From the Division...

Nicknames and Middle Names
Licensees must be licensed in their official legal name, however, for advertising purposes, the Division allows a person to advertise in a widely recognized, common derivative of the name in which they are licensed, i.e., Christopher/Chris, Robert/Bob or Rob, Suzanne/Susie, etc. Licensees who are known by their middle names or by a name that is not commonly known as a nickname may put that name in parenthesis or quotation marks for advertising purposes, i.e., John (Ralph) Smith or Cynthia "CeeCee" Jones.

Advertising
In general, it is legal to put an asking price on a sign, as long as the information is accurate and not misleading.

View your CE Classes taken to date online
A new feature was recently added to the Division's website that allows licensees to see which continuing education courses education providers have submitted. Please note that prior to March 1, 2007, not all course providers submitted their rosters electronically and, therefore, those courses may not be on this list.

To view the CE courses submitted for a licensee,

• go to the Division's website at www.com.state.oh.us/real.
• Click on the e-License center box in the middle of the page.
• Choose the first link "Lookup License Information" to bring up the licensee's file. Be sure to choose the 
  correct Board/Division.
• Enter the last name and first name or the license number with the correct prefix and click Search.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Click on the licensee's name and the detail window will open.
• The list of submitted courses will appear under a Continuing Education heading. If no courses appear, no 
  courses were submitted electronically for that licensee. The Division will accept certificates for approved 
  courses you have taken but are not listed.

By law, CE Providers have 15 days from the date of the course to complete the Course Roster Entry. If more than 15 days have passed since taking the course, contact the provider directly.

Note: Even though CE Providers are providing course rosters electronically, all licensees are still required to submit proof of their completion of continuing education (CE) on a Real Estate Continuing Education Compliance Form. Copies of Certificates from CE classes attended MUST accompany the completed form. The Continuing Education Compliance Form can be obtained from the Division of Real Estate's website. The form is interactive, which means the form can be completed and then printed, signed and submitted along with the proof of completion of the CE courses. The compliance form explains in detail how to submit proof of completion of the hours required. Any compliance form that is not properly completed, or education that is submitted without the correct certificates, will be returned to the licensee for correction.

Reporting Predatory Lending Practices
As professionals in the business of real estate, you've most likely become aware of transactions wherein the conduct of one or more individuals involved appears unlawful or shows signs of unscrupulous practices.

Predatory lending practices and otherwise "shady" deals should be reported and members of Ohio's real estate industry can help. If you have information on predatory lending practices, contact: Office of Attorney General Marc Dann Consumer Protection Section 30 E. Broad St., 14th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215, Phone: (800) 282-0515.

The Ohio Division of Financial Institutions (DFI) registers and receives complaints against mortgage brokers and loan officers in Ohio. The consumer lending hotline for the Division of Financial Institutions is (866) 278-0003.

Foreclosure Resources
Homeowners who are seeking help to prevent foreclosure can contact the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for approved counseling agencies. This list can be found at www.hud.gov or call (800) 569-4287.

Homeowners who are facing foreclosure can call the National toll-free homeownership hotline at (888) 995-HOPE or go to www.995hope.org for FREE advice and support.

The Ohio Department of Commerce's website has additional resources on foreclosure prevention and predatory lending information. For your free copy, visit www.com.state.oh.us/dfi/dfipub.htm or call the Office of Consumer Affairs' (OCA) toll-free hotline at (866) 278-0003.