(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to transact business in this state as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or agent, except in certain transactions exempt under section 8-1111, unless he or she is registered under the Securities Act of Nebraska. It shall be unlawful for any broker-dealer to employ an agent for purposes of effecting or attempting to effect transactions in this state unless the agent is registered. It shall be unlawful for an issuer to employ an agent unless the issuer is registered as an issuer-dealer and unless the agent is registered. The registration of an agent shall not be effective unless the agent is employed by a broker-dealer or issuer-dealer registered under the act. When the agent begins or terminates employment with a registered broker-dealer or issuer-dealer, the broker-dealer or issuer-dealer shall promptly notify the director.

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(2)(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to transact business in this state as an investment adviser or as an investment adviser representative unless he or she is registered under the act.

(b) Except with respect to federal covered advisers whose only clients are those described in subdivision (7)(g)(i) of section 8-1101, it shall be unlawful for any federal covered adviser to conduct advisory business in this state unless such person files with the director the documents which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the director may by rule and regulation or order require, a consent to service of process, and payment of the fee prescribed in subsection (6) of this section prior to acting as a federal covered adviser in this state.

(c)(i) It shall be unlawful for any investment adviser required to be registered under the Securities Act of Nebraska to employ an investment adviser representative unless the investment adviser representative is registered under the act.

(ii) It shall be unlawful for any federal covered adviser to employ, supervise, or associate with an investment adviser representative having a place of business located in this state unless such investment adviser representative is registered under the Securities Act of Nebraska or is exempt from registration.

(d) The registration of an investment adviser representative shall not be effective unless the investment adviser representative is employed by a registered investment adviser or a federal covered adviser. When an investment adviser representative begins or terminates employment with an investment adviser, the investment adviser shall promptly notify the director. When an investment adviser representative begins or terminates employment with a federal covered adviser, the investment adviser representative shall promptly notify the director.

(3) A broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative may apply for registration by filing with the director an application and payment of the fee prescribed in subsection (6) of this section. If the applicant is an individual, the application shall include the applicant’s social security number. Registration of a broker-dealer or issuer-dealer shall automatically constitute registration of all partners, limited liability company members, officers, or directors of such broker-dealer or issuer-dealer as agents, except any partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director whose registration as an agent is denied, suspended, or revoked under subsection (9) of this section, without the filing of applications for registration as agents or the payment of fees for registration as agents. The application shall contain whatever information the director requires concerning such matters as:

(a) The applicant’s form and place of organization;

(b) The applicant’s proposed method of doing business;

(c) The qualifications and business history of the applicant and, in the case of a broker-dealer or investment adviser, the qualifications and business history of any partner, limited liability company member, officer, director, person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions of a partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director, or person directly or indirectly controlling the broker-dealer or investment adviser;

(d) Any injunction or administrative order or conviction of a misdemeanor involving a security or any aspect of the securities business and any conviction of a felony;

(e) The applicant’s financial condition and history; and

(f) Information to be furnished or disseminated to any client or prospective client if the applicant is an investment adviser.

(4)(a) If no denial order is in effect and no proceeding is pending under subsection (9) of this section, registration shall become effective at noon of the thirtieth day after an application is filed, complete with all amendments. The director may specify an earlier effective date.

(b) The director shall require as conditions of registration:

(i) That the applicant, except for renewal, and, in the case of a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company, the officers, directors, partners, or limited liability company members pass such examination or examinations as the director may prescribe as evidence of knowledge of the securities business;

(ii) That an issuer-dealer and its agents pass an examination prescribed and administered by the department. Such examination shall be administered upon request and upon payment of an examination fee of five dollars. Any applicant for issuer-dealer registration who has satisfactorily passed any other examination approved by the director shall be exempted from this requirement upon furnishing evidence of satisfactory completion of such examination to the director;

(iii) That an issuer-dealer have a minimum net capital of twenty-five thousand dollars. In lieu of a minimum net capital requirement of twenty-five thousand dollars, the director may require an issuer-dealer to post a corporate surety bond with a surety company licensed to do business in Nebraska in an amount equal to such capital requirements. When the director finds that a surety bond with a surety company would cause an undue burden on an issuer-dealer, the director may require the issuer-dealer to post a signature bond. Every such surety or signature bond shall run in favor of Nebraska, shall provide for an action thereon by any person who has a cause of action under section 8-1118, and shall provide that no action may be maintained to enforce any liability on the bond unless brought within the time periods specified by section 8-1118 ;

(iv) That a broker-dealer have such minimum net capital as the director may by rule and regulation or order require, subject to the limitations provided in section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In lieu of any such minimum net capital requirement, the director may by rule and regulation or order require a broker-dealer to post a corporate surety bond with a surety company licensed to do business in Nebraska in an amount equal to such capital requirement, subject to the limitations of section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Every such surety bond shall run in favor of Nebraska, shall provide for an action thereon by any person who has a cause of action under section 8-1118, and shall provide that no action may be maintained to enforce any liability on the bond unless brought within the time periods specified by section 8-1118 ; and

