republic-os/legal/us/code/title-12/chapter-27/section-2617.md

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LegalText	12 U.S.C. § 2617	Authority of Bureau	us	united_states_code	code_section	12	BANKS AND BANKING	27	REAL ESTATE SETTLEMENT PROCEDURES	2617	12 U.S.C. § 2617	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc12@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t12/s2617	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-12/usc12.xml	f747a2a4497c39c80b4bc02fd592e533012c0b3baad46c73bc54558b4a128b2f	e6b98700ef4156ac33fde5d105824845d727afa91a53f3762be2cf4d1a3b01fa	ce2136802a13cf0fbbc2cc055d06bb0abdb2ca3ddb61fe310f8edbde0d5ba502	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

12 U.S.C. § 2617 - Authority of Bureau

Text

(a) Issuance of regulations; exemptions The Bureau is authorized to prescribe such rules and regulations, to make such interpretations, and to grant such reasonable exemptions for classes of transactions, as may be necessary to achieve the purposes of this chapter.

(b) Liability for acts done in good faith in conformity with rule, regulation, or interpretation No provision of this chapter or the laws of any State imposing any liability shall apply to any act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any rule, regulation, or interpretation thereof by the Bureau or the Attorney General, notwithstanding that after such act or omission has occurred, such rule, regulation, or interpretation is amended, rescinded, or determined by judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason.

(c) Investigations; hearings; failure to obey order; contempt (1) The Secretary 11 Probably should be “The Bureau”. may investigate any facts, conditions, practices, or matters that may be deemed necessary or proper to aid in the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter, in prescribing of rules and regulations thereunder, or in securing information to serve as a basis for recommending further legislation concerning real estate settlement practices. To aid in the investigations, the Bureau is authorized to hold such hearings, administer such oaths, and require by subpena the attendance and testimony of such witnesses and production of such documents as the Bureau deems advisable.

(2) Any district court of the United States within the jurisdiction of which an inquiry is carried on may, in the case of contumacy or refusal to obey a subpena of the Bureau issued under this section, issue an order requiring compliance therewith; and any failure to obey such order of the court may be punished by such court as a contempt thereof.

(d) Delay of effectiveness of recent final regulation relating to payments to employees (1) In general The amendment to part 3500 of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations contained in the final regulation prescribed by the Secretary and published in the Federal Register on June 7, 1996, which will, as of the effective date of such amendment—

(A) eliminate the exemption for payments by an employer to employees of such employer for referral activities which is currently codified as section 3500.14(g)(1)(vii) of such title 24; and

(B) replace such exemption with a more limited exemption in new clauses (vii), (viii), and (ix) of section 3500.14 of such title 24,

shall not take effect before July 31, 1997.

(2) Continuation of prior rule The regulation codified as section 3500.14(g)(1)(vii) of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, relating to employer-employee payments, as in effect on May 1, 1996, shall remain in effect until the date the amendment referred to in paragraph (1) takes effect in accordance with such paragraph.

(3) Public notice of effective date The Secretary shall provide public notice of the date on which the amendment referred to in paragraph (1) will take effect in accordance with such paragraph not less than 90 days and not more than 180 days before such effective date.

(Pub. L. 93–533, § 19, as added Pub. L. 94–205, § 10, Jan. 2, 1976, 89 Stat. 1159; amended Pub. L. 98–181, title I [title IV, § 461(e)], Nov. 30, 1983, 97 Stat. 1232; Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title II, § 2103(f), Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–401; Pub. L. 111–203, title X, § 1098(11), July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 2104.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments2010—Pub. L. 111–203, § 1098(11)(A), substituted “Bureau” for “Secretary” in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 111–203, § 1098(11)(B), substituted “Bureau” for “Secretary”. Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 111–203, § 1098(11)(C), substituted “the Bureau” for “the Secretary” wherever appearing. 1996—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–208 added subsec. (d). 1983—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98–181 added subsec. (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2010 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–203 effective on the designated transfer date, see section 1100H of Pub. L. 111–203, set out as a note under section 552a of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Effective Date of 1983 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–181 effective Jan. 1, 1984, see section 461(f) of Pub. L. 98–181, set out as a note under section 2602 of this title.

Effective DateSection effective Jan. 2, 1976, see section 12 of Pub. L. 94–205, set out as an Effective Date of 1976 Amendment note under section 2602 of this title.