(1) A licensee may transact business under this part only under the legal name under which the person is licensed. The use of a fictitious name is allowed if the fictitious name has been registered with the Department of State and disclosed to the office as part of an initial license application, or subsequent amendment to the application, prior to its use.
(2) At the time a licensee accepts a payment instrument that is cashed by the licensee, the payment instrument must be endorsed using the legal name under which the licensee is licensed.
(3) A licensee under this part must maintain and deposit payment instruments into its own commercial account at a federally insured financial institution. If a licensee ceases to maintain such a depository account, the licensee must not engage in check cashing until the licensee reestablishes such an account and notifies the office of the account as required by s. 560.126(4).
(4) A licensee may not accept or cash a payment instrument from a person who is not the original payee; however, this subsection does not prohibit a licensee from accepting or cashing a corporate payment instrument from a conductor who is an authorized officer of the corporate payee named on the instrument’s face.
(5) A licensee must report all suspicious activity to the office in accordance with the criteria in 31 C.F.R. 1022.320. In lieu of filing such reports, the commission may prescribe by rule that the licensee may file such reports with an appropriate regulator.
(6) Each location of a licensee where checks are cashed must be equipped with a security camera system that is capable of recording and retrieving an image in order to assist in identifying and apprehending an offender. The licensee does not have to install a security camera system if the licensee has installed a bulletproof or bullet-resistant partition or enclosure in the area where checks are cashed.
(7) The commission may by rule require a check casher to display its license and post a notice listing its charges for cashing payment instruments.
(8) Exclusive of the direct costs of verification, which shall be established by rule not to exceed $5, a check casher may not:

(a) Charge fees, except as otherwise provided by this part, in excess of 5 percent of the face amount of the payment instrument, or $5, whichever is greater;
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 560.309

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Appropriate regulator: means a state, federal, or foreign agency that has been granted authority to enforce state, federal, or foreign laws related to a money services business or deferred presentment provider. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Cashing: means providing currency for payment instruments except for travelers checks. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Check casher: means a person who sells currency in exchange for payment instruments received, except travelers checks. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Commission: means the Financial Services Commission. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Conductor: means a natural person who presents himself or herself to a licensee for purposes of cashing a payment instrument. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Corporate payment instrument: means a payment instrument on which the payee named on the instrument's face is other than a natural person. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Department: means the Department of Financial Services. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Licensee: means a person licensed under this chapter. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Location: means a branch office, mobile location, or location of an authorized vendor whose business activity is regulated under this chapter. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Office: means the Office of Financial Regulation of the commission. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Payment instrument: means a check, draft, warrant, money order, travelers check, electronic instrument, or other instrument used for the transmission, exchange, or payment of currency or monetary value, regardless of whether it is negotiable. See Florida Statutes 560.103
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, association, trust, corporation, limited liability company, or other group, however organized, but does not include a public agency or instrumentality thereof. See Florida Statutes 560.103
(b) Charge fees in excess of 3 percent of the face amount of the payment instrument, or $5, whichever is greater, if such payment instrument is the payment of any kind of state public assistance or federal social security benefit payable to the bearer of the payment instrument; or
(c) Charge fees for personal checks or money orders in excess of 10 percent of the face amount of those payment instruments, or $5, whichever is greater.
(9) A licensee cashing payment instruments may not assess the cost of collections, other than fees for insufficient funds as provided by law, without a judgment from a court of competent jurisdiction.
(10) If a check is returned to a licensee from a payor financial institution due to lack of funds, a closed account, or a stop-payment order, the licensee may seek collection pursuant to s. 68.065. In seeking collection, the licensee must comply with the prohibitions against harassment or abuse, false or misleading representations, and unfair practices in the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. ss. 1692d, 1692e, and 1692f. A violation of this subsection is a deceptive and unfair trade practice and constitutes a violation of the Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act under part II of chapter 501. In addition, a licensee must comply with the applicable provisions of the Consumer Collection Practices Act under part VI of chapter 559, including s. 559.77.
(11) A licensee may not cash corporate checks where the aggregate face amount of all corporate checks cashed for each payee exceeds 200 percent of the payee’s workers’ compensation policy payroll amount during the same dates as the workers’ compensation policy coverage period.
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