205 ILCS 405/ Currency Exchange Act.
(205 ILCS 405/0.1) Sec. 0.1. Short Title. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the Currency Exchange Act. (Source: P.A. 91‑533, eff. 8‑13‑99.) |
(205 ILCS 405/1) (from Ch. 17, par. 4802) Sec. 1. Definitions; application of Act. For the purposes of this Act: "Community currency exchange" means any person, firm, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation, except an ambulatory currency exchange as hereinafter defined, banks incorporated under the laws of this State and National Banks organized pursuant to the laws of the United States, engaged in the business or service of, and providing facilities for, cashing checks, drafts, money orders or any other evidences of money acceptable to such community currency exchange, for a fee or service charge or other consideration, or engaged in the business of selling or issuing money orders under his or their or its name, or any other money orders (other than United States Post Office money orders, Postal Telegraph Company money orders, or Western Union Telegraph Company money orders), or engaged in both such businesses, or engaged in performing any one or more of the foregoing services. "Ambulatory Currency Exchange" means any person, firm, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation, except banks organized under the laws of this State and National Banks organized pursuant to the laws of the United States, engaged in one or both of the foregoing businesses, or engaged in performing any one or more of the foregoing services, solely on the premises of the employer whose employees are being served. "Location" when used with reference to an ambulatory currency exchange means the premises of the employer whose employees are or are to be served by an ambulatory currency exchange. "Director" means the Director of Financial Institutions. Nothing in this Act shall be held to apply to any person, firm, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation who is engaged primarily in the business of transporting for hire, bullion, currency, securities, negotiable or non‑negotiable documents, jewels or other property of great monetary value and who in the course of such business and only as an incident thereto, cashes checks, drafts, money orders or other evidences of money directly for, or for the employees of and with the funds of and at a cost only to, the person, firm, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation for whom he or it is then actually transporting such bullion, currency, securities, negotiable or non‑negotiable documents, jewels, or other property of great monetary value, pursuant to a written contract for such transportation and all incidents thereof, nor shall it apply to any person, firm, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation engaged in the business of selling tangible personal property at retail who, in the course of such business and only as an incident thereto, cashes checks, drafts, money orders or other evidences of money. (Source: P.A. 90‑545, eff. 1‑1‑98.) |
(205 ILCS 405/2) (from Ch. 17, par. 4803) Sec. 2. License required; violation; injunction. No person, firm, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation shall engage in the business of a community currency exchange or in the business of an ambulatory currency exchange without first securing a license to do so from the Director. Any person, firm, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation issued a license to do so by the Director shall have authority to operate a community currency exchange or an ambulatory currency exchange, as defined in Section 1 hereof. Any person, firm, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation licensed as and engaged in the business of a community currency exchange shall at a minimum offer the service of cashing checks, or drafts, or money orders, or any other evidences of money acceptable to such currency exchange. No ambulatory currency exchange and no community currency exchange shall be conducted on any street, sidewalk or highway used by the public, and no license shall be issued therefor. An ambulatory currency exchange shall be required to and shall secure a license or licenses for the conduct of its business at each and every location served by it, as provided in Section 4 hereof, whether the services at any such location are rendered for or without a fee, service charge or other consideration. Each plant or establishment is deemed a separate location. No license issued for the conduct of its business at one location shall authorize the conduct of its business at any other location, nor shall any license authorize the rendering of services by an ambulatory currency exchange to persons other than the employees of the employer named therein. If the employer named in such license shall move his business from the address therein set forth, such license shall thereupon expire, unless the Director has approved a change of address for such location, as provided in Section 13. Any person, firm, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation that violates this Section shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, and the Attorney General or the State's Attorney of the county in which the violation occurs shall file a complaint in the Circuit Court of the county to restrain the violation. (Source: P.A. 90‑545, eff. 1‑1‑98.) |
