AI-assisted research summary: The commissioner may suspend or revoke a premium finance company license, and in some cases impose a penalty instead; affected persons are entitled to a hearing and may appeal.
(a) The commissioner may revoke or suspend the license of any premium finance company when, and if, after complaint and investigation, it appears to the commissioner that: (1) Any license issued to such company was obtained by fraud; (2) There were any misrepresentations in the application for the license; (3) The holder of such license has otherwise shown himself untrustworthy or incompetent to act as a premium finance company; (4) Such company has violated any of the provisions of this chapter; or (5) No license shall issue or remain in force if any principal of the licensee has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude. (b) Before the commissioner shall revoke, suspend, or refuse to renew the license of any premium finance company, the aggrieved person shall be entitled to a hearing in accord with administrative procedures in effect in this state or if no such administrative procedures are set out, then in the same manner as provided in Section 27-2-28 et seq. In lieu of revoking or suspending the license for any of the causes enumerated in this section, after hearing as herein provided, the commissioner may subject such company to a penalty of not more than $200.00 for each offense but not more than a maximum of $5,000.00 in the event multiple violations occurred, when in his judgment he finds that the public interest would not be harmed by the continued operation of such company. The amount of any such penalty shall be paid by such company to the commissioner. (c) If the commissioner refuses to issue to any person a license as a premium finance company, or he revokes, suspends, or refuses to renew the license of any premium finance company or he imposes a penalty on such company, after a hearing as provided under subsection (b), the applicant or licensee may appeal from such refusal to issue a license or from such adjudication in accordance with Section 27-2-32 et seq.