HARRY HUGHES, Governor                                     1541

claim is being asserted or collected by any person other than the
creditor or owner of the claim.

(2) "Collection agency" does not include any:

(i) Regular employee of a creditor acting under
the general direction and control of that creditor in the

collection of a claim owned by that creditor;

(ii) Regular employee of a collection agency
licensed under this subtitle;

(iii) Bank, trust company, savings and loan
association, building and loan association, federal or State
chartered credit union, or mortgage banker;

(iv) Abstract company doing an escrow business;

(v) Attorney at law collecting a debt as an

attorney on behalf of or in the name of a client, unless the
attorney has nonattorney employees who are [regularly] PRIMARILY
engaged to solicit debts for collection or who [regularly]
PRIMARILY make contact with debtors for the purpose of
collection or adjustment of the debt USING SUCH PROCEDURES AS TO

BE IDENTIFIED WITH THE OPERATION OF A COLLECTION AGENCY;

(vi) Person acting under the order of any court
of competent jurisdiction; or

(vii) Person licensed under the laws of this
State as a real estate broker, associate broker, real estate
salesman, or an employee of a real estate broker, with respect to
the collection of rent and allied charges for property on behalf
of the employing broker.

(c)  "Person" means any individual, corporation, business
trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, two or more
persons having a joint or common interest, or any other   legal or
commercial entity.

(d)  "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Consumer

Credit.

(e)  "Board" means the Collection Agency Licensing Board of
the office of the Commissioner of Consumer Credit.

324.

A person may not engage in the business of a collection
agency in this State without an annual license as provided for in
the subtitle.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall

take effect July 1, 1986.