Md. Code, Financial Institutions § 12-920
This is the official text of Md. Code, Financial Institutions § 12-920, part of Maryland’s Code, Financial Institutions — regulates banks and lenders.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§12–920.
Official statutory text
(a) A licensee may not:
(1) Purchase any debt or obligation of a consumer;
(2) Lend money or provide credit to a consumer;
(3) Obtain a mortgage or other security interest in property owned by a consumer;
(4) Operate as a collection agency, as defined in § 7–101 of the Business Regulation Article;
(5) Structure a debt management services agreement in a manner that would result in a negative amortization of any of the consumer’s debts;
(6) Make any false, misleading, or deceptive representations or omissions of information in connection with the offer, sale, or performance of any service;
(7) Offer, pay, or give a substantial gift, bonus, premium, reward, or other compensation to a person for referring a prospective customer to the licensee;
(8) Offer an incentive, including a gift, bonus, premium, reward, or other compensation, to a consumer for executing a debt management services agreement with the licensee;
(9) Charge for or provide credit insurance;
(10) Compromise any debts of a consumer unless the licensee has obtained the prior written approval of the consumer, and the compromise benefits the consumer;
(11) Enter into a contract or fee–for–service arrangement with a person owned, controlled by, or affiliated with an officer, a director, or an employee of the debt management services provider, or with a relative of an officer, a director, or an employee, that benefits an officer, a director, or an employee of the debt management services provider;
(12) Advertise, display, distribute, broadcast, televise, or otherwise publish debt management service rates, terms, or services in a false, misleading, or deceptive manner;
(13) Pay an incentive to an employee for enrolling a consumer in a debt management services plan or agreement; or
(14) Violate any provision of federal or State law governing debt management services or other related services.
(b) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of State law, a licensee may not, directly or indirectly, collect any fee for referring, advising, procuring, arranging, or assisting a consumer in obtaining any extension of credit or other consumer service from a lender or service provider if the licensee, or any owner, officer, director, principal, or employee of the licensee, is an owner, partner, director, officer, or employee of the lender or service provider.
(2) This subsection does not prohibit a licensee from referring, advising, procuring, arranging, or assisting a consumer in obtaining any extension of credit or other consumer service from a lender or service provider of which the licensee, or any owner, officer, director, principal, or employee of the licensee, is an owner, partner, director, officer, or employee, if:
(i) The licensee does not directly or indirectly collect any fee; and
(ii) The consumer is provided with a written disclosure of the relationship.
(1) Purchase any debt or obligation of a consumer;
(2) Lend money or provide credit to a consumer;
(3) Obtain a mortgage or other security interest in property owned by a consumer;
(4) Operate as a collection agency, as defined in § 7–101 of the Business Regulation Article;
(5) Structure a debt management services agreement in a manner that would result in a negative amortization of any of the consumer’s debts;
(6) Make any false, misleading, or deceptive representations or omissions of information in connection with the offer, sale, or performance of any service;
(7) Offer, pay, or give a substantial gift, bonus, premium, reward, or other compensation to a person for referring a prospective customer to the licensee;
(8) Offer an incentive, including a gift, bonus, premium, reward, or other compensation, to a consumer for executing a debt management services agreement with the licensee;
(9) Charge for or provide credit insurance;
(10) Compromise any debts of a consumer unless the licensee has obtained the prior written approval of the consumer, and the compromise benefits the consumer;
(11) Enter into a contract or fee–for–service arrangement with a person owned, controlled by, or affiliated with an officer, a director, or an employee of the debt management services provider, or with a relative of an officer, a director, or an employee, that benefits an officer, a director, or an employee of the debt management services provider;
(12) Advertise, display, distribute, broadcast, televise, or otherwise publish debt management service rates, terms, or services in a false, misleading, or deceptive manner;
(13) Pay an incentive to an employee for enrolling a consumer in a debt management services plan or agreement; or
(14) Violate any provision of federal or State law governing debt management services or other related services.
(b) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of State law, a licensee may not, directly or indirectly, collect any fee for referring, advising, procuring, arranging, or assisting a consumer in obtaining any extension of credit or other consumer service from a lender or service provider if the licensee, or any owner, officer, director, principal, or employee of the licensee, is an owner, partner, director, officer, or employee of the lender or service provider.
(2) This subsection does not prohibit a licensee from referring, advising, procuring, arranging, or assisting a consumer in obtaining any extension of credit or other consumer service from a lender or service provider of which the licensee, or any owner, officer, director, principal, or employee of the licensee, is an owner, partner, director, officer, or employee, if:
(i) The licensee does not directly or indirectly collect any fee; and
(ii) The consumer is provided with a written disclosure of the relationship.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.