It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Sections 19-14-1 and 19-14-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 19-14 entitled "Licensed Activities" are hereby amended to read as follows:

19-14-1. Definitions -- For purposes of this chapter and chapters 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4 and 14.5:

(1) "Check" means any check, draft, money order, personal money order, or other instrument for the transmission or payment of money. For the purposes of check cashing, travelers checks or foreign denomination instruments shall not be considered checks. "Check cashing" means providing currency for checks.

(2) "Deliver" means to deliver a check to the first person who in payment for the check makes or purports to make a remittance of or against the face amount of the check, whether or not the deliverer also charges a fee in addition to the face amount, and whether or not the deliverer signs the check.

(3) "Electronic money transfer" means receiving money for transmission within the United States or to locations abroad by any means including, but not limited to, wire, facsimile or other electronic transfer system.

(4) "Lender" means any person who makes or funds a loan within this state with the person's own funds, regardless of whether the person is the nominal mortgagee or creditor on the instrument evidencing the loan.

(b) The term "lender" shall also include any person engaged in a transaction whereby the person makes or funds a loan within this state using the proceeds of an advance under a line of credit over which proceeds the person has dominion and control and for the repayment of which the person is unconditionally liable. This transaction is not a table funding transaction. A person is deemed to have dominion and control over the proceeds of an advance under a line of credit used to fund a loan regardless of whether:

(i) The person may, contemporaneously with or shortly following the funding of the loan, assign or deliver to the line of credit lender one or more loans funded by the proceeds of an advance to the person under the line of credit;

(ii) The proceeds of an advance are delivered directly to the settlement agent by the line of credit lender, unless the settlement agent is the agent of the line of credit lender;

(iii) One or more loans funded by the proceeds of an advance under the line of credit is purchased by the line of credit lender; or

(iv) Under the circumstances as set forth in regulations adopted by the director or the director's designee pursuant to this chapter.

(5) "Licensee" means an entity licensed under this chapter.

(6) "Loan" means any advance of money or credit including, but not limited to:

(i) Loans secured by mortgages;

(ii) Insurance premium finance contracts;

(iii) The purchase or acquisition of retail installment contracts or advances to the holders thereof;

(iv) Educational loans; or

(v) Any other advance of money.

(7) "Loan broker" means any person who, for compensation or gain, or in the expectation of compensation or gain, either directly or indirectly, solicits, processes, negotiates, places or sells a loan within this state for others in the primary market, or offers to do so. A loan broker shall also mean any person who is the nominal mortgagee or creditor in a table funding transaction. A loan is brokered within this state if any of the following conditions exist:

(8) "Personal money order" means any instrument for the transmission or payment of money in relation to which the purchaser or remitter appoints or purports to appoint the seller as his or her agent for the receipt, transmission, or handling of money, whether the instrument is signed by the seller or by the purchaser or remitter or some other person.

(9) "Primary market" means the market in which loans are made to borrowers by lenders, whether or not through a loan broker or other conduit.

(10) "Principal owner" means any person who owns, controls, votes or has a beneficial interest in, directly or indirectly, ten percent (10%) or more of the outstanding capital stock of a licensee.

(11) "Sell" means to sell, to issue, or to deliver a check.

(12) "Small loan" means a loan of less than five thousand dollars ($5,000), not secured by real estate, made pursuant to the provisions of chapter 14.2 of this title.

(13) "Small loan lender" means a lender engaged in the business of making small loans within this state.

(14) "Table funding transaction" means a transaction in which there is a contemporaneous advance of funds by a lender and an assignment by the mortgagee or creditor of the loan to the lender.

SECTION 2. Section 19-14-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 19-14 entitled "Licensed Activities" is hereby amended to read as follows:

19-14-2. Licenses required -- Generally -- Other than regulated institutions and other insured-deposit-taking institutions duly organized under the laws of the United States which shall not be subject to this chapter, no person shall engage within this state in the business of:

(1) Making or funding loans or acting as a lender or small loan lender;

(2) Brokering loans or acting as a loan broker;

(3) Selling checks for a fee or other consideration;

(4) Cashing checks for a fee or other consideration which includes any premium charged for the sale of goods in excess of the cash price of the goods; or

(5) Providing electronic money transfers for a fee or other consideration;

without first obtaining a license from the director or the director's designee. Special exemptions from licensing for each activity are contained in other chapters in this title. Any natural person who is employed by a licensee is exempt from the licensing requirement of this chapter when acting on the licensee's behalf.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.