A. At least once each year, the director or the director's authorized representative shall make an examination of the place of business of each licensee and the loans, transactions, books, papers and records of the licensee insofar as they pertain to the business licensed under the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955 as the director may deem necessary. The licensee shall pay to the director for such annual examination a fee of two hundred dollars ($200).

B. Within a reasonable time after the completion of an examination of a licensed office, the director shall mail to the licensee a copy of the report of the examination, together with any comments, exceptions, objections or criticisms of the director concerning the conduct of the licensee and the operation of the licensed office.

C. For the purpose of discovering violations of the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955 or of securing information lawfully required under that act, the director or the director's authorized representative may at any time investigate the business and examine the books, accounts, papers and records used therein, including income tax returns or other reports filed in the office of the director of the revenue processing division of the taxation and revenue department of:

(1) any licensee;

(2) any other person engaged in the business described in Subsection A of Section 58-15-3 NMSA 1978 or participating in such business as principal, agent, broker or otherwise; and

(3) any person whom the director has reasonable cause to believe is violating any provision of the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955, whether the person claims to be within the authority or beyond the scope of that act.

D. For the purposes of this section, a person who advertises, solicits or makes any representation as being willing to make loan transactions in any amount, except persons, financial institutions or lending agencies operating under charters or licenses issued by a state or federal agency or under any special statute, shall be subject to investigation under the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955 and shall be presumed to be engaged in the business described in Subsection A of Section 58-15-3 NMSA 1978 as to any loans of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or less.

E. To facilitate the examinations and investigations by the director and fully disclose the operations and methods of operation of each licensed office, the licensee shall, in each licensed office, keep on file as part of the records of the office all office manuals, communications or directives containing statements of loan policy to office managers and employees. If the licensee is an individual, corporation, trust or association, the licensee shall keep in at least one office for information of the director a record of the several individuals, firms, beneficiaries of any trust and corporations deriving or receiving any part of the benefits, net income or profits from the operation of the licensee within New Mexico.

F. For the purposes of this section, the director or the director's authorized representative shall have and be given free access to the offices and places of business, files, safes and vaults of all licensees and shall have authority to require the attendance of any person and to examine the person under oath relative to such loans or business or to the subject matter of any examination, investigation or hearing as provided in the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955. Notices to appear before the director for examination under oath may be served by registered mail. If the party notified to appear is the licensee, any person named on the face of the license being investigated or any agent, employee or manager participating in the licensee's business and the party fails to appear for examination or refuses to answer questions submitted, the director may, forthwith and without further notice to the licensee, suspend the license involved pending compliance with the notice. Upon failure of any other person to appear or to answer questions, the director may apply to and invoke the aid of any district court of New Mexico in compelling the attendance and testimony of any such person and the production of books, records, written instruments and documents relating to the business of the licensee. The district court whose aid is so invoked by the director may, in case of contumacy or refusal to obey any order of the district court issued to compel the attendance of the person or the production of books, records, written instruments and documents, punish the person as for contempt of court.

G. The director shall prescribe rules of procedure for all hearings, examinations or investigations provided for in the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955. The director is not bound by the usual common law or statutory rules of evidence or by any technical or formal rules of procedure or pleading and specification of charges other than as specifically provided in the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955 but may conduct hearings, examinations and investigations in the manner best calculated to ascertain the substantial rights of the parties interested.

H. The director has the power to administer oaths, certify official acts and records of the director's office, issue subpoenas for witnesses in the name of and under the seal of the director's office and compel the production of papers, books, accounts and documents. The director shall issue subpoenas at the instance of any party to a hearing before the division upon payment of a fee of two dollars fifty cents ($2.50) for each subpoena so issued.

I. Depositions may be taken with or without a commission, and written interrogatories may be submitted in the same manner and on the same grounds provided by law for the taking of depositions or submission of written interrogatories in civil actions pending in the district courts of this state.

J. Each witness who appears before the director by the director's order shall receive the fees and mileage provided for witnesses in civil actions in the district court. Fees and mileage shall be paid by the state, but no witness subpoenaed at the instance of parties other than the director is entitled to compensation from the state for attendance or mileage unless the director certifies that the witness' testimony is material.

K. Whenever the director has reasonable cause to believe that a person is violating a provision of the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955, the director may, in addition to all actions provided for in that act and without prejudice thereto, enter an order requiring the person to desist or to refrain from the violation. An action may be brought on the relation of the attorney general and the director to enjoin the person from engaging in or continuing the violation or from doing any act in furtherance of the violation. In any such action, an order or judgment may be entered awarding a preliminary or final injunction as may be deemed proper. In addition to all other means provided by law for the enforcement of a temporary restraining order, temporary injunction or final injunction, the court in which such action is brought shall have power and jurisdiction to impound and to appoint a receiver for the property and business of the defendants, including books, papers, documents and records pertaining thereto or so much thereof as the court may deem reasonably necessary to prevent further violations of the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955 through or by means of the use of the property and business. The receiver, when appointed and qualified, shall have powers and duties as to custody, collection, administration, winding up and liquidation of the property and business as are from time to time conferred upon the receiver by the court.

History: 1953 Comp., § 48-17-38, enacted by Laws 1955, ch. 128, § 9; 1973, ch. 18, § 2; 1977, ch. 245, § 66; 1977, ch. 307, § 4; 1987, ch. 292, § 3; 2007, ch. 86, § 5; 2017, ch. 110, § 14.

The 2017 amendment, effective January 1, 2018, revised the criteria for certain small loan lenders who are subject to investigation under the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955 and are presumed to be engaged in the business governed by the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955; and in Subsection D, after "as to any loans of", deleted "two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500)" and added "five thousand dollars ($5,000)".

Applicability. — Laws 2017, ch. 110, § 26 provided that the provisions of Laws 2017, ch. 110 shall apply to loans subject to the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955 and the New Mexico Bank Installment Loan Act of 1959 executed on or after January 1, 2018.

The 2007 amendment, effective November 1, 2007, makes any person who represents a willingness to make loan transactions subject to investigation under the New Mexico Small Loan Act.

Severability clause. — Laws 2007, ch. 86, § 23 provided that if any part or application of the act is held invalid, the remainder or its application to other situations or persons shall not be affected.

Examination. — The financial institutions division must examine all loans that "pertain" to a licensee's status as a "small loan licensee." The division must examine installment loans made by small loan licensees even though it does not include them in the calculation of the license fee. 1988 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 88-29.

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 53A Am. Jur. 2d Money Lenders and Pawnbrokers §§ 11, 12, 13.

58 C.J.S. Money Lenders §§ 2, 4, 9.