Title 5

Prior to entry of judgment on a consumer credit transaction, the creditor may not attach unpaid earnings of the debtor by garnishment. Notwithstanding the garnishment procedure otherwise applicable after judgment, with respect to a consumer credit transaction, the amount of unpai…

With respect to a consumer credit transaction, if the court as a matter of law finds the contract or any provision of the contract to have been unconscionable at the time it was made, the court may refuse to enforce the contract, or it may enforce the remainder of the contract wi…

(a) No creditor shall induce or permit any person or any husband and wife, jointly or severally, to become obligated directly or contingently, or both, on more than one consumer credit transaction at the same time for the purpose of obtaining a higher finance charge than would ot…

With respect to consumer credit transactions, where the debt is payable in installments, not made pursuant to an open-end credit plan and in which the original amount financed is one thousand dollars ($1,000) or less, the debt shall be scheduled to be payable in substantially equ…

(a)(1)(i) Any creditor charging a finance charge in excess of the amount authorized herein, except as specified in subdivision (2), shall forfeit debtor’s actual economic damages not to exceed the finance charge, and shall refund to the debtor such amount of the actual economic d…

(a) With respect to any consumer credit transaction, the creditor shall not require any insurance other than insurance against loss of or damage to any property in which the creditor is given a security interest and insurance insuring the lien of the creditor on the property whic…

(a) The administrator is authorized and empowered to promulgate rules and regulations and official interpretations (collectively “regulations”) as may be necessary or appropriate for the execution and enforcement of this chapter. The administrator or, if authorized by regulation,…

(a) No creditor shall engage in any one or more of the following activities without first having obtained a license from the administrator: (1) Making consumer loans to Alabama residents, regardless of whether the creditor has a place of business in Alabama or an employee residin…

(a) The administrator may issue to a person licensed under this chapter an order to show cause why his license should not be revoked or suspended for a period not in excess of six months. The order shall state the place for a hearing and set a time for the hearing that is not les…

(a) For the purpose of determining compliance with this chapter, the administrator may, at any reasonable time, cause an examination to be made at the licensee’s place of business of the records and transactions of such licensee. As cost of examination, the licensee shall pay the…

After notice and hearing, the administrator may order a licensee under this chapter or a person acting on behalf of the licensee to cease and desist from engaging in violations of this chapter. A creditor who is found by the administrator, after notice and hearing, to have violat…

(a) Any interested party or intervener may appeal an order of the administrator to the Circuit Court of Montgomery County or to the circuit court of the county in which such party has its principal place of business in Alabama by filing notice of appeal with the administrator and…

(a) The administrator may bring an action to restrain a creditor or a person acting in his behalf from engaging in any business subject to licensing under subsection (a) of Section 5-19-22 without first obtaining a license therefor as provided in Section 5-19-22 and a licensee or…

(a) Except under open-end credit plans, the maximum finance charge for any credit transaction where the original amount financed is less than two thousand dollars ($2,000), may equal but may not exceed the total of the following: (1) Fifteen dollars ($15) per one hundred dollars …

A creditor who willfully makes charges in excess of those permitted by Section 5-19-3 or a creditor who willfully engages in the business of making loans in violation of subsection (a) of Section 5-19-22, or both, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be sentence…

(a) The provisions of this chapter, except the provisions of subdivision (1) of Section 5-19-1 and Section 5-19-3, shall not apply (i) to any consumer credit transaction or other transaction involving an interest in real property or the sale, lease, or mortgage of an interest in …

Any creditor who extends credit with respect to a consumer credit sale, may sell or finance, or both, a service contract covering tangible goods which are the subject of the consumer credit sale. Any other person who was not the creditor with regard to the initial sale of the tan…

(a) In addition to other lawful charges permitted under various state or federal laws, except under open-end credit plans, a creditor may, if provided in the contract, charge an account maintenance fee of not more than three dollars ($3) for each month of the scheduled period of …

(a) When a scheduled payment in a consumer credit transaction is in default 10 days or more, the creditor may charge and collect a late charge not exceeding the greater of eighteen dollars ($18) or five percent of the amount of the scheduled payment in default, not to exceed one …

In a consumer credit sale, the seller may not take as evidence of the obligation of the buyer, a negotiable instrument other than (1) a check; or (2) a promise or order containing a statement, required by applicable statutory or administrative law, to the effect that the rights o…

(a) Any creditor, when extending credit with respect to a consumer credit transaction, other than under an open-end credit plan, shall at that time furnish to the debtor a copy of each instrument executed by the debtor in connection with the consumer credit transaction. The consu…

With respect to a consumer credit transaction, if any scheduled payment is more than one and one-half times as large as the average of earlier scheduled payments, the debtor has the right to refinance the amount of that payment at the time it is due without penalty. The terms of …

With respect to a consumer credit sale, an assignee of the rights of the seller is subject to all claims and defenses of the buyer against the seller arising out of the sale, notwithstanding an agreement to the contrary, but the assignee’s liability under this section may not exc…

When the buyer is indebted to a particular seller for two or more consumer credit sales of goods and the goods which were the subject of two or more sales secure the buyer’s total debt to the seller, the security shall be discharged by applying the buyer’s payments as they are re…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Alabama Pawnshop Act.” (Acts 1992, No. 92-597, p. 1227, §1.)