(v) That an investment adviser have such minimum net capital as the director may by rule and regulation or order require, subject to the limitations of section 222 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, which may include different requirements for those investment advisers who maintain custody of clients’ funds or securities or who have discretionary authority over such funds or securities and those investment advisers who do not. In lieu of any such minimum net capital requirement, the director may require by rule and regulation or order an investment adviser to post a corporate surety bond with a surety company licensed to do business in Nebraska in an amount equal to such capital requirement, subject to the limitations of section 222 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Every such surety bond shall run in favor of Nebraska, shall provide for an action thereon by any person who has a cause of action under section 8-1118, and shall provide that no action may be maintained to enforce any liability on the bond unless brought within the time periods specified by section 8-1118.

(c) The director may waive the requirement of an examination for any applicant who by reason of prior experience can demonstrate his or her knowledge of the securities business. Registration of a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser, and investment adviser representative shall be effective for a period of not more than one year and shall expire on December 31 unless renewed. Registration of an issuer-dealer shall be effective for a period of not more than one year and may be renewed as provided in this section. Notice filings by a federal covered adviser shall be effective for a period of not more than one year and shall expire on December 31 unless renewed.

(d) The director may restrict or limit an applicant as to any function or activity in this state for which registration is required under the Securities Act of Nebraska.

(5) Registration of a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative may be renewed by filing with the director or with a registration depository designated by the director prior to the expiration date such information as the director by rule and regulation or order may require to indicate any material change in the information contained in the original application or any renewal application for registration as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative previously filed with the director by the applicant, and payment of the prescribed fee. A federal covered adviser may renew its notice filing by filing with the director prior to the expiration thereof the documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the director by rule and regulation or order may require, a consent to service of process, and the prescribed fee.

(6) The fee for initial or renewal registration shall be two hundred fifty dollars for a broker-dealer, two hundred dollars for an investment adviser, one hundred dollars for an issuer-dealer, forty dollars for an agent, and forty dollars for an investment adviser representative. The fee for initial or renewal filings for a federal covered adviser shall be two hundred dollars. When an application is denied or withdrawn, the director shall retain all of the fee.

(7)(a) Every registered broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, and investment adviser shall make and keep such accounts, correspondence, memoranda, papers, books, and other records as the director may prescribe by rule and regulation or order, except as provided by section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in connection with broker-dealers, and section 222 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, in connection with investment advisers. All records so required shall be preserved for such period as the director may prescribe by rule and regulation or order.

(b) All the records of a registered broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser shall be subject at any time or from time to time to such reasonable periodic, special, or other examinations by representatives of the director, within or without this state, as the director deems necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors and advisory clients. For the purpose of avoiding unnecessary duplication of examinations, the director, insofar as he or she deems it practicable in administering this subsection, may cooperate with the securities administrators of other states, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and any national securities exchange or national securities association registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Costs of such examinations shall be borne by the registrant.

(c) Every registered broker-dealer, except as provided in section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and investment adviser, except as provided by section 222 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, shall file such financial reports as the director may prescribe by rule and regulation or order.

(d) If any information contained in any document filed with the director is or becomes inaccurate or incomplete in any material respect, a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative shall promptly file a correcting amendment or a federal covered adviser shall file a correcting amendment when such amendment is required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

(8) With respect to investment advisers, the director may require that certain information be furnished or disseminated to clients as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors and advisory clients. To the extent determined by the director in his or her discretion, information furnished to clients of an investment adviser that would be in compliance with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations under such act may be used in whole or in part to satisfy the information requirement prescribed in this subsection.

(9)(a) The director may by order deny, suspend, or revoke registration of any broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative or bar, censure, or impose a fine pursuant to subsection (4) of section 8-1108.01 on any registrant or any partner, limited liability company member, officer, director, or person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions of a partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director for a registrant from employment with any broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser if he or she finds that the order is in the public interest and that the applicant or registrant or, in the case of a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser, any partner, limited liability company member, officer, director, person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions of a partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director, or person directly or indirectly controlling the broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser:

(i) Has filed an application for registration under this section which, as of any date after filing in the case of an order denying effectiveness, was incomplete in any material respect or contained any statement which was, in the light of the circumstances under which it was made, false or misleading with respect to any material fact;

(ii) Has willfully violated or willfully failed to comply with any provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska or any rule and regulation or order under the act;

(iii) Has been convicted, within the past ten years, of any misdemeanor involving a security or commodity or any aspect of the securities or commodities business or any felony;