(205 ILCS 405/3) (from Ch. 17, par. 4804) Sec. 3. Powers of community currency exchanges. No community or ambulatory currency exchange shall be permitted to accept money or evidences of money as a deposit to be returned to the depositor or upon the depositor's order; and no community or ambulatory currency exchange shall be permitted to act as bailee or agent for persons, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies, associations or corporations to hold money or evidences thereof or the proceeds therefrom for the use and benefit of the owners thereof, and deliver such money or proceeds of evidence of money upon request and direction of such owner or owners; provided, that nothing contained herein shall prevent a community or an ambulatory currency exchange from obtaining state automobile and city vehicle licenses for a fee or service charge, or from rendering a photostat service, or from rendering a notary service either by the proprietor of the currency exchange or any one of its employees, authorized by the State of Illinois to act as a notary public, or from selling travelers cheques obtained by the currency exchange from a banking institution under a trust receipt, or from issuing money orders or from accepting for payment utility bills. Any community or ambulatory currency exchange may enter into an agreement with any utility and other companies to act as its agent for the acceptance of payment of utility and other companies' bills without charge to the utility customer and, acting under such agreement, may receipt for payments in the names of the utility and other companies. Any community or ambulatory currency exchange may also receive payment of utility and other companies' bills for remittance to companies with which it has no such agency agreement and may charge a fee for such service but may not, in such cases, receipt for such payment in the names of the utility and other companies. However, funds received by currency exchanges for remittance to utility and other companies with which the currency exchange has no agency agreement shall be forwarded to the appropriate utility and other companies by the currency exchange before the end of the next business day. (Source: P.A. 90‑545, eff. 1‑1‑98.) |
(205 ILCS 405/3.1) (from Ch. 17, par. 4805) Sec. 3.1. Nothing in this Act shall prevent a currency exchange from rendering State or Federal income tax service; nor shall the rendering of such service be considered a violation of this Act if such service be rendered either by the proprietor or any of his employees. (Source: Laws 1949, p. 336.) |
(205 ILCS 405/3.2) (from Ch. 17, par. 4806) Sec. 3.2. Community currency exchanges and ambulatory currency exchanges may engage in the distribution of food stamps in accordance with such regulations as are made by the Director. (Source: P.A. 80‑439.) |
(205 ILCS 405/3.3) (from Ch. 17, par. 4807) Sec. 3.3. Additional public services. (a) Nothing in this Act shall prevent the Director from authorizing currency exchanges to render additional services to the public if the services are consistent with the provisions of this Act, are within its meaning, are in the best interest of the public, and benefit the general welfare. (b) Nothing in this Act shall prevent a community currency exchange from selling candy, gum, other packaged foods, and soft drinks by means of vending machines on its premises. (Source: P.A. 87‑258; 88‑583, eff. 8‑12‑94.) |
(205 ILCS 405/4) (from Ch. 17, par. 4808) Sec. 4. License application; contents; fees. Application for such license shall be in writing under oath and in the form prescribed and furnished by the Director. Each application shall contain the following: (a) The full name and address (both of residence and place of business) of the applicant, and if the applicant is a partnership, limited liability company, or association, of every member thereof, and the name and business address if the applicant is a corporation; (b) The county and municipality, with street and number, if any, where the community currency exchange is to be conducted, if the application is for a community currency exchange license; (c) If the application is for an ambulatory currency exchange license, the name and address of the employer at each location to be served by it; and (d) The applicant's occupation or profession; a detailed statement of his business experience for the 10 years immediately preceding his application; a detailed statement of his finances; his present or previous connection with any other currency exchange; whether he has ever been involved in any civil or criminal litigation, and the material facts pertaining thereto; whether he has ever been committed to any penal institution or admitted to an institution for the care and treatment of mentally ill persons; and the nature of applicant's occupancy of the premises to be licensed where the application is for a community currency exchange license. If the applicant is a partnership, the information specified herein shall be required of each partner. If the applicant is a corporation, the said information shall be required of each officer, director and stockholder thereof along with disclosure of their ownership interests. If the applicant is a limited liability company, the information required by this Section shall be provided with respect