(a) A pawnbroker shall have a lien on the pledged goods pawned for the money advanced and the pawnshop charge owed, but not for other debts due to the pawnbroker, subject to the rights of other persons who have an ownership interest or prior liens in the pledged goods. The pawnbr…

(a) A person may not engage in business as a pawnbroker unless the person has a valid license authorizing engagement in the business. A separate license is required for each place of business. The supervisor may issue more than one license to a person if that person complies with…

(a) To be eligible for a pawnshop license, an applicant shall: (1) Operate lawfully and fairly within the purposes of this chapter. (2) Not have been convicted of a felony within the last 10 years or not be acting as a beneficial owner for someone who has been convicted of a felo…

(a) The supervisor may, after notice and hearing, suspend or revoke any license upon a finding that: (1) The licensee, either knowingly or without the exercise of due care to prevent the same, has violated this chapter. (2) A fact or condition exists which, if it had existed or h…

(a) An application for a new pawnshop license, the transfer of an existing pawnshop license, or the approval of a change in the ownership of a licensed pawnshop shall be under oath and shall state the full name and place of residence of the applicant, the place where the business…

(a) No pledged or purchased goods may be confiscated if the property pledged to, or purchased by, a pawnbroker may be put on a seven-day hold by the authorized law enforcement authorities, but the pledged or purchased property may not be placed on hold unless: (1) A police report…

Any person who engages in the business of operating a pawnshop without first securing the license prescribed by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not in excess of $1,000.00 or by confinement in the county jail …

(a) In addition to any other penalty which may be applicable, any licensee who willfully violates this chapter or who willfully makes a false entry in any record specifically required by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished…

The Department of Public Safety on request shall supply to the supervisor any available arrest and conviction records of an individual applying for or holding a license under this chapter. (Acts 1992, No. 92-597, p. 1227, §18.)

Any municipality may enact ordinances which are in compliance with but not more restrictive than this chapter. Any existing or future order, ordinances, or regulation which conflicts with this provision shall be null and void. (Acts 1992, No. 92-597, p. 1227, §20.)

The following words and phrases shall have the following meanings: (1) APPROPRIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. The sheriff of each county in which the pawnbroker maintains an office, or the police chief of the municipality in which the pawnbroker maintains an office. (2) ATTORNEY GEN…

Notwithstanding the foregoing, all persons currently doing business as pawnbrokers and those seeking licensure under this chapter, shall be subject to the applicable licensing and issuance fees levied under Chapter 12 of Title 40. This chapter shall not repeal or be construed to …

At the time of making the pawn or purchase transaction, the pawnbroker shall enter on the pawn ticket a record of the following information which shall be typed or written in ink and in the English language: (1) A clear and accurate description of the property, including model an…

The following information shall be printed on all pawn tickets: (1) The statement that “Any personal property pledged to a pawnbroker within this state is subject to sale or disposal when there has been no payment made on the account for a period of 30 days past maturity date of …

(a) The pledgor or seller shall sign a statement verifying that the pledgor or seller is the rightful owner of the goods or is entitled to sell or pledge the goods and shall receive an exact copy of the pawn ticket which shall be signed or initialed by the pawnbroker or any emplo…

A pledgor shall have no obligation to redeem pledged goods or make any payment on a pawn transaction. Pledged goods not redeemed within 30 days following the originally fixed maturity date shall be forfeited to the pawnbroker and absolute right, title, and interest in and to the …

(a) A pawnbroker may contract for and receive a pawnshop charge in lieu of interest or other charges for all services, expenses, costs, and losses of every nature but not to exceed 25 percent of the principal amount, per month, advanced in the pawn transaction. (b) Any interest, …

A pawnbroker, any clerk, agent, or employee of a pawnbroker shall not do any of the following: (1) Fail to make an entry of any material matter in the record book. (2) Make any false entry therein. (3) Falsify, obliterate, destroy, or remove from the place of business records, bo…

(a) Any person properly identified as pledgor or as authorized representative of the pledgor and presenting a pawn ticket to the pawnbroker shall be entitled to redeem or repurchase the pledged goods described in the ticket. In the event pledged goods are lost or damaged while in…

To the extent other laws or parts of laws, whether general, local, or general laws of local application, conflict with this chapter, such other laws or parts of laws are hereby amended or repealed to the extent of such conflict as necessary to permit full effectiveness of the pro…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Alabama Credit Card Act.” (Acts 1988, No. 88-85, p. 104, §1.)