(iv) Is permanently or temporarily enjoined by any court of competent jurisdiction from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice involving any aspect of the securities or commodities business;

(v) Is the subject of an order of the director denying, suspending, or revoking registration as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative;

(vi) Is the subject of an adjudication or determination, after notice and opportunity for hearing, within the past ten years by a securities or commodities agency or administrator of another state or a court of competent jurisdiction that the person has willfully violated the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Commodity Exchange Act, or the securities or commodities law of any other state;

(vii) Has engaged in dishonest or unethical practices in the securities or commodities business;

(viii) Is insolvent, either in the sense that his or her liabilities exceed his or her assets or in the sense that he or she cannot meet his or her obligations as they mature, but the director may not enter an order against a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser under this subdivision without a finding of insolvency as to the broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser;

(ix) Has not complied with a condition imposed by the director under subsection (4) of this section or is not qualified on the basis of such factors as training, experience, or knowledge of the securities business;

(x) Has failed to pay the proper filing fee, but the director may enter only a denial order under this subdivision, and he or she shall vacate any such order when the deficiency has been corrected;

(xi) Has failed to reasonably supervise his or her agents or employees, if he or she is a broker-dealer or issuer-dealer, or his or her investment adviser representatives or employees, if he or she is an investment adviser, to assure their compliance with the Securities Act of Nebraska;

(xii) Has been denied the right to do business in the securities industry, or the person’s respective authority to do business in an investment-related industry has been revoked by any other state, federal, or foreign governmental agency or self-regulatory organization for cause, or the person has been the subject of a final order in a criminal, civil, injunctive, or administrative action for securities, commodities, or fraud-related violations of the law of any state, federal, or foreign governmental unit; or

(xiii) Has refused to allow or otherwise impedes the department from conducting an examination under subsection (7) of this section or has refused the department access to a registrant’s office to conduct an examination under subsection (7) of this section.

(b) The director may by order bar any person from engaging in the securities business in this state if the director finds that the order is in the public interest and that the person has:

(i) Willfully violated or willfully failed to comply with any provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska or any rule and regulation or order under the act; or

(ii) Engaged in dishonest or unethical practices in the securities business, which activity at the time was subject to regulation by the Securities Act of Nebraska.

(c)(i) For purposes of subdivisions (9)(a)(vii) and (9)(b)(ii) of this section, the director may, by rule and regulation or order, determine that a violation of any provision of the fair practice or ethical rules or standards promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or a self-regulatory organization approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission constitutes a dishonest or unethical practice in the securities or commodities business.

(ii) The director may not institute a proceeding under this section on the basis of a final judicial or administrative order made known to him or her by the applicant prior to the effective date of the registration unless the proceeding is instituted within the next ninety days following registration. For purposes of this subdivision, a final judicial or administrative order does not include an order that is stayed or subject to further review or appeal. This subdivision shall not apply to renewed registrations.

(iii) The director may by order summarily postpone or suspend registration pending final determination of any proceeding under this subsection. Upon the entry of the order, the director shall promptly notify the applicant or registrant, as well as the employer or prospective employer if the applicant or registrant is an agent or investment adviser representative, that it has been entered and of the reasons therefor and that within fifteen business days after the receipt of a written request the matter will be set down for hearing. If no hearing is requested within fifteen business days of the issuance of the order and none is ordered by the director, the order shall automatically become a final order and shall remain in effect until it is modified or vacated by the director. If a hearing is requested or ordered, the director, after notice of and opportunity for hearing, shall enter his or her written findings of fact and conclusions of law and may affirm, modify, or vacate the order. No order may be entered under this section denying or revoking registration without appropriate prior notice to the applicant or registrant, as well as the employer or prospective employer if the applicant or registrant is an agent or investment adviser representative, and opportunity for hearing.

(10)(a) If the director finds that any registrant or applicant for registration is no longer in existence or has ceased to do business as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative, is subject to an adjudication of mental incompetence or to the control of a committee, conservator, or guardian, or cannot be located after reasonable search, the director may by order cancel the registration or application.

(b) If an applicant for registration does not complete the registration application and fails to respond to a notice or notices from the department to correct the deficiency or deficiencies for a period of one hundred twenty days or more after the date the department sends the initial notice to correct the deficiency, the department may deem the registration application as abandoned and may issue a notice of abandonment of the registration application to the applicant in lieu of proceedings to deny the application.

(c) Withdrawal from registration as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative shall become effective thirty days after receipt of an application to withdraw or within a shorter period of time as the director may determine unless a revocation or suspension proceeding is pending when the application is filed or a proceeding to revoke or suspend or to impose conditions upon the withdrawal is instituted within thirty days after the application is filed. If a revocation or suspension proceeding is pending or instituted, withdrawal shall become effective at such time and upon such conditions as the director shall order.