Sec. 1. The following words, when used in this chapter, shall have the meaning ascribed to them unless the context clearly requires a different meaning:

(1) “Person” includes individuals, sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies, trusts, joint ventures, corporations, unincorporated organizations, other entities, and their affiliates, however organized.

(2) “Debt management company” is any person doing business as a budget counseling, credit counseling, debt management, or debt pooling service or holding the person out, by words of similar import, as providing services to debtors in the management of their debts, and having a written agreement with the debtor to disburse money or anything of value. The term includes the following:

(A) A person that simply holds any money, funds, check, personal check, money order, personal money order, draft, or any other instrument for the transmission of money.

(B) A person or an entity known as a “budget service company”.

The term does not include a person that provides debt settlement services (as defined in IC 24-5-15-2.5).

(3) “License” means a license issued under the provisions of this chapter.

(4) “Licensee” means any person to whom a license has been issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

(5) “Contract debtor” means a debtor who has entered into a written agreement with a licensee.

(6) “Debt” means an obligation arising out of personal, family, or household use.

(7) “Debtor” means an individual whose principal debts and obligations arise out of personal, family, or household use and not out of business purpose transactions.

(8) “Department” means the members of the department of financial institutions.

(9) “Indiana contract debtor” means a contract debtor whose principal residence is located in Indiana.

(10) “Affiliate” means a person that, directly or indirectly, through one (1) or more intermediaries:

(A) controls;

(B) is controlled by; or

(C) is under common control with;

a person subject to this chapter.

(11) “Fee” means the total amount of money charged to a contract debtor by a debt management company for the administration of a debt management plan.

(12) “Plan” means a written debt repayment program in which a debt management company furnishes debt management services to a contract debtor and that includes a schedule of payments to be made by or on behalf of the contract debtor and used to pay debts owed by the contract debtor.

(13) “Principal amount of the debt” means the total amount of a debt at the time the contract debtor enters into an agreement.

(14) “Agreement” means an agreement between a debt management company and a debtor for the performance of debt management services.

(15) “Trust account” means an account held by a licensee that is:

(A) established in a bank insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;

(B) separate from other accounts held by the licensee;

(C) except as otherwise permitted under section 9(a) of this chapter, maintained specifically for the benefit of the licensee’s Indiana contract debtors;

(D) designated as a trust account indicating that the money in the trust account is not the money of the licensee; and

(E) used to hold money of one (1) or more Indiana contract debtors for disbursement to creditors of the Indiana contract debtors.

(16) “Month” means a calendar month.

(17) “Day” means a calendar day.

(18) “Concessions” means assent to repayment of a debt on terms more favorable to a contract debtor than the terms of the contract between that debtor and a creditor.

(19) “Good faith” means honesty in fact and the observance of reasonable standards of fair dealing.

(20) “Control of a related interest” refers to a situation in which a person, directly or indirectly, or through or in concert with one (1) or more other persons, possesses any of the following:

(A) The ownership of, control of, or power to vote at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the voting securities of a related interest.

(B) The control in any manner of the election of a majority of the directors of a related interest.

(C) The power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a related interest. For purposes of this clause, a person is presumed to have control, including the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of the related interest, if the person:

(i) is an executive officer or a director of the related interest and directly or indirectly owns, controls, or has the power to vote more than ten percent (10%) of any class of voting securities of the related interest; or

(ii) directly or indirectly owns, controls, or has the power to vote more than ten percent (10%) of any class of voting securities of the related interest and no other person owns, controls, or has the power to vote a greater percentage of that class of voting securities.

(21) “Lead generator” means a person that, in the regular course of business:

(A) supplies a debt management company with the name of a potential contract debtor;

(B) directs an individual to contact or communicate with a debt management company; or

(C) otherwise refers a debtor to a debt management company.

Formerly: Acts 1971, P.L.397, SEC.1; Acts 1972, P.L.10, SEC.6. As amended by P.L.14-1992, SEC.107; P.L.42-1993, SEC.46; P.L.196-1996, SEC.1; P.L.90-2008, SEC.27; P.L.35-2010, SEC.119; P.L.89-2011, SEC.36; P.L.216-2013, SEC.20.