to each member and manager along with disclosure of their ownership interests. A community currency exchange license application shall be accompanied by a fee of $500 for the cost of investigating the applicant. If the ownership of a licensee changes, in whole or in part, a new application must be filed pursuant to this Section along with a $500 fee if the licensee's ownership interests have been transferred or sold to a new person or entity or a fee of $300 if the licensee's ownership interests have been transferred or sold to a current holder or holders of the licensee's ownership interests. When the application for a community currency exchange license has been approved by the Director and the applicant so advised, an additional sum of $200 as an annual license fee for a period terminating on the last day of the current calendar year shall be paid to the Director by the applicant; provided, that the license fee for an applicant applying for such a license after July 1st of any year shall be $100 for the balance of such year. An application for an ambulatory currency exchange license shall be accompanied by a fee of $100, which fee shall be for the cost of investigating the applicant. An approved applicant shall not be required to pay the initial investigation fee of $100 more than once. When the application for an ambulatory currency exchange license has been approved by the Director, and such applicant so advised, such applicant shall pay an annual license fee of $25 for each and every location to be served by such applicant; provided that such license fee for an approved applicant applying for such a license after July 1st of any year shall be $12 for the balance of such year for each and every location to be served by such applicant. Such an approved applicant for an ambulatory currency exchange license, when applying for a license with respect to a particular location, shall file with the Director, at the time of filing an application, a letter of memorandum, which shall be in writing and under oath, signed by the owner or authorized representative of the business whose employees are to be served; such letter or memorandum shall contain a statement that such service is desired, and that the person signing the same is authorized so to do. The Director shall thereupon verify the authenticity of the letter or memorandum and the authority of the person who executed it, to do so. (Source: P.A. 92‑398, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(205 ILCS 405/4.1) (from Ch. 17, par. 4809) Sec. 4.1. The General Assembly finds and declares that community currency exchanges provide important and vital services to Illinois citizens, that the number of community currency exchanges should be limited in accordance with the needs of the communities they are to serve, and that it is in the public interest to promote and foster the community currency exchange business and to insure the financial stability thereof. Upon receipt of an application for a license for a community currency exchange, the Director shall cause an investigation of the need of the community for the establishment of a community currency exchange at the location specified in the application and the effect that granting the license will have on the financial stability of other community currency exchanges that may be serving the community in which the business of the applicant is proposed to be conducted. "Community", as used in this Act, means a locality where there may or can be available to the people thereof the services of a community currency exchange reasonably accessible to them. If the issuance of a license to engage in the community currency exchange business at the location specified will not promote the needs and the convenience and advantage of the community in which the business of the applicant is proposed to be conducted, then the application shall be denied. (Source: P.A. 83‑652.) |
(205 ILCS 405/4.2) (from Ch. 17, par. 4810) Sec. 4.2. Whensoever the ownership of any Currency Exchange, theretofore licensed under the provisions of this Act, shall be held or contained in any estate subject to the control and supervision of any Administrator, Executor or Guardian appointed, approved or qualified by any Court of the State of Illinois, having jurisdiction so to do, such Administrator, Executor or Guardian may, upon the entry of an order by such Court granting leave to continue the operation of such Currency Exchange, apply to the Director of Financial Institutions for a license under the provisions of this Act. When any such Administrator, Executor or Guardian shall apply for a Currency Exchange License pursuant to the provisions of this Section, and shall otherwise fully comply with all of the provisions of this Act relating to the application for a Currency Exchange license, the Director may issue to such applicant a Currency Exchange license. Any Currency Exchange license theretofore issued to a Currency Exchange, for which an application for a license shall be sought under the provisions of this Section, if not previously surrendered, lapsed, or revoked, shall be surrendered, revoked or otherwise terminated before a license shall be issued pursuant to application made therefor under this Section. (Source: P.A. 92‑16, eff. 6‑28‑01.) |
