Washington State Department of Financial Institutions

The meeting agenda included the review and potential approval of the December 2025 meeting minutes, followed by updates on Licensing, Examination, and Enforcement activities. The Licensing Update noted a decline in escrow officer licensees due to non-renewal and one escrow agent entering the closure process. The Examination Update reported zero exams completed in the fourth quarter of 2025. The Enforcement Update provided statistics on received and closed complaints, as well as various enforcement actions taken during the reporting period (October 1, 2025 -- December 31, 2025). New Business covered topics such as recording costs, FinCEN Report Forms, the Washington State Escrow Advisory Committee charter, and the Division of Consumer Services Winter Newsletter. Finally, the committee discussed two existing openings for licensees.

The key topics discussed during the meeting included the approval of the September 2025 meeting minutes, updates on licensing, examinations, and enforcement activities, and a report from the Regulatory Affairs unit. The Licensing Unit provided a quarterly report noting no change in the number of main or branch offices, a decline in escrow officer licensees due to non-renewal, and status updates on pending applications. The Examinations Unit reported three exams completed in August for the July 1 - September 30, 2025 period with no common violations cited. The Enforcement Unit detailed complaint statistics and reported on enforcement actions taken, including one Statement of Charges issued. In New Business, the committee discussed the two current openings on the Escrow Committee, encouraging licensees under RCW 18.44 to consider applying for these advisory positions to the Department of Financial Institutions.

The IT Strategic Plan for the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) outlines the agency's approach to leveraging technology to support its mission of protecting consumers and advancing financial health in Washington State. Key areas of focus include providing business value through IT services, expanding workforce mobility, modernizing systems, managing cyber risks, and utilizing cloud computing to strengthen incident response processes. The plan aims to align with Washington's Enterprise Technology Strategic Plan and address challenges related to evolving business needs, cybersecurity threats, and the increasing reliance on cloud-based services.

The meeting included updates on licensing, examinations, and enforcement activities. Licensing updates reported the number of main offices, branch offices, active escrow officers, and inactive escrow officers. Examination updates covered the number of exams completed and the average number of violations per exam. Enforcement updates summarized the number of complaints received and closed, as well as details on investigations and enforcement actions. New business included an update on the WA Escrow Exam. The Licensing Unit Quarterly Report and CS - Examination Unit Report provided additional data on these areas.

The meeting included updates on licensing, examinations, and enforcement. Licensing updates included the number of main offices, branch offices, active escrow officers, and inactive escrow officers. The examination update included the number of exams completed. The enforcement update included the number of complaints received and closed, investigations, and enforcement actions issued. The committee also discussed licensee trends and pending applications.