49:3-58 Denial, suspension, revocation of registration.

11. (a) The bureau chief may by order deny, suspend, or revoke any registration if he finds:

(1) that the order is in the public interest; and

(2) that the applicant or registrant or, in the case of a broker-dealer, investment adviser, or Internet site operator, any partner, officer, or director, any person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, or any person directly or indirectly controlling the broker-dealer, investment adviser, or Internet site operator:

(i) has filed an application for registration which as of its effective date, or as of any date after filing in the case of an order denying effectiveness, was incomplete in any material respect or contained any statement which was, in the light of the circumstances under which it was made, false or misleading with respect to any material fact;

(ii) has willfully violated or willfully failed to comply with any provision of this act or any rule or order authorized by this act or has willfully, materially aided others in such conduct;

(iii) has been convicted of any crime involving a security or any aspect of the securities, commodities, banking, insurance or investment advisory business or any crime involving moral turpitude; however, where the applicant can show by proof satisfactory to the bureau chief that during the 10-year period preceding the application he has conducted himself in such a manner as to warrant his registration consistent with all other provisions of this act, the conviction shall not be a bar to registration;

(iv) is permanently or temporarily enjoined by any court of competent jurisdiction from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice involving any aspect of the securities, commodities, banking, insurance or investment advisory business;

(v) is the subject of an effective order of the bureau chief denying, suspending, or revoking registration as a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser, investment adviser representative, securities offering registrant, or Internet site operator;

(vi) is the subject of an order entered within the past five years by any federal or state securities, commodities, banking, insurance or investment advisory administrator or self-regulatory organization denying or revoking a securities, commodities, banking, insurance or investment advisory license or registration under federal or state securities, commodities, banking, insurance or investment advisory law, including, but not limited to registration as a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser, investment adviser representative or issuer, or the substantial equivalent of those terms as defined in this act, or is the subject of an order of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a self-regulatory organization, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, an insurance regulator, or a federal or state banking regulator, suspending or expelling him from a national securities or commodities exchange or national securities or commodities association registered under the "Securities Exchange Act of 1934," or the "Commodity Exchange Act," or from engaging in the banking or insurance business, or is the subject of a United States Post Office fraud order; but (A) the bureau chief may not institute a revocation or suspension proceeding under this subparagraph (vi) more than two years from the date of the order relied on and (B) he may not enter an order under this subparagraph (vi) on the basis of an order under another state act unless that order was based on facts which would currently constitute a ground for an order under New Jersey law;

(vii) has engaged in dishonest or unethical practices in the securities, commodities, banking, insurance or investment advisory business, as may be defined by rule of the bureau chief;

(viii) is insolvent, either in the sense that his liabilities exceed his assets or in the sense that he cannot meet his obligations as they mature; but the bureau chief may not enter an order against a broker-dealer or investment adviser for insolvency without a finding of insolvency as to the broker-dealer or investment adviser;

(ix) is not qualified on the basis of such factors as character, training, experience and knowledge of the securities business, except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this section;

(x) has failed to pass an examination under subsection (f) of section 10 of P.L.1967, c.93 (C.49:3-57) if such an examination has been by rule provided for by the bureau chief;

(xi) has failed reasonably to supervise: his agents if he is a broker-dealer or issuer; the agents of a broker dealer or issuer for whom he has supervisory responsibility; or his employees who give investment advice if he is an investment adviser;

(xii) has failed to pay the proper fees, as set by rule of the bureau chief.

(b) The following provisions govern the application of subparagraph (ix) of paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this section:

(1) The bureau chief may not enter an order against a broker-dealer on the basis of the lack of qualification of any person other than (i) the broker-dealer himself if he is an individual or (ii) an agent of the broker-dealer;

(2) The bureau chief may not enter an order against an investment adviser on the basis of the lack of qualification of any person other than (i) the investment adviser himself if he is an individual or (ii) any other person who represents the investment adviser in doing any of the acts which make him an investment adviser;

(3) The bureau chief may not enter an order solely on the basis of lack of experience if the applicant or registrant is qualified by training or knowledge or both;

(4) The bureau chief shall consider that an agent who will work under the supervision of a registered broker-dealer need not have the same qualifications as a broker-dealer;

(5) The bureau chief shall consider that an investment adviser is not necessarily qualified solely on the basis of experience as a broker-dealer or agent. If he finds that an applicant for initial or renewal registration as a broker-dealer is not qualified as an investment adviser, he may by order condition the applicant's registration as a broker-dealer upon his not transacting business in this State as an investment adviser.

(c) The bureau chief, for good cause shown, may by order summarily postpone, suspend, revoke or deny any registration pending final determination of any proceeding under this section. Upon entry of the order, the bureau chief shall promptly notify the applicant or registrant, as well as the employer or prospective employer if the applicant or registrant is an agent or an investment adviser representative, that the order has been entered and of the reasons therefor.

(1) The bureau chief shall entertain on no less than three days' notice a written application to lift the summary postponement, suspension or revocation on written application of the applicant or registrant and in connection therewith may, but need not, hold a hearing and hear testimony, but shall provide to the applicant or registrant a written statement of the reasons for the summary postponement, suspension or revocation.

(2) Upon service of notice of the order issued by the bureau chief, the applicant or registrant shall have up to 15 days to respond to the bureau in the form of a written answer and written request for a hearing. The bureau chief shall, within five days of receiving the answer and a request for a hearing, either transmit the matter to the Office of Administrative Law for a hearing or schedule a hearing at the Bureau of Securities. Orders issued pursuant to this subsection to suspend or revoke any registration shall be subject to an application to vacate upon 10 days' notice, and a preliminary hearing on the order to suspend or revoke any registration shall be held in any event within 20 days after it is requested, and the filing of a motion to vacate the order shall toll the time for filing an answer and written request for a hearing.

(3) If an applicant or registrant fails to respond by filing a written answer and request for a hearing with the bureau or moving to vacate an order to suspend or revoke any registration within the 15-day prescribed period, the registrant shall have waived the opportunity to be heard and the order shall remain in effect until modified or vacated.

(d) If the bureau chief finds that any registrant or applicant for registration is no longer in existence or has ceased to do business as a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser, investment adviser representative, or Internet site operator, or is subject to an adjudication of incapacity or to the control of a committee, conservator, or guardian, or cannot be located after reasonable search, the bureau chief may by order summarily revoke or deny the registration or application;

(e) Withdrawal from registration as a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser, investment adviser representative, or Internet site operator becomes effective 30 days after receipt of an application to withdraw or within such other period of time as the bureau chief may determine by rule or order. The bureau chief may nevertheless institute a revocation or suspension proceeding under subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this section within two years after withdrawal becomes effective and enter a revocation or suspension order as of the last date on which registration was effective;

(f) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1997, c.276).

(g) Every hearing which this act requires to be held shall be held in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).

L.1967, c.93, s.11; amended 1997, c.276, s.11; 1997, c.379, s.12; 2015, c.128, s.12.