(205 ILCS 405/4.3) (from Ch. 17, par. 4811) Sec. 4.3. Upon receipt of an application from an ambulatory currency exchange for the conduct of its business at a location to be served by it, the Director of Financial Institutions shall cause an investigation to be made to determine whether to issue said license. No fee shall be charged for the investigation of an application for a location license. The Director shall employ the following criteria in making his determination: (1) the economic benefit and convenience to the persons to be served at the location for which a license has been requested; (2) the effect that granting a license will have on the financial stability of community currency exchanges; (3) safety benefits, if any, which may accrue from the granting of the location license; (4) the effects, if any, which granting of a license will have on traffic, and traffic congestion in the immediate area of the location to be served; (5) such other factors as the Director shall deem proper and relevant. (Source: P.A. 85‑1356.) |
(205 ILCS 405/5) (from Ch. 17, par. 4812) Sec. 5. Bond; condition; amount. (a) Before any license shall be issued to a community currency exchange the applicant shall file annually with and have approved by the Director a surety bond, issued by a bonding company authorized to do business in this State in the principal sum of $10,000. Such bond shall run to the Director and shall be for the benefit of any creditors of such currency exchange for any liability incurred by the currency exchange on any money orders issued or sold by the currency exchange and for any liability incurred by the currency exchange for any sum or sums due to any payee or endorsee of any check, draft or money order left with the currency exchange for collection, and for any liability incurred by the currency exchange in connection with the rendering of any of the services referred to in Section 3 of this Act. From time to time the Director may determine the amount of liabilities as described herein and shall require the licensee to file a bond in an additional sum if the same is determined to be necessary in accordance with the requirements of this Section. In no case shall the bond be less than the initial $10,000, nor more than the outstanding liabilities. (b) In lieu of the surety bond requirements of subsection (a), a community currency exchange licensee may submit evidence satisfactory to the Director that the community currency exchange licensee is covered by a blanket bond that covers multiple licensees who are members of a statewide association of community currency exchanges. Such a blanket bond must be issued by a bonding company authorized to do business in this State and in a principal aggregate sum of not less than $2,000,000. (c) An ambulatory currency exchange may sell or issue money orders at any location with regard to which it is issued a license pursuant to this Act, including existing licensed locations, without the necessity of a further application or hearing and without regard to any exceptions contained in existing licenses, upon the filing with the Director of a surety bond approved by the Director and issued by a bonding company or insurance company authorized to do business in Illinois, in the principal sum of $100,000. Such bond may be a blanket bond covering all locations at which the ambulatory currency exchange may sell or issue money orders, and shall run to the Director for the use and benefit of any creditors of such ambulatory currency exchange for any liability incurred by the ambulatory currency exchange on any money orders issued or sold by it. Such bond shall be renewed annually. If after the expiration of one year from the date of approval of such bond by the Director, it shall appear that the average amount of such liability during the year has exceeded $100,000, the Director shall require the licensee to furnish a bond for the ensuing year, to be approved by the Director, for an additional principal sum of $1,000 for each $1,000 of such liability or fraction thereof in excess of the original $100,000, except that the maximum amount of such bond shall not be required to exceed $250,000. (Source: P.A. 93‑614, eff. 11‑18‑03.) |
(205 ILCS 405/7) (from Ch. 17, par. 4814) Sec. 7. Available funds; minimum amount. Each community currency exchange shall have, at all times, a minimum sum of its own cash funds available for the uses and purposes of its business and said minimum sum shall be exclusive of and in addition to funds received for exchange or transfer; and in addition thereto each such licensee shall at all times have on hand an amount of liquid funds sufficient to pay on demand all outstanding money orders issued by it. Prior to January 1, 1979, this minimum sum shall be $4,000. After January 1, 1979, this minimum sum shall be $5,000. In the event a receiver is appointed in accordance with Section 15.1 of this Act, and the Director determines that the business of the currency exchange should be liquidated, and if it shall appear that the said minimum sum was not on hand or available at the time of the appointment of the receiver, then the receiver shall have the right to recover in any court of competent jurisdiction from the owner or owners of such currency exchange, or from the stockholders and directors thereof if such currency exchange was operated by a corporation, or from the members if the currency exchange was operated as a limited liability company, said sum or that part thereof which was not on hand or available at the time of the appointment of such receiver. Nothing contained in this Section shall limit or impair the liability of any bonding or insurance company on any bond or insurance policy relating to such community currency exchange issued pursuant to the requirements of this Act, nor shall anything contained herein limit or impair such other rights or remedies as the receiver may otherwise have. (Source: P.A. 90‑545, eff. 1‑1‑98.) |
