§ 19. Service of process. Service of process against an association upon the secretary of state shall be made in the manner provided by subdivision one or two of this section. Either option of service authorized pursuant to this section shall be available at no extra cost to the consumer. (1) Personally delivering to and leaving with him or her or with a person authorized by the secretary of state to receive such service, duplicate copies of such process at the office of the department of state in the city of Albany. At the time of such service the plaintiff shall pay a fee of forty dollars to the secretary of state which shall be a taxable disbursement. The secretary of state shall promptly send by certified mail one of such copies to the association at the address fixed for that purpose, as herein provided. (2) Electronically submitting a copy of the process to the department of state together with the statutory fee, which fee shall be a taxable disbursement, through an electronic system operated by the department of state, provided the association has an email address on file in the department of state to which the secretary of state shall email a notice of the fact that process has been served electronically on the secretary of state. Service of process on such association shall be complete when the secretary of state has reviewed and accepted service of such process. The secretary of state shall promptly send a notice of the fact that process against such association has been served electronically upon him or her, to such association at the email address on file in the department of state, specified for the purpose and shall make a copy of the process available to such association. If the action or proceeding is instituted in a court of limited jurisdiction, service of process may be made in the manner provided in this section if the cause of action arose within the territorial jurisdiction of the court and the office of the defendant, as set forth in its statement filed pursuant to section eighteen of this chapter, is within such territorial jurisdiction.
