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<section article="gbr" article_name="Business Regulation" number="8-409" title_number="8" title_name="Home Improvement" subtitle_number="4" subtitle_name="Home Improvement Guaranty Fund">
  <level label="a">
    <text>The Commission may order payment of a claim against the Fund only if:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>the decision or order of the Commission is final in accordance with Title 10, Subtitle 2 of the State Government Article and all rights of appeal are exhausted; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>the claimant provides the Commission with a certified copy of a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction or a final award in arbitration, with all rights of appeal exhausted, in which the court or arbitrator:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>expressly has found on the merits that the claimant is entitled to recover under § 8–405(a) of this subtitle; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>has found the value of the actual loss.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the Commission shall pay approved claims in the order submitted.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>If approved claims submitted to the Commission against a contractor exceed $250,000 less the amount of unreimbursed claim payments previously made for the contractor, the Commission may pay the approved claims proportionately so that each claimant receives the same percentage payment of the claims.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>After the Fund is reimbursed, the Commission shall pay unsatisfied approved claims.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>If there is not enough money in the Fund to pay an approved claim wholly or partly, the Commission shall pay the unpaid claim:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>when enough money is deposited in the Fund; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>in the order that each claim originally was filed with a court of competent jurisdiction or submitted to the Commission.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
