(a) It is unlawful for any entity to make, publish, disseminate, circulate, or place before the public, or cause, directly or indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated, circulated or placed before the public, in a newspaper, magazine or other publication, or in the form of a notice, circular, pamphlet, letter or poster or over the internet or any radio or television, or in any other way, an advertisement, announcement or statement containing any assertion, representation, or statement with respect to the sale, distribution, offering for sale or advertising of any loan, refinance, insurance or any other product or service that is untrue, deceptive, misleading, or that uses the name or logo of any other lender without the express written consent of the lender whose name is used. For purposes of this section, “lender” means any bank, savings and loan association, savings bank, trust company, credit union, industrial loan and thrift company, mortgage company, mortgage broker, or any subsidiary or affiliate thereof.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 45-2-1720

  • Bank: means any person, as hereinafter defined, doing a banking business subject to the laws of this or any other jurisdiction and, for the purposes of supervision, examination and liquidation, includes industrial investment companies and industrial banks authorized by chapter 5 of this title. See Tennessee Code 45-1-103
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of financial institutions. See Tennessee Code 45-1-103
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • 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.
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, firm, trust, estate, partnership, joint venture, or association. See Tennessee Code 45-1-103
  • Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
  • Savings and loan association: includes a building and loan association, a federal or state savings and loan association, a federal savings bank, and any other financial institution, the accounts of which are insured by the [former] federal savings and loan insurance corporation (FSLIC) or any successor [repealed] of such corporation. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Trust company: means a state trust company or any other company chartered to act as a fiduciary that is neither a depository institution nor a foreign bank. See Tennessee Code 45-1-103
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) Each solicitation to an individual in violation of this section shall be considered a separate act. The commissioner of financial institutions, the commissioner of commerce and insurance, and the attorney general and reporter are entitled to enforce this section against any regulated entity within their jurisdiction or against any other person. The commissioners shall have authority to issue a cease and desist order and to impose a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000) per violation.
(c) Any lender whose name or logo is used in violation of this section is entitled to sue for damages, which shall include any actual damages, statutory penalties of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per violation, and court costs and attorney’s fees.
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