Terms Used In Iowa Code > Chapter 533A - Debt Management

• Account: means the same as defined in section 554. See Iowa Code 554E.1
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Commission: means the real estate commission as established by chapter 543B. See Iowa Code 543C.1
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: means the same as defined in section 554D. See Iowa Code 554E.1
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Credit report: A detailed report of an individual's credit history prepared by a credit bureau and used by a lender in determining a loan applicant's creditworthiness. ^{Source: OCC}
• Credit Score: A number, roughly between 300 and 800, that measures an individual's credit worthiness. The most well-known type of credit score is the FICO score. This score represents the answer from a mathematical formula that assigns numerical values to various pieces of information in your credit report. ^{Source: OCC}
• Creditor: means a person who grants credit, a person who takes assignment of the rights to payments of a person who grants credit, or a person for whose benefit moneys are being collected and distributed by a licensee. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Debt management: means , when done for a fee, any of the following:
   a. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Debt settlement: means seeking to settle the amount of a debtor's debts with creditors for less than the amounts owed on the debts. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Debtor: means any natural person. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Donation: means money given by the debtor to a licensee as a gift for debt management and outside of the debt management contract. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Educational loan: means the same as defined in section 261F. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Electronic: means the same as defined in section 554D. See Iowa Code 554E.1
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fee: means the moneys paid by the debtor to the licensee as payment for debt management and shall not include money paid to the licensee or held by the licensee for distribution to a creditor, a distribution to the debtor as a refund, or a donation. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Gratuitous debt-management service: means debt management without charging a fee. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• Internet: means the federated international system that is composed of allied electronic communication networks linked by telecommunication channels, that uses standardized protocols, and that facilitates electronic communication services, including but not limited to use of the world wide web; the transmission of electronic mail or messages; the transfer of files and data or other electronic information; and the transmission of voice, image, and video. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Internet site: means a specific location on the internet that is determined by internet protocol numbers, by a domain name, or by both, including but not limited to domain names that use the designations ". See Iowa Code 4.1
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Licensee: means any person licensed under this chapter. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Loan servicer: means a person who is engaged in the direct collection of payments on a loan from the debtor or holds the right to undertake direct collection of payments on a loan from the debtor, including but not limited to receiving scheduled periodic payments from the debtor pursuant to the terms of the loan or holding the right to service the loan, such as by contracting with or otherwise arranging for another person to service the loan. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Money: means the same as defined in section 554. See Iowa Code 554E.1
• month: means a calendar month, and the word "year" and the abbreviation "A. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Natural person: means an individual who is not an association, joint venture or joint stock company, partnership, limited partnership, business corporation, nonprofit corporation, other business entity, or any group of individuals or business entities, however organized. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• oath: includes affirmation in all cases where an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in like cases the word "swear" includes "affirm". See Iowa Code 4.1
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Office: means each location by street number, building number, city, and state where any person engages in debt management. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means an individual, an association, joint venture or joint stock company, partnership, limited partnership, business corporation, nonprofit corporation, or any other group of individuals however organized. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Record: means the same as defined in section 554D. See Iowa Code 554E.1
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Rule: includes "regulation". See Iowa Code 4.1
• Sale: means any sale, offer for sale, or attempt to sell or lease any land, to the public in this state, for cash or on credit. See Iowa Code 543C.1
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Superintendent: means the superintendent of banking. See Iowa Code 533A.1
• Transaction: means a sale, trade, exchange, transfer, payment, or conversion of a digital asset or any other property or any other action or set of actions occurring between two or more persons relating to the conduct of business, commercial, or governmental affairs. See Iowa Code 554E.1
• Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. ^{Source: OCC}
• United States: includes all the states. See Iowa Code 4.1