(205 ILCS 405/8) (from Ch. 17, par. 4815) Sec. 8. A community or an ambulatory currency exchange shall not be conducted as a department of another business. It must be an entity, financed and conducted as a separate business unit. This shall not prevent a community or an ambulatory currency exchange from leasing a part of the premises of another business for the conduct of this business on the same premises; provided, that no community currency exchange shall be conducted on the same premises with a business whose chief source of revenue is derived from the sale of alcoholic liquor for consumption on the premises; provided, further, that no community currency exchange hereafter licensed for the first time shall share any room with any other business, trade or profession nor shall it occupy any room from which there is direct access to a room occupied by any other business, trade or profession. (Source: Laws 1951, p. 562.) |
(205 ILCS 405/9) (from Ch. 17, par. 4816) Sec. 9. No community or ambulatory currency exchange shall issue tokens to be used in lieu of money for the purchase of goods or services from any enterprise, except that currency exchanges may engage in the distribution of food stamps as authorized by Section 3.2. (Source: P.A. 80‑439.) |
(205 ILCS 405/10) (from Ch. 17, par. 4817) Sec. 10. Qualifications of applicant; denial of license; review. The applicant, and its officers, directors and stockholders, if a corporation, and its managers and members, if a liability company, shall be vouched for by 2 reputable citizens of this State setting forth that the individual mentioned is (a) personally known to them to be trustworthy and reputable, (b) that he has business experience qualifying him to competently conduct, operate, own or become associated with a currency exchange, (c) that he has a good business reputation and is worthy of a license. Thereafter, the Director shall, upon approval of the application filed with him, issue to the applicant, qualifying under this Act, a license to operate a currency exchange. If it is a license for a community currency exchange, the same shall be valid only at the place of business specified in the application. If it is a license for an ambulatory currency exchange, it shall entitle the applicant to operate only at the location or locations specified in the application, provided the applicant shall secure separate and additional licenses for each of such locations. Such licenses shall remain in full force and effect, until they are surrendered by the licensee, or revoked, or expire, as herein provided. If the Director shall not so approve, he shall not issue such license or licenses and shall notify the applicant of such denial, retaining the full investigation fee to cover the cost of investigating the community currency exchange applicant. The Director shall approve or deny every application hereunder within 90 days from the filing thereof; except that in respect to an application by an approved ambulatory currency exchange for a license with regard to a particular location to be served by it, the same shall be approved or denied within 20 days from the filing thereof. If the application is denied, the Director shall send by United States mail notice of such denial to the applicant at the address set forth in the application. If an application is denied, the applicant may, within 10 days from the date of the notice of denial, make written request to the Director for a hearing on the application, and the Director shall set a time and place for the hearing. The hearing shall be set for a date after the receipt by the Director of the request for hearing, and written notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be mailed to the applicant at least 15 days before the date of the hearing. The applicant shall pay the actual cost of making the transcript of the hearing prior to the Director's issuing his decision following the hearing. If, following the hearing, the application is denied, the Director shall, within 20 days thereafter prepare and keep on file in his office a written order of denial thereof, which shall contain his findings with respect thereto and the reasons supporting the denial, and shall send by United States Mail a copy thereof to the applicant at the address set forth in the application, within 5 days after the filing of such order. A review of any such decision may be had as provided in Section 22.01 of this Act. (Source: P.A. 90‑545, eff. 1‑1‑98.) |
