33-11-107. Application for license; qualifications; financial statement.

(a) A person desiring to conduct a collection agency business in this state shall apply in writing on forms approved by the board. The application shall be signed and verified by the applicant and filed in the office of the board. The application shall state:

(i) The name and place of residence of the person making the application;

(ii) Whether the business is organized as a corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship;

(iii) The name or names under which the business will be conducted;

(iv) The street address of the office where the business will be conducted;

(v) The name of the person who will be the resident manager of the office;

(vi) Other information as the board may require to determine the qualifications of the applicant and the resident manager to be licensed to conduct a collection agency business.

(b) The application shall be accompanied by a financial statement of the applicant, showing the applicant to be financially sound.

(c) All applicants shall have an established office in Wyoming with a bona fide resident of Wyoming as a resident manager of the office. All resident managers shall pass an examination as prescribed by the board to determine the fitness of the resident manager to conduct a collection agency business.

(d) The board may collect an examination fee not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each examination given. The board shall establish by rule the amount and method of payment of the examination fee. All fees collected shall be credited to the account and used as provided by W.S. 33-11-111.

(e) The board may establish relationships or contract with the registry or any other entity designated by the registry to collect and maintain records and process transaction fees or other fees related to applicants, licensees or other persons subject to this act.

(f) In addition to the other requirements of this section, in connection with an application for licensure the applicant may be required to furnish to the board or the registry information concerning the identity of the applicant, the owners or persons operating or managing the applicant and individuals designated as operators or managers of the applicant's places of business, including:

(i) Fingerprints for submission to the federal bureau of investigation or any governmental agency or entity authorized to receive fingerprints for a state, national and international criminal history background check; and

(ii) Personal history, including the submission of authorization for the board, registry or designee to obtain:

(A) An independent credit report obtained from a consumer reporting agency described in section 603(p) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act; and

(B) Information related to any administrative, civil or criminal findings by any governmental jurisdiction.

(g) For the purposes of this section and to reduce the points of contact that the federal bureau of investigation may have to maintain for purposes of subsection (f) of this section, the board may use the registry as a channeling agent for requesting information from and distributing information to the United States department of justice or any governmental agency.

(h) For the purposes of this section and to reduce the points of contact that the board may have to maintain for purposes of subsection (f) of this section, the board may use the registry as a channeling agent for requesting and distributing information to and from any source as directed by the board.