Section § 22800

Explanation

This law defines various terms related to commercial financing in California. It explains what constitutes an 'account,' which is essentially a right to collect payment on a debt. An 'accounts receivable purchase transaction' involves selling or transferring the rights to future payments. 'Asset-based lending' is when a business receives advances based on payments from customers. 'Commercial financing' covers several types of financial transactions, none intended for personal use. A 'commercial loan' must be $5,000 or more for business purposes.

'Commercial open-end credit plans' allow recipients to borrow money or pay obligations as needed, with charges based on outstanding balances. The law outlines roles for depository institutions and distinguishes 'factoring,' a specific type of accounts transaction for unpaid goods or services.

A 'provider' makes commercial financing offers, whereas a 'recipient' receives offers for financing up to $500,000. The Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation is also noted in relation to these types of transactions.

For purposes of this division:
(a)CA Financial Code § 22800(a) “Account” means a right to a payment of a monetary obligation.
(b)CA Financial Code § 22800(b) “Accounts receivable purchase transaction” means a transaction as part of an agreement requiring a recipient to forward or otherwise sell to the provider all or a portion of accounts, payment intangibles, or cash receipts that are owed to the recipient or are collected by the recipient during a specified period or in a specified amount.
(c)CA Financial Code § 22800(c) “Asset-based lending transaction” means a transaction in which advances are made from time to time contingent on a recipient forwarding payments received from one or more third parties for goods the recipient has supplied or services the recipient has rendered to that third party or parties.
(d)Copy CA Financial Code § 22800(d)
(1)Copy CA Financial Code § 22800(d)(1) “Commercial financing” means an accounts receivable purchase transaction, including factoring, asset-based lending transaction, commercial loan, commercial open-end credit plan, or lease financing transaction intended by the recipient for use primarily for other than personal, family, or household purposes.
(2)CA Financial Code § 22800(d)(2) For purposes of determining whether financing is commercial financing within the meaning of this subdivision, the provider may rely on any written statement of intended purposes signed by the recipient. The statement may be a separate statement signed by the recipient or may be contained in a loan application or other document signed by the recipient. The provider shall not be required to ascertain that the proceeds of the commercial financing are used in accordance with the statement of intended purposes.
(e)CA Financial Code § 22800(e) “Commercial loan” means a loan of a principal amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more, or any loan under an open-end credit plan, the proceeds of which are intended by the recipient for use primarily for other than personal, family, or household purposes.
(f)CA Financial Code § 22800(f) “Commercial open-end credit plan” means a provider’s plan for making open-end loans pursuant to a loan agreement that sets forth the terms and conditions governing the use of the open-end credit program, and provides that:
(1)CA Financial Code § 22800(f)(1) The recipient may use the open-end credit program to obtain money, goods, labor, or services or credit, and the provider makes open-end loans to the recipient for the purpose of paying money to, or at the direction of, the recipient or paying obligations that the recipient creates through use of the open-end credit program.
(2)CA Financial Code § 22800(f)(2) The amount of each advance and the charges and other permitted costs are debited to an account.
(3)CA Financial Code § 22800(f)(3) The charges are computed from time to time on the unpaid balances of the recipient’s account, excluding from the computation any unpaid charges other than permitted fees, costs, and expenses.
(4)CA Financial Code § 22800(f)(4) The recipient has the privilege of paying the account in full at any time.
(g)CA Financial Code § 22800(g) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation.
(h)CA Financial Code § 22800(h) “Depository institution” means any of the following:
(1)CA Financial Code § 22800(h)(1) A bank, trust company, or industrial loan company doing business under the authority of, or in accordance with, a license, certificate, or charter issued by the United States, this state, or any other state, district, territory, or commonwealth of the United States that is authorized to transact business in this state.
(2)CA Financial Code § 22800(h)(2) A federally chartered savings and loan association, federal savings bank, or federal credit union that is authorized to transact business in this state.
(3)CA Financial Code § 22800(h)(3) A savings and loan association, savings bank, or credit union organized under the laws of this or any other state that is authorized to transact business in this state.
(i)CA Financial Code § 22800(i) “Factoring” means an accounts receivable purchase transaction that includes an agreement to purchase, transfer, or sell a legally enforceable claim for payment held by a recipient for goods the recipient has supplied or services the recipient has rendered that have been ordered but for which payment has not yet been made.
(j)Copy CA Financial Code § 22800(j)
(1)Copy CA Financial Code § 22800(j)(1) “Lease financing” means providing a lease for goods if the lease includes a purchase option that creates a security interest in the goods leased, as defined in paragraph (35) of subdivision (b) of Section 1201 and Section 1203 of the Commercial Code.
(2)CA Financial Code § 22800(j)(2) The definition of lease financing in this Division shall not be construed to repeal or otherwise amend existing law related to the definition of leases and security interests under the Commercial Code.
(k)CA Financial Code § 22800(k) “Payment intangible” means a general intangible under which the account debtor’s principal obligation is a monetary obligation.
(l)CA Financial Code § 22800(l) “Person” means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a limited liability company, a joint venture, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, or an unincorporated organization.
(m)CA Financial Code § 22800(m) “Provider” means a person who extends a specific offer of commercial financing to a recipient. “Provider” also includes a nondepository institution, which enters into a written agreement with a depository institution to arrange for the extension of commercial financing by the depository institution to a recipient via an online lending platform administered by the nondepository institution. The fact that a provider extends a specific offer of commercial financing or lending on behalf of a depository institution shall not be construed to mean that the provider engaged in lending or originated that loan or financing.
(n)CA Financial Code § 22800(n) “Recipient” means a person who is presented a specific commercial financing offer by a provider that is equal to or less than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).

