§ 2414. Requirements for providing debt management services
Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated StatutesTitle 63 P.S. Professions and Occupations (State Licensed)Effective: February 6, 2009
Effective: February 6, 2009
63 P.S. § 2414
§ 2414. Requirements for providing debt management services
A licensee shall provide debt management services in accordance with the following requirements:
(2)(i) A licensee may only provide debt management services in accordance with a written debt management services agreement entered into between the licensee and the consumer. Before the licensee and consumer enter into a debt management services agreement, the licensee shall prepare an analysis of the consumer's financial situation and a budget for the consumer. The analysis shall include a good faith determination whether the consumer will benefit from debt management services and an explanation of that benefit. If the analysis determines that the consumer will not benefit from debt management services, the licensee shall not offer debt management services to the consumer.
(ii) The licensee may communicate with the consumer by electronic mail or the Internet, but shall not enter into a debt management services agreement unless a certified credit counselor employed by the licensee and the consumer have orally reviewed the analysis, the budget and the debt management services agreement through a person-to-person discussion. The licensee shall provide copies of the analysis, budget and debt management services agreement to the consumer.
(5) Within two business days of receiving any payment, the licensee shall deposit all payments received from consumers under debt management services agreements into a trust account established for the benefit of the consumers to whom the licensee is furnishing debt management services. All money paid to a licensee by or on behalf of a consumer for distribution to creditors pursuant to a debt management services agreement is held in trust. Any interest earned from money held in trust on behalf of a consumer shall be used for the benefit of the consumer. The trust account shall be in a federally insured depository institution and is subject to the following:
(i) Except as provided in subparagraph (iii), money held in trust by a licensee is not property of the licensee or any designee. The money shall not be available to creditors of the licensee, except for a consumer from whom or on whose behalf the licensee received the money, to the extent the money has not been disbursed to creditors on behalf of the consumer.
(III) The licensee may promptly correct any payments that are not made or that are misdirected as a result of an error by the licensee or any person in control of the trust account and reimburse the consumer for any costs or fees imposed by a creditor as a result of the licensee's failure to pay a creditor in a timely manner.
(iii) A licensee may commingle money in a trust account established for the benefit of the consumers who have a debt management services agreement or debt settlement services agreement with the licensee and to whom the licensee is furnishing debt management services or debt settlement services. In the event a licensee deposits a consumer's entire payment to the licensee, including both money for disbursement to creditors and fees owed to the licensee, the licensee may accept payment of fees owed to it from the trust. All money in the trust account established for the benefit of consumers however, shall be accounted for separately, including an accounting for fees owed to the licensee. No other money shall be deposited into the trust account and the money in the account may only be used for the purposes expressed in this subparagraph.
(vii) If a consumer terminates a debt management services agreement with a licensee, the licensee shall promptly refund to the consumer all money paid by or on behalf of the consumer which has not been paid to creditors and interest accrued thereon, less fees that are payable to the licensee as authorized by this act.
(6) The licensee shall disburse a consumer's funds to the consumer's creditors in a timely manner based on the availability of the funds pursuant to the consumer's debt management services agreement. In the event that a consumer makes only a partial payment as required by a debt management services agreement, the licensee shall disburse the available funds to creditors prior to the licensee collecting its own fees from the consumer's partial payment. In the event that a consumer fails to resolve any scheduled payment deficiency within 45 days of the deficiency occurring, a licensee may terminate the debt management services agreement in accordance with the agreement.
(7) The licensee or any business entity in which any director, owner, officer, employee or principal of the licensee, or any member of such person's immediate family as defined in 65 Pa.C.S. § 1102 (relating to definitions), has an equitable, beneficial or other ownership interest shall not purchase any debt or obligation of a consumer.
(8) The licensee or any business entity in which any director, owner, officer, employee or principal of the licensee, or any member of such person's immediate family as defined in 65 Pa.C.S. § 1102, has an equitable, beneficial or other ownership interest shall not lend money or provide credit to a consumer.
(9) The licensee or any business entity in which any director, owner, officer, employee or principal of the licensee, or any member of such person's immediate family as defined in 65 Pa.C.S. § 1102, has an equitable, beneficial or other ownership interest shall not offer or provide credit insurance to a consumer.
(10) The licensee or any business entity in which any director, owner, officer, employee or principal of the licensee, or any member of such person's immediate family as defined in 65 Pa.C.S. § 1102, has an equitable, beneficial or other ownership interest shall not obtain a mortgage or other security interest in the property of a consumer.
(16) The licensee or any business entity in which any director, owner, officer, employee or principal of the licensee, or any member of such person's immediate family as defined in 65 Pa.C.S. § 1102, has an equitable, beneficial or other ownership interest, shall not offer, pay or give a gift, bonus, premium, reward or any other compensation to a person for referring a consumer to the licensee.
(17) The licensee shall not directly or indirectly accept, offer, pay, provide, give or receive any gift, bonus, premium, reward or any other compensation to or from any person, including, but not limited to, any for-profit parent, subsidiary or the affiliate of any licensee and any entity whether or not legally recognized by the Commonwealth for business purposes that provide debt management services for referring a consumer to the licensee or to another licensee or person.
(18) The licensee or any business entity in which any director, owner, officer, employee or principal of the licensee, or any member of such person's immediate family as defined in 65 Pa.C.S. § 1102, has an equitable, beneficial or other ownership interest, shall not offer or pay an incentive, including a gift, bonus, premium, reward or any other compensation to a consumer for executing a debt management services agreement with the licensee.
Credits
2008, Oct. 9, P.L. 1421, No. 117, § 14, effective in 120 days [Feb. 6, 2009].
63 P.S. § 2414, PA ST 63 P.S. § 2414
Current through 2023 Regular Session Act 7. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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