(205 ILCS 405/10.1) (from Ch. 17, par. 4818) Sec. 10.1. For the purposes of this Act, the Director, and the hearing officer, as hereinafter provided, shall have power to require by subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses, and the production of all documentary evidence relating to any matter under hearing pursuant to this Act, and shall issue such subpoenas at the request of any interested party. The hearing officer may sign subpoenas in the name of the Director. The Director may, in his discretion, direct that any hearing pursuant to this Act, shall be held before a competent and qualified agent of the Director, whom the Director shall designate as the hearing officer in such matter. The Director, and the hearing officer, are hereby empowered to, and shall, administer oaths and affirmations to all witnesses appearing before them. The hearing officer, upon the conclusion of the hearing before him, shall certify the evidence to the Director. Any Circuit Court of this State, within the jurisdiction of which such hearing is carried on, may, in case of contumacy, or refusal of a witness to obey a subpoena, issue an order requiring such witness to appear before the Director, or the hearing officer, or to produce documentary evidence, or to give testimony touching the matter in question; and any failure to obey such order of the court may be punished by such court as a contempt thereof. (Source: Laws 1957, p. 320.) |
(205 ILCS 405/11) (from Ch. 17, par. 4819) Sec. 11. Such license, if issued for a community currency exchange, shall state the name of the licensee and the address at which the business is to be conducted. Such license shall be kept conspicuously posted in the place of business of the licensee and shall not be transferable or assignable. If issued for an ambulatory currency exchange, it shall so state, and shall state the name and office address of the licensee, and the name and address of the location or locations to be served by the licensee, and shall not be transferable and assignable. (Source: Laws 1951, p. 562.) |
(205 ILCS 405/12) (from Ch. 17, par. 4820) Sec. 12. If the Director shall find at any time that the bond is insecure or exhausted or otherwise doubtful, an additional bond in like amount to be approved by the Director shall be filed by the licensee within 30 days after written demand therefor upon the licensee by the Director. (Source: Laws 1957, p. 320.) |
(205 ILCS 405/13) (from Ch. 17, par. 4821) Sec. 13. No more than one place of business shall be maintained under the same community currency exchange license, but the Director may issue more than one license to the same licensee upon compliance with the provisions of this Act governing an original issuance of a license, for each new license. Whenever a community currency exchange or an ambulatory currency exchange shall wish to change its name in its license, it shall file an application for approval thereof with the Director, and if the change is approved by the Director he shall attach to the license, in writing, a rider stating the licensee's new name. If an ambulatory currency exchange has serviced a licensed location for 2 years or longer and the employer whose employees are served at that location has moved his place of business, the currency exchange may continue its service to the employees of that employer at the new address of that employer's place of business by filing a notice of the change of address with the Director and by relinquishing its license to conduct its business at the employer's old address upon receipt of a license to conduct its business at the employer's new address. Nothing in this Act shall preclude or prevent an ambulatory currency exchange from filing an application to conduct its business at the old address of an employer who moved his place of business after the ambulatory currency exchange receives a license to conduct its business at the employer's new address through the filing of a notice of its change of address with the Director and the relinquishing of its license to conduct its business at the employer's old address. Whenever a currency exchange wishes to make any other change in the address set forth in any of its licenses, it shall apply to the Director for approval of such change of address. Every application for approval of a change of address shall be treated by the Director in the same manner as is otherwise provided in this Act for the treatment of proposed places of business or locations as contained in new applications for licenses; and if any fact or condition then exists with respect to the application for change of address, which fact or condition would otherwise authorize denial of a new application for a license because of the address of the proposed location or place of business, then such application for change of address shall not be approved. Whenever a community currency exchange wishes to sell its physical assets, it may do so, however, if the assets are sold with the intention of continuing the operation of a community currency exchange, the purchaser or purchasers must first make application to the Director for licensure in accordance with Sections 4 and 10 of this Act. If the Director shall not so approve, he shall not issue such license and shall notify the applicant or applicants of such denial. The investigation fee for a change of location shall be $75 on September 22, 1987 and until July 1, 1988, and $125 on July 1, 1988 and until July 1, 1989, and $150 on and after July 1, 1989. The provisions of Section 10 with reference to notice, hearing and review apply to applications filed pursuant to this Section. (Source: P.A. 85‑1209.)
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