Section § 22801

Explanation

This section outlines situations where a specific division of regulations does not apply. These exceptions include financial providers that are banks, lenders governed by the federal Farm Credit Act, transactions backed by real estate, certain large vehicle-related financial deals, and individuals or businesses conducting very limited financing transactions in California.

This division does not apply to any of the following:
(a)CA Financial Code § 22801(a) A provider that is a depository institution.
(b)CA Financial Code § 22801(b) A provider that is a lender regulated under the federal Farm Credit Act (12 U.S.C. Sec. 2001 et seq.).
(c)CA Financial Code § 22801(c) A commercial financing transaction secured by real property.
(d)CA Financial Code § 22801(d) A commercial financing transaction in which the recipient is a dealer, as defined by Section 285 of the Vehicle Code, or an affiliate of such a dealer, or a vehicle rental company, or an affiliate of such a company, pursuant to a specific commercial financing offer or commercial open-end credit plan of at least fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), including any commercial loan made pursuant to such a commercial financing transaction.
(e)CA Financial Code § 22801(e) Any person who makes no more than one commercial financing transaction in California in a 12-month period or any person who makes five or fewer commercial financing transactions in California in a 12-month period that are incidental to the business of the person relying upon the exemption.

Section § 22802

Explanation

This California law requires financing providers to disclose specific financial details to business clients when offering commercial financing. Before finalizing any transactions, the recipient must receive and sign off on this information. The disclosures include the total amount of funds provided, the overall cost, the payment terms, any prepayment policies, and the total finance cost converted to an annual percentage rate.

(a)CA Financial Code § 22802(a) A provider subject to this division shall disclose all of the information in subdivision (b) or in Section 22803, if applicable, to a recipient at the time of extending a specific commercial financing offer to that recipient, and shall obtain the recipient’s signature on the disclosure before consummating the commercial financing transaction.
(b)CA Financial Code § 22802(b) Except as provided in Section 22803, a provider subject to this division shall disclose all of the following:
(1)CA Financial Code § 22802(b)(1) The total amount of funds provided.
(2)CA Financial Code § 22802(b)(2) The total dollar cost of the financing.
(3)CA Financial Code § 22802(b)(3) The term or estimated term.
(4)CA Financial Code § 22802(b)(4) The method, frequency, and amount of payments.
(5)CA Financial Code § 22802(b)(5) A description of prepayment policies.
(6)CA Financial Code § 22802(b)(6) The total cost of the financing expressed as an annualized rate.

Section § 22803

Explanation

This section provides an alternative for certain commercial financing providers involved in factoring or asset-based lending, allowing them to offer simpler disclosures instead of the usual detailed ones. If they give an agreement outlining general terms, they can disclose just a few key pieces of information as an example for potential transactions. These include the amount financed, total cost, estimated term, payment details, prepayment policies, and the cost of financing as an annual rate.

