§ 6.2-1801 License requirement
A. No person shall engage in the business of making loans to individuals for personal, family, household, or other nonbusiness purposes, and charge, contract for, or receive, directly or indirectly, on or in connection with any loan interest, charges, compensation, consideration, or expense that in the aggregate is greater than the interest permitted by § 6.2-303, whether or not the person has a location in the Commonwealth, except as provided and authorized by this chapter, Chapter 15 (§ 6.2-1500 et seq.), or Chapter 22 (§ 6.2-2200 et seq.) and without having first obtained a license under this chapter from the Commission.
B. No person shall engage in the business of arranging or brokering short-term loans for any consumer residing in the Commonwealth, whether or not the person has an office or conducts business at a location in the Commonwealth.
C. The provisions of subsection A shall apply to any person who seeks to evade its application by any device, subterfuge, or pretense whatsoever, including:
1. The loan, forbearance, use, or sale of (i) credit, as guarantor, surety, endorser, comaker, or otherwise; (ii) money; (iii) goods; or (iv) things in action;
2. The use of collateral or related sales or purchases of goods or services, or agreements to sell or purchase, whether real or pretended; receiving or charging compensation for goods or services, whether or not sold, delivered, or provided; and
3. The real or pretended negotiation, arrangement, or procurement of a loan through any use or activity of a third person, whether real or fictitious.
D. Any loan made in violation of this section is void, and no person shall have the right to collect, receive, or retain any principal, interest, fees, or other charges in connection with the loan.
History
This law was first created in 2002. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 897 of that year’s edition of “Acts of Assembly,” the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 2005, chapter 571; in 2010, chapter 794; in 2020, chapters 1215 and 1258.
2002, c. 897, § 6.1-445; 2005, c. 571; 2010, c. 794; 2020, cc. 1215, 1258.