33-11-105. Powers and duties of collection agency board.

(a) The board shall have charge of the administration of this act. All applications for licenses under this act shall be referred to the board for consideration. The board shall investigate the qualifications of the applicant. If the board finds the applicant fails to meet the required qualifications, the board shall reject the application; otherwise the application shall be approved and a license granted on payment of license fees and filing of a bond as required by this act.

(b) The board shall refuse to issue or renew a license:

(i) If an individual applicant or licensee is not an adult;

(ii) If an applicant or licensee is not authorized to do business in this state;

(iii) If the licensee does not have an established office in Wyoming with a bona fide resident of Wyoming as a resident manager, or in the case of an applicant, the application does not disclose the proposed office location in Wyoming and the name of the proposed resident manager;

(iv) If an applicant, or an owner, officer, director, partner or resident manager of an applicant or licensee:

(A) Knowingly made a false statement of a material fact in any application for a collection agency license or renewal thereof, or in any documentation provided to support the application or renewal;

(B) Has had a license to conduct a collection agency denied, not renewed, suspended or revoked by this state or any other state for any reason other than the nonpayment of licensing fees or failure to meet bonding requirements;

(C) Has been convicted in any court of a felony involving forgery, embezzlement, obtaining money under false pretenses, larceny, theft, extortion, fraud or conspiracy to commit fraud;

(D) Has had a judgment entered against him in any civil action involving forgery, embezzlement, obtaining money under false pretenses, larceny, theft, extortion, fraud or conspiracy to commit fraud;

(E) Has failed to pay or satisfy any judgment debt or penalty imposed by any court; or

(F) Has knowingly failed to comply with or violated any provision of this act or the rules and regulations of the board adopted pursuant to this act.

(c) In addition to other powers granted by this act, the board may:

(i) Require a licensee or an applicant for a license to submit to a background investigation including fingerprint checks for state, national and international criminal history record checks. In exercising its authority under this paragraph, the board may utilize background checks completed by the division of criminal investigation, other government agencies in this state or in other states, the federal bureau of investigation, the registry or another entity designated by the registry;

(ii) Determine the content of application forms and the means by which an applicant applies for, renews or amends a license under this act.

(d) The board may require applicants to utilize the registry or an entity designated by the registry for the processing of applications and fees.