The Florida Senate

560.103  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, the term:

(1)  "Affiliated party" means a director, officer, responsible person, employee, or foreign affiliate of a money services business, or a person who has a controlling interest in a money services business as provided in s. 560.127

(2)  "Appropriate regulator" means a state, federal, or foreign agency that has been granted authority to enforce state, federal, or foreign laws related to a money services business or deferred presentment provider.

(3)  "Authorized vendor" means a person designated by a money services business licensed under part II of this chapter to act on behalf of the licensee at locations in this state pursuant to a written contract with the licensee.

(4)  "Branch office" means the physical location, other than the principal place of business, of a money services business operated by a licensee under this chapter.

(5)  "Cashing" means providing currency for payment instruments except for travelers checks.

(6)  "Check casher" means a person who sells currency in exchange for payment instruments received, except travelers checks.

(7)  "Commission" means the Financial Services Commission.

(8)  "Compliance officer" means the individual in charge of overseeing, managing, and ensuring that a money services business is in compliance with all state and federal laws and rules relating to money services businesses, as applicable, including all money laundering laws and rules.

(9)  "Currency" means the coin and paper money of the United States or of any other country which is designated as legal tender and which circulates and is customarily used and accepted as a medium of exchange in the country of issuance. Currency includes United States silver certificates, United States notes, and Federal Reserve notes. Currency also includes official foreign bank notes that are customarily used and accepted as a medium of exchange in a foreign country.

(10)  "Deferred presentment provider" means a person who is licensed under part II or part III of this chapter and has filed a declaration of intent with the office to engage in deferred presentment transactions as provided under part IV of this chapter.

(11)  "Electronic instrument" means a card, tangible object, or other form of electronic payment for the transmission or payment of money or the exchange of monetary value, including a stored value card or device that contains a microprocessor chip, magnetic stripe, or other means for storing information; that is prefunded; and for which the value is decremented upon each use.

(12)  "Financial audit report" means a report prepared in connection with a financial audit that is conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards prescribed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants by a certified public accountant licensed to do business in the United States, and which must include:

(a)  Financial statements, including notes related to the financial statements and required supplementary information, prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The notes must, at a minimum, include detailed disclosures regarding receivables that are greater than 90 days, if the total amount of such receivables represents more than 2 percent of the licensee's total assets.

(b)  An expression of opinion regarding whether the financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or an assertion to the effect that such an opinion cannot be expressed and the reasons.

(13)  "Foreign affiliate" means a person located outside this state who has been designated by a licensee to make payments on behalf of the licensee to persons who reside outside this state. The term also includes a person located outside of this state for whom the licensee has been designated to make payments in this state.

(14)  "Foreign currency exchanger" means a person who exchanges, for compensation, currency of the United States or a foreign government to currency of another government.

(15)  "Licensee" means a person licensed under this chapter.

(16)  "Location" means a branch office, mobile location, or location of an authorized vendor whose business activity is regulated under this chapter.

(17)  "Monetary value" means a medium of exchange, whether or not redeemable in currency.

(18)  "Money services business" means any person located in or doing business in this state, from this state, or into this state from locations outside this state or country who acts as a payment instrument seller, foreign currency exchanger, check casher, or money transmitter.

(19)  "Money transmitter" means a corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or foreign entity qualified to do business in this state which receives currency, monetary value, or payment instruments for the purpose of transmitting the same by any means, including transmission by wire, facsimile, electronic transfer, courier, the Internet, or through bill payment services or other businesses that facilitate such transfer within this country, or to or from this country.

(20)  "Net worth" means assets minus liabilities, determined in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles.

(21)  "Office" means the Office of Financial Regulation of the commission.

(22)  "Officer" means an individual, other than a director, who participates in, or has authority to participate in, the major policymaking functions of a money services business, regardless of whether the individual has an official title or receives a salary or other compensation.

(23)  "Outstanding money transmission" means a money transmission to a designated recipient or a refund to a sender that has not been completed.

(24)  "Outstanding payment instrument" means an unpaid payment instrument whose sale has been reported to a licensee.

(25)  "Payment instrument" means a check, draft, warrant, money order, travelers check, electronic instrument, or other instrument, payment of money, or monetary value whether or not negotiable. The term does not include an instrument that is redeemable by the issuer in merchandise or service, a credit card voucher, or a letter of credit.

(26)  "Payment instrument seller" means a corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or foreign entity qualified to do business in this state which sells a payment instrument.

(27)  "Person" means an individual, partnership, association, trust, corporation, limited liability company, or other group, however organized, but does not include a public agency or instrumentality thereof.

(28)  "Responsible person" means an individual who is employed by or affiliated with a money services business and who has principal active management authority over the business decisions, actions, and activities of the money services business in this state.

(29)  "Sells" means to sell, issue, provide, or deliver.

(30)  "Stored value" means funds or monetary value represented in digital electronic format, whether or not specially encrypted, and stored or capable of storage on electronic media in such a way as to be retrievable and transferred electronically.

History.--s. 1, ch. 94-238; s. 1, ch. 94-354; s. 1, ch. 97-59; s. 2, ch. 2000-360; s. 1, ch. 2001-119; s. 687, ch. 2003-261; s. 1, ch. 2004-85; s. 1, ch. 2008-177.