1916                                        LAWS OF MARYLAND                                    Ch. 519

(b) (1) "Collection agency" means:

(I) [all] ALL persons directly or indirectly
engaged in the business of soliciting from, or collecting for
others any claim due or asserted to be owed or due, to a seller,
lender, holder, or creditor, arising from transactions involving
a Maryland resident seeking or acquiring real or personal
property, services, money, or credit for personal, family, or
household purposes[.]; AND

(II) ANY CREDITOR, SELLER, LENDER, OR HOLDER
WHO, IN THE PROCESS OF COLLECTING A DEBT, USES ANY NAME OR OTHER
ARTIFICE WHICH WOULD INDICATE THAT A THIRD PARTY IS COLLECTING OR
ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT THE DEBT.

[(1)] (2) "Collection agency" includes any person who
gives away, sells, USES, or attempts to give away or sell to
others, any system or series of letters or forms used in the
collection of claims which assert or indicate, directly or
indirectly that the claim is being asserted or collected by any
person other than the creditor or owner of the claim.

[(2)] (3) "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;

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(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 engaged to
solicit debts for collection or who regularly make contact with
debtors for the purpose of collection or adjustment of the debt;

(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.

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

take effect July 1, 1986.