A. If the Commission determines that any person has violated any provision of this chapter or any regulation adopted hereunder, the Commission may, upon 21 days’ notice in writing, order such person to cease and desist from such practices and to comply with the provisions of this chapter. The notice shall be sent by certified mail to the principal place of business of such person or other address authorized under § 12.1-19.1 and shall state the grounds for the contemplated action. Within 14 days of mailing the notice, the person or persons named therein may file with the clerk of the Commission a written request for a hearing. If a hearing is requested, the Commission shall not issue a cease and desist order except based upon findings made at such hearing. Such hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the Commission’s Rules. The Commission may enforce compliance with any order issued under this section by imposition and collection of such fines and penalties as may be prescribed by law.

Terms Used In Virginia Code 6.2-2019

  • Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 6.2-100
  • Consumer: means an individual residing in the Commonwealth who owes money to one or more creditors, for personal, family, or household purposes, including an individual who owes money jointly with one or more other individuals. See Virginia Code 6.2-2000
  • in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
  • 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.
  • Person: means any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or other legal or commercial entity. See Virginia Code 6.2-100
  • Principal: means any person who, directly or indirectly, owns or controls (i) 10 percent or more of the outstanding stock of a stock corporation or (ii) a 10 percent or greater interest in a person. See Virginia Code 6.2-2000
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245

B. When, in the opinion of the Commission, immediate action is required to protect the public interest, a cease and desist order may be issued without prior hearing. In such cases, the Commission shall make a hearing available to the person on an expedited basis.

C. The Commission shall have jurisdiction to enter and enforce a cease and desist order against any person, regardless of whether such person is present in the Commonwealth, who obtains money or funds from a consumer for transmission to the consumer’s creditors.

2004, c. 790, § 6.1-363.21; 2010, c. 794.