As an alternative to the disclosures required in subdivision (b) of Section 22802, a provider who offers commercial financing that is factoring or asset-based lending and that offers the recipient an agreement that describes the general terms and conditions of the commercial financing transaction that will occur under the agreement, may provide the following disclosures as an example of a transaction that could occur under the general agreement for a given amount of accounts receivables:
(a)CA Financial Code § 22803(a) An amount financed.
(b)CA Financial Code § 22803(b) The total dollar cost.
(c)CA Financial Code § 22803(c) The term or estimated term.
(d)CA Financial Code § 22803(d) The method, frequency, and amount of payments.
(e)CA Financial Code § 22803(e) A description of prepayment policies.
(f)CA Financial Code § 22803(f) The total cost of the financing expressed as an annualized rate.

Section § 22804

Explanation

This law outlines the responsibilities of the commissioner to create regulations for financial disclosures as detailed in other related sections. These regulations must define the terms used, how calculations are made for disclosures, and set guidelines on when and how these disclosures should be presented to people.

The requirements also include how to disclose the annualized rate, which is essentially a yearly percentage of fees and charges. The law specifies how to calculate this rate, when estimates can be used, and the standards for accuracy. Until these detailed rules are officially put in place, providers don't have to follow the disclosure requirements.

(a)CA Financial Code § 22804(a) The commissioner shall adopt regulations governing the disclosures described in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, of subdivision (b) of Section 22802 and subdivisions (a) to (e), inclusive, of Section 22803. Those regulations shall include all of the following:
(1)CA Financial Code § 22804(a)(1) Definitions, contents, or methods of calculations for each of the disclosure items set forth in each applicable paragraph of subdivision (b) of Section 22802 and subdivisions (a) to (f), inclusive, of Section 22803.
(2)CA Financial Code § 22804(a)(2) Requirements concerning the time, manner, and format of the applicable disclosures described in subdivision (b) of Section 22802 and subdivisions (a) to (f), inclusive, of Section 22803.
(b)CA Financial Code § 22804(b) The commissioner shall adopt regulations concerning the annualized rate disclosure described in paragraph (6) of subdivision (b) of Section 22802 and subdivision (f) of Section 22803. Those regulations shall include all of the following:
(1)CA Financial Code § 22804(b)(1) A determination of the appropriate method to express the annualized rate disclosure and the types of fees and charges to be included in that calculation.
(2)CA Financial Code § 22804(b)(2) When providers shall be permitted to disclose an estimated annualized rate, and how that estimate shall be calculated. The method of calculation determined by this paragraph shall specify the accuracy requirements and tolerance allowances for the calculation, and the types of fees and charges to be included in the calculation.
(3)CA Financial Code § 22804(b)(3) Requirements concerning the time, manner, and format of the disclosure.
(c)CA Financial Code § 22804(c) A provider shall not be required to comply with the disclosure requirements of this division until the final regulations are adopted by the commissioner pursuant to this section and become effective on the applicable date described in Section 11343.4 of the Government Code.

Section § 22805

Explanation

If you are a provider licensed under the California Financing Law, from the moment the commissioner puts new rules into effect, you can be inspected and held accountable for breaking any rules under this law.

Any provider licensed under the California Financing Law (Division 9 (commencing with Section 22000)) as of the date that the final regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to Section 22804 become effective and from that point thereafter, shall be subject to examination and enforcement by the commissioner under California Financing Law (Division 9 (commencing with Section 22000)) for any violation of this division or any rule or order adopted pursuant to this division.

Section § 22806

Explanation

This section states that a provider is not held responsible if the actual Annual Percentage Rate (APR) they charge ends up being different from the Estimated APR they previously disclosed. This protection applies even if the disclosure was made according to rules or opinions issued by regulatory authorities, like the commissioner or the Attorney General, and those rules or opinions are later changed, canceled, or found to be invalid.

No provision of this division imposes any liability on a provider as a result of the actual Annual Percentage Rate (APR) charged by a provider differing from the Estimated APR disclosed in conformity with any regulation, order, or written interpretive opinion of the commissioner or any such opinion of the Attorney General, whether or not such regulation, order, or written interpretive opinion is later amended, rescinded, or repealed or determined by judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason.