RCW 19.16.100 Definitions. Unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context, the following words and phrases as hereinafter used in this chapter shall have the following meanings: (1) “Board” means the Washington state collection agency board. (2) “Claim” means any obligation for the payment of money or thing of value arising out of […]
RCW 19.16.110 License required. No person shall act, assume to act, or advertise as a collection agency or out-of-state collection agency as defined in this chapter, except as authorized by this chapter, without first having applied for and obtained a license from the director. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to require a […]
RCW 19.16.120 Unprofessional conduct—Support order, noncompliance. In addition to other provisions of this chapter, and the unprofessional conduct described in RCW 18.235.130, the following conduct, acts, or conditions constitute unprofessional conduct: (1) If an individual applicant or licensee is less than eighteen years of age or is not a resident of this state. (2) If […]
RCW 19.16.130 License—Application—Form—Contents. Every application for a license shall be in writing, under oath, and in the form prescribed by the director. Every application shall contain such relevant information as the director may require. The applicant shall furnish the director with such evidence as the director may reasonably require to establish that the requirements and […]
RCW 19.16.140 License—Application—Fees—Exemptions. Each applicant when submitting his or her application shall pay a licensing fee and an investigation fee determined by the director as provided in RCW 43.24.086. The licensing fee for an out-of-state collection agency shall not exceed fifty percent of the licensing fee for a collection agency. An out-of-state collection agency is […]
RCW 19.16.150 Branch office certificate required. If a licensee maintains a branch office, he, she, or it shall not operate a collection agency business in such branch office until he, she, or it has secured a branch office certificate therefor from the director. A licensee, so long as his, her, or its license is in […]
RCW 19.16.160 License and branch office certificate—Form—Contents—Display. Each license and branch office certificate, when issued, shall be in the form and size prescribed by the director and shall state in addition to any other matter required by the director: (1) The name of the licensee; (2) The name under which the licensee will do business; […]
RCW 19.16.170 Procedure upon change of name or business location. Whenever a licensee shall contemplate a change of his, her, or its trade name or a change in the location of his, her, or its principal place of business or branch office, he, she, or it shall give written notice of such proposed change to […]
RCW 19.16.180 Assignability of license or branch office certificate. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a license or branch office certificate granted under this chapter is not assignable or transferable. (2) Upon the death of an individual licensee, the director shall have the right to transfer the license and any branch […]
RCW 19.16.190 Surety bond requirements—Cash deposit or securities—Exception. (1) Except as limited by subsection (7) of this section, each applicant shall, at the time of applying for a license, file with the director a surety bond in the sum of five thousand dollars. The bond shall be annually renewable on January first of each year, […]
RCW 19.16.200 Action on bond, cash deposit or securities. In addition to all other legal remedies, an action may be brought in any court of competent jurisdiction upon the bond or cash deposit or security in lieu thereof, required by RCW 19.16.190, by any person to whom the licensee fails to account and pay as […]
RCW 19.16.210 Accounting and payments by licensee to customer. A licensee shall within thirty days after the close of each calendar month account in writing to his, her, or its customers for all collections made during that calendar month and pay to his, her, or its customers the net proceeds due and payable of all […]
RCW 19.16.220 Accounting and payments by customer to licensee. Every customer of a licensee shall, within thirty days after the close of each calendar month, account and pay to his, her, or its collection agency all sums owing to the collection agency for payments received by the customer during that calendar month on claims in […]
RCW 19.16.230 Licensee—Business office—Records to be kept. (1) Every licensee required to keep and maintain records pursuant to this section, other than an out-of-state collection agency, shall establish and maintain a regular active business office in the state of Washington for the purpose of conducting his, her, or its collection agency business. Said office must […]
RCW 19.16.240 Licensee—Trust fund account—Exception. Each licensee, other than an out-of-state collection agency, shall at all times maintain a separate bank account in this state in which all moneys collected by the licensee shall be deposited except that negotiable instruments received may be forwarded directly to a customer. Moneys received must be deposited within ten […]
RCW 19.16.245 Financial statement. No licensee shall receive any money from any debtor as a result of the collection of any claim until he, she, or it shall have submitted a financial statement showing the assets and liabilities of the licensee truly reflecting that the licensee’s net worth is not less than the sum of […]
RCW 19.16.250 Prohibited practices. No licensee or employee of a licensee shall: (1) Directly or indirectly aid or abet any unlicensed person to engage in business as a collection agency in this state or receive compensation from such unlicensed person: PROVIDED, That nothing in this chapter shall prevent a licensee from accepting, as forwardee, claims […]
RCW 19.16.260 Licensing prerequisite to suit—Debt buyer—Prohibited acts. (1)(a) No collection agency or out-of-state collection agency may bring or maintain an action in any court of this state involving the collection of its own claim or a claim of any third party without alleging and proving that he, she, or it is duly licensed under […]
RCW 19.16.270 Presumption of validity of assignment. In any action brought by licensee to collect the claim of his, her, or its customer, the assignment of the claim to licensee by his, her, or its customer shall be conclusively presumed valid, if the assignment is filed in court with the complaint, unless objection is made […]
RCW 19.16.280 Board created—Composition of board—Qualification of members. There is hereby created a board to be known and designated as the “Washington state collection agency board.” The board shall consist of five members, one of whom shall be the director and the other four shall be appointed by the governor. The director may delegate his […]
