Hearing; refusal, suspension, or revocation of license; willful violation defined; escrow deficiency.

The commission may upon its own motion, or upon the verified complaint in writing of any person, hold a hearing regarding an alleged violation by any person or business entity of this article. Any person found guilty of having violated any provision of this article or any rule, regulation, or order of the commission shall be subject to the refusal of a license, if not licensed; or, if licensed, to the suspension or revocation of such license and/or a monetary penalty of not less than $25 nor more than $1,000.

Such hearing shall be held in a manner prescribed by the Alabama Real Estate License Law and the rules and regulations of the Alabama Real Estate Commission. The reinstatement of a license suspended or revoked as a result of a violation under this article may be made conditional upon the fulfillment of such reasonable conditions as are imposed by the commission.

The penalties and procedures outlined in this section shall not be construed to supersede or conflict with penalties and procedures outlined in other sections of this article.

Provided, that a deficiency in an escrow account required by this article, which results solely from the cancellation or worthlessness of receivables previously placed in escrow, shall not be considered a violation of this article. In the event of an escrow deficiency, a lender who has advanced funds to a project shall have no liability to contribute funds to the escrow to cure the deficiency, and the lender's lien on the property shall not be affected by the deficiency.

(Acts 1983, No. 83-670, p. 1035, §12; Acts 1985, No. 85-750, p. 1204, §1.)