Chapter 6. Prohibited Practices And Penalties of California Financial Code >> Division 7. >> Chapter 6.

Except as otherwise provided in this division, any person who willfully violates any provision of this division, or who willfully violates any rule or order adopted pursuant to this division, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code, or by both that fine and imprisonment. However, no person may be imprisoned for the violation of any rule or order unless he or she had knowledge of the rule or order. Conviction under this section shall not preclude the commissioner from exercising the authority provided in Section 18349.5.

An industrial loan company shall not, directly or indirectly, make any loan of money or property to or guarantee the obligation of any of its directors or officers, or officers and directors of its holding company, or officers and directors of its affiliates.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), an industrial loan company shall not make loans to, or purchase any obligations from, persons who do not reside or have a place of business in the State of California, unless those loans or obligations comply with all of the following conditions:
  (1) If the loan or obligation is unsecured, then only if the loan or obligation bears the unqualified written guaranty of a financially responsible person, considering the amount of the obligation, who resides or has a place of business in the State of California.
  (2) If the documents and security for the loan or obligation and all records relating to the transaction are in California at the time the loan or obligation is made or acquired and are thereafter kept in California while the loan or obligation remains unsatisfied, except that where the security is aircraft, the security need not be in California at the time the loan or obligation is made or acquired, nor need it thereafter be held in California while the loan or obligation remains unsatisfied.
  (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), an industrial loan company may make loans to, or purchase any obligations from, persons who do not reside or have a place of business in the State of California not to exceed 25 percent, in the aggregate, of an industrial loan company's total assets. Upon application to and approval by the commissioner, an industrial loan company may increase its loans to, or purchases of obligations from, persons who do not reside or have a place of business in this state not to exceed 50 percent, in the aggregate, of an industrial loan company's total assets. The application shall include all of the following information:
  (1) A description of the company's proposed plan of business.
  (2) The character, business qualifications, and other experience of the proposed officers and managers directing the line of business for which authorization is requested.
  (3) Any other facts and circumstances bearing on the proposal that, as determined by the commissioner, may be relevant.
  (c) This section does not apply to loans made to, or acquired from, persons who do not reside or have a place of business in this state if all of the following conditions are met:
  (1) The loans are for the purchase or refinance of single- or multi-family residential property or nonresidential property.
  (2) The loans are salable in the secondary market as evidenced by commitments to buy by a buyer in the secondary market.
  (3) The loans are owned by the industrial loan company for 90 days or less.

If a loan is made or other thing is purchased or discounted in violation of Section 18271, 18272, 18273, 18274, or 18437, the officers, directors and shareholders of the industrial loan company, its holding company, or its affiliates participating therein or knowingly approving the same shall be personally liable for any loss suffered by the industrial loan company by reason thereof.

If any amount in excess of the charges permitted by this division, including interest, is charged, contracted for, or received in the making or collection of a contract of loan, except as a result of an accidental and bona fide error in computation, such contract is void and no person has any right to collect or receive the principal, interest, or charges.

An industrial loan company shall not take any confession of judgment or any power of attorney at the time of making the loan except a power of attorney taken to effectuate the transfer of the ownership of any motor vehicle, the transfer of the ownership of securities, or the cancellation of an insurance policy and the receipt and distribution of any unearned premiums in the event of default in the payment of a loan made to finance the purchase of any such insurance policy.

No person in connection with or incidental to the making of any loan under this division, shall require the borrower to contract for, purchase, or agree to purchase anything in connection with the loan. A policy of insurance of the type specified in Article 6 (commencing with Section 18290) of Chapter 3 of this division is not prohibited by this section. No person shall require a borrower to enter into any collateral sales agreement or contract except as expressly permitted by this division.

An industrial loan company shall not make any loan of money or property to or guarantee the obligation of any person upon the security of its capital (including the shares of capital stock) of the company, its holding company, or its affiliates.

If any loan or guaranty is made in violation of Section 18436 or 18442, the directors and officers who authorize it or assent thereto are jointly and severally liable to the company as guarantors for the repayment or return of the sum or value so loaned with interest thereon at the rate of 6 percent per year until paid.

Any officer or director held liable under Section 18443, who satisfies such liability is entitled to contribution from any other officer or director who participates in authorizing, making or allowing any such loan or guaranty, and is subrogated to all rights of the corporation against the borrower or principal obligor.

Any director, officer, or employee of an industrial loan company, its holding company, or its affiliates who asks for or receives, or consents or agrees to receive any commission, emolument, or gratuity or any money, property, or thing of value for procuring or endeavoring to procure for any person any loan from such company, or the purchase or discount of any note, contract, or other obligation or property by such company, is guilty of a felony.

Any director, officer, or employee of an industrial loan company, its holding company, or its affiliates who knowingly receives or possesses himself of any of its property otherwise than in payment of a just demand, or with intent to defraud, omits to make or causes to be made a full and true entry thereof in its books and accounts or concurs in omitting to make any material entry thereof, is guilty of a felony.

Any director, officer, or employee of an industrial loan company, its holding company, or its affiliates who knowingly makes or concurs in making or publishing any false entry in its books or records, any written report, exhibit, or statement of its affairs or pecuniary condition containing any material statement which is false, or having the custody of its books, willfully refuses or neglects to make any proper entry in such books as required by law, or to exhibit or allow the same to be inspected or extracts to be taken therefrom by the commissioner or his deputies or investigators, is guilty of a felony.

