A. The Administrator of Consumer Credit shall appoint an independent hearing examiner to conduct all administrative hearings involving alleged violations of the Oklahoma Pawnshop Act. The independent hearing examiner shall have authority to exercise all powers granted by Article II of the Administrative Procedures Act in conducting hearings. The independent hearing examiner shall have authority to recommend penalties authorized by the Oklahoma Pawnshop Act and issue proposed orders, with proposed findings of fact and proposed conclusions of law, to the Administrator pursuant to Article II of the Administrative Procedures Act. The Administrator shall review the proposed order and issue a final agency order in accordance with Article II of the Administrative Procedures Act. A final agency order issued by the Administrator shall be appealable by all parties to the district court as provided in Article II of the Administrative Procedures Act. The costs of the hearing examiner may be assessed by the hearing examiner against the respondent, unless the respondent is the prevailing party.

B. The Administrator may, after notice and hearing, decline to renew a license, suspend or revoke any license, or in addition to or in lieu of suspension or revocation, order refunds for any unlawful charges or enter a cease and desist order if the Administrator finds that:

1. The licensee or any entity or individual subject to the Oklahoma Pawnshop Act has failed to pay any fee or charge properly imposed by the Administrator under the authority of the Oklahoma Pawnshop Act;

2. The licensee, either knowingly or without the exercise of due care to prevent the same, has violated any provision of the Oklahoma Pawnshop Act or any rule or order lawfully made pursuant to and within the authority of the Oklahoma Pawnshop Act; or

3. Any fact or condition exists which, if it had existed or had been known to exist at the time of the original application for a license, clearly would have justified the Administrator in refusing the license.

C. Any licensee may surrender any license by delivering it to the Administrator with written notice of its surrender, but such surrender shall not affect the licensee's civil or criminal liability for acts committed prior thereto.

D. No revocation, suspension or surrender of any license shall impair or affect the obligation of any preexisting lawful contract between the licensee and any customer.

E. The Administrator may reinstate suspended licenses or issue new licenses to a person whose license or licenses have been revoked if no fact or condition then exists which clearly would have justified the Administrator in refusing originally to issue such license under the Oklahoma Pawnshop Act.

F. On application of any person and payment of the cost thereof, the Administrator shall furnish under the Administrator's seal and signature a certificate of good standing or a certified copy of any license.

G. The Commission on Consumer Credit shall prescribe by rule a fee for each license change, duplicate license, or returned check.

H. A licensee shall pay a late fee as prescribed by rule of the Commission on Consumer Credit if a license is not renewed by December 1.

I. Any entity or individual offering to engage or engaged in making pawn transactions in this state without a license shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00).

J. The Administrator may impose a civil penalty as prescribed in subsection I of this section, after notice and hearing in accordance with Article II of the Administrative Procedures Act. Any administrative order or settlement agreement imposing a civil penalty pursuant to this section may be enforced in the same manner as civil judgments in this state. The Administrator may file an application to enforce an administrative order or settlement agreement imposing a civil penalty in the district court of Oklahoma County.

Added by Laws 1972, c. 255, § 7. Amended by Laws 2010, c. 415, § 16, eff. July 1, 2010.