(1) “Claim” or “commercial claim” means any obligation for the payment of money or its equivalent arising out of a transaction wherein credit has been offered or extended to any person, and the money, property, or service which was the subject of the transaction was primarily for commercial purposes and not primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, whether or not such obligation has been reduced to judgment. The term “claim” or “commercial claim” includes an obligation of a person who is comaker, endorser, guarantor, or surety as well as the person to whom such credit was originally extended.

(2) “Commercial collection agency” means any person engaged, as a primary or secondary business activity, in the business of soliciting commercial claims for collection or in the business of collecting commercial claims, asserted to be owed or due to another person, regardless of whether the collection efforts are directed at the primary debtor or some other source of payment.

(3) “Credit grantor” means any person or entity to whom a commercial claim is owed, due, or alleged to be owed or due, whether or not such person or entity is domiciled or doing business within this state and whether or not such commercial claim arose within this state. However, such term does not apply to any registrant under this part who has received an assignment or transfer of a commercial claim in default solely for the purpose of facilitating collection of such commercial claim for another.

(4) “Out-of-state collector” means any person or business entity engaged in the business of soliciting commercial claims for collection or of collecting commercial claims whose business activities in this state are limited to collecting commercial claims by means of interstate communications, including telephone, mail, or facsimile transmission, originating from outside this state.

(5) “Commission” means the Financial Services Commission.

(6) “Office” means the Office of Financial Regulation of the commission.

History.—ss. 1, 2, ch. 93-275; s. 672, ch. 2003-261.