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<section article="gfi" article_name="Financial Institutions" number="12-1012" title_number="12" title_name="Miscellaneous Institutions and Activities" subtitle_number="10" subtitle_name="Maryland Debt Settlement Services Act">
  <level label="a">
    <text>A debt settlement services agreement shall:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Be signed and dated by the registrant and the consumer; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Include, in at least 12 point type:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The name, address, and telephone number of the consumer;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The name, address, and telephone number of the registrant;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>A description of the debt settlement services to be provided to the consumer;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <level label="1">
          <text>Any debt settlement services fees to be charged to the consumer; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>A statement that the registrant may not:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>Charge the consumer a fee for consultation or for obtaining a consumer’s credit report; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>Require a voluntary contribution from the consumer for any service provided by the registrant;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>The identity of each individual creditor or debt collector whose debts are included in the debt settlement services agreement and the principal amount of the debt owed to each individual creditor or debt collector;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>The principal amount of the total debt included in the debt settlement services agreement;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vii">
        <text>A good faith estimate of the amount of time necessary to achieve the represented results;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="viii">
        <text>To the extent that the debt settlement services may include a debt settlement offer to any of the consumer’s creditors or debt collectors, a good faith estimate of:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>The time by which the registrant will make a bona fide debt settlement offer to each of them; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>The amount of money or percentage of each debt that the consumer must accumulate before the registrant will make a bona fide debt settlement offer to each of them;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ix">
        <text>A statement that:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>The consumer may withdraw from the debt settlement services agreement at any time; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>If a consumer withdraws from the debt settlement services agreement, the registrant:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>May not charge a penalty; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>May collect debt settlement services fees earned by the registrant;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="x">
        <text>For a debt settlement services agreement for student education loan debt relief, a statement in substantially the following form:</text>
        <text>“(Name of company) is a private company, and is not affiliated with the United States Department of Education or any other academic entity or governmental agency. (Name of company) is not a lender, guarantor, or servicer of federal student loans. You can apply for consolidation and other repayment plans without paid assistance through the United States Department of Education. More information is available on the Department’s website or through your federal student loan servicer. You can find out who your servicer is through the United States Department of Education.”;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="xi">
        <text>If the registrant requests or requires the consumer to deposit funds in a dedicated account, a statement that:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>The consumer owns the funds held in the account, including any accrued interest; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>If the consumer requests to withdraw from the debt settlement services agreement, within 7 days after the request, all funds in the account, including accrued interest, less any debt settlement services fees earned by the registrant in compliance with § 12–1010 of this subtitle, must be paid to the consumer; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="xii">
        <text>A statement that the consumer may be required to pay taxes on the amount by which the consumer’s debt is reduced.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The disclosures required under subsection (a)(2)(vii) through (xii) of this section shall be provided to the consumer in a clear and conspicuous manner in the debt settlement services agreement.</text>
  </level>
</section>