No director, officer, stockholder, or employee of an industrial loan company, its holding company, or its affiliates shall purchase, directly or indirectly, or be interested in the purchase of, any of the company's assets for an amount less than the then current market value thereof and any such purchase may not be made without the express approval of the board of directors of the company. Title and possession of assets shall not be transferred to the purchaser until full consideration in cash has been received by the industrial loan company. Every person violating this section shall be liable to the company for twice the market value of the assets so purchased.

Every director of an industrial loan company who:

(a) In the case of the fraudulent insolvency of such company, shall have participated in such fraud; or

(b) Willfully does any act as such director which is expressly forbidden by law or willfully omits to perform any duty imposed upon him as such director by law,

is guilty of a misdemeanor. The insolvency of a company is deemed fraudulent for the purposes of this section, unless its affairs appear upon investigation to have been administered clearly, legally, and with the same care and diligence that agents receiving a compensation for their services are bound by law, to observe.

A director, officer, or employee of an industrial loan company, its holding company, or its affiliates who concurs in any vote or act by which it is intended to make a loan or purchase a contract in violation of this division, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

A director, officer, or employee of an industrial loan company, its holding company, or its affiliates who makes or maintains, or attempts to make or maintain, a deposit of such company' s funds with any other person on condition, or with the understanding, express or implied, that the person receiving such deposit make a loan or advance, directly or indirectly, to any director, officer, or employee of the company so making or maintaining or attempting to make or maintain such deposit, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Every officer or employee of an industrial loan company, its holding company, or its affiliates who sells investment or thrift certificates knowing that the company is insolvent, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Any person who knowingly sells investment certificates in violation of any provision of this division or any order or regulation of the commissioner, is guilty of a felony.

Any director, officer, agent or employee of an industrial loan company, its holding company, or its affiliates who willfully makes a false or untrue entry in any book or record or in any report, tag, or statement of the business, affairs, or condition, or in connection with any transaction of such company, with intent to deceive any officer, director, or employee thereof, or any agent or examiner, private or official, employed or lawfully appointed to examine into its condition or any of its affairs or transactions, or to any public officer who has authority to examine into its affairs or transactions, or who, with like intent, willfully omits to make a new entry of any matter particularly pertaining to the business property condition, affairs, transactions, assets or accounts of such company in any book, record, report, statement, or tag of such company, or who, with like intent, alters, abstracts, conceals, or destroys any book, record, report, statement, or tag of such company made, written, or kept, or required to be made, written, or kept by him or under his direction, is guilty of a felony.

It is unlawful for any person to willfully make any untrue statement of a material fact in any document filed with the commissioner under this division, or to willfully omit to state in any document any material fact which is required to be stated therein.

An industrial loan company shall not, directly or indirectly, make any loan to, or purchase a contract, loan, or chose in action from, hold a lease obligation of, or purchase a lease contract from, any of the following:
  (a) A person who is an officer or director of the industrial loan company or of its holding or affiliated company.
  (b) A person who is a holder of record or beneficiary of the shares of the industrial loan company or of any holding or affiliated company. This restriction shall not apply to persons holding less than 10 percent of the shares of a holding company or affiliated company that is exempt from the qualification requirements of the Corporate Securities Law of 1968 contained in Section 25130 of the Corporations Code, pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 25101 of the Corporations Code.
  (c) A person in which an officer or director of the industrial loan company or of any holding or affiliated company directly or indirectly is financially interested, directly or indirectly.
  (d) A person in which the holder of record or beneficiary of the shares of the industrial loan company or of any holding or affiliated company directly or indirectly is financially interested, directly or indirectly. This restriction shall not apply to persons holding less than 10 percent of the shares of a holding company or affiliated company that is exempt from the qualification requirements of the Corporate Securities Law of 1968 contained in Section 25130 of the Corporations Code, pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 25101 of the Corporations Code.
  (e) A person who acquired those contracts directly or indirectly or through intervening assignments from a person described in subdivision (a), (b), (c), or (d). Any officer, director, or shareholder of an industrial loan company who directly or indirectly makes or procures, or participates in making or procuring, a loan or contract in violation of this section or knowingly approves the same is personally liable for any loss resulting to an industrial loan company from the loan or contract, in addition to any other penalties provided by law.
  (f) The prohibition contained in this section shall not apply to the purchase by an industrial loan company of a contract, loan, or chose in action from a finance lender, as described in Section 22009, a mortgage broker, a mortgage banker, a real estate broker or other licensed lender, provided written authorization for the purchase is obtained from the commissioner.
  (g) The prohibition contained in this section shall not apply to the purchase of life insurance by an industrial loan company on behalf of an officer or director as part of the officer's or director' s employee benefit plan package.
  (h) The prohibition contained in this section shall not apply to the following transactions:
  (1) A transaction between an industrial loan company and a subsidiary corporation or other entity in which the industrial loan company is the owner of 50 percent or more of the common stock or equity interest, or directly controls the management of the corporation or other entity.
  (2) The purchase of loans or other obligations by an industrial loan company from an affiliated company pursuant to a sale and repurchase agreement.

The provisions of this chapter shall be applicable to lease obligations.

Any officer, director, employee, or agent of any company who abstracts or willfully misapplies any of the money, funds, or property of the industrial loan company, or willfully misapplies its credit, is guilty of a felony. Upon conviction, the court shall, in addition to any other punishment imposed, order the person to make full restitution to the industrial loan company. Nothing in this section shall be deemed or construed to repeal, amend, or impair any existing provision of law prescribing a punishment for such an offense.