(1) A person who engages in business as an exchange facilitator shall act as a custodian for all exchange funds, including money, property, other consideration, or instruments received by the exchange facilitator from, or on behalf of, the client, except funds received as the exchange facilitator's compensation. The exchange facilitator shall hold the exchange funds in a manner that provides liquidity and preserves principal, and if invested, shall invest those exchange funds in investments that meet a prudent investor standard and satisfy investment goals of liquidity and preservation of principal. For purposes of this section, a violation of the prudent investor standard includes, but is not limited to, a transaction in which:

     (a) Exchange funds are knowingly commingled by the exchange facilitator with the operating accounts of the exchange facilitator, except that the exchange facilitator's fee may be deposited as part of the exchange transaction into the same account as that containing exchange funds, in which event the exchange facilitator must promptly withdraw the fee;

     (b) Exchange funds are loaned or otherwise transferred to any person or entity, other than a financial institution, that is affiliated with or related to the exchange facilitator, except that this subsection (1)(b) does not apply to the transfer of funds from an exchange facilitator to an exchange accommodation titleholder in accordance with an exchange contract;

     (c) Exchange funds are invested in a manner that does not provide sufficient liquidity to meet the exchange facilitator's contractual obligations to its clients, unless insufficient liquidity occurs as the result of: (i) Events beyond the prediction or control of the exchange facilitator including, but not limited to, failure of a financial institution; or (ii) an investment specifically requested by the client; or

     (d) Exchange funds are invested in a manner that does not preserve the principal of the exchange funds, unless loss of principal occurs as the result of: (i) Events beyond the prediction or control of the exchange facilitator; or (ii) an investment specifically requested by the client.

     (2) Exchange funds are not subject to execution or attachment on any claim against the exchange facilitator.

[2009 c 70 § 9.]