2025 Session Last amended: 2022 session

§ 53.03 — Certificate

Plain-Language Summary

This section explains how a new industrial loan and thrift company applies for and receives a certificate of authorization from the Department of Commerce. The applicant files a written application with required documents and pays a filing fee of $1,500 if it will not sell thrift certificates for investment, or $8,000 if it will, and an application for thrift-certificate powers must be published by notice within 30 days. The Department examines the company's assets, the character of its shareholders, public demand, and management before granting or denying the application, generally acting within 60 days when there is no hearing and 30 days after a hearing. The section also limits a company to one place of business per certificate, sets fees for branch applications ($500 filing plus $250 investigation) and location changes ($100), and restricts moving more than 25 miles or outside the current trade area without meeting all requirements again.

Practical Notes
Getting authorized to operate an industrial loan and thrift company is a licensing process run through the Department of Commerce, not an automatic right. The fee and review depend on whether the company will sell thrift certificates for investment ($8,000) or not ($1,500), and the Department reviews solvency, management quality, shareholder character, and public demand before issuing or amending a certificate. Each certificate covers one place of business, and relocations or branches require additional fees and, for longer moves, full reapproval.