Modernize Community Financial Services

Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "community financial services access and modernization act of 2025".

§ 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 18-a of the banking law, as amended by chapter 155 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:

(b) two thousand dollars when the application relates to the licensing of an additional location or change of location or the licensing of a [mobile unit] limited station of a licensed casher of checks; or

§ 3. Section 366 of the banking law, as amended by chapter 49 of the laws of 1961, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 849 of the laws of 1964 and as further amended by section 104 of part A of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, and subdivisions 2 and 3 as renumbered by chapter 132 of the laws of 1969, is amended to read as follows:

§ 366. Definitions. When used in this article. 1. The term "licensed casher of checks" means any [individual, partnership, unincorporated association or corporation] person duly licensed by the superintendent of financial services to engage in business pursuant to the provisions of this article.

2. The term "licensee" means a licensed casher of checks, drafts and/or money orders.

3. The term ["mobile unit"] "limited station" means any vehicle or other movable means from which the business of cashing checks, drafts or money orders is to be conducted.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD00735-01-5

4. The term "person" means any individual or other legal entity, including any corporation, partnership, association or limited liability company.

§ 4. Section 367 of the banking law, as amended by chapter 151 of the laws of 1945, subdivision 3 as amended by section 7 of part D-1 of chapter 109 of the laws of 2006, and subdivision 4 as amended by chapter 96 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:

§ 367. License requirements; fees; capital requirements. 1. No person[, partnership, association or corporation] shall engage in the business of cashing checks, drafts or money orders for a consideration without first obtaining a license from the superintendent.

2. Application for such license shall be in writing, under oath, and in the form prescribed by the superintendent, and shall contain the name, and the address both of the residence and place of business, of the applicant, and if the applicant is a co-partnership [or], association or limited liability company, of every member thereof, and if a corporation, of each officer and director thereof; also, if the business is to be conducted at a specific address, the address at which the business is to be conducted, and if the business is to be conducted from a [mobile unit] limited station, the New York state registration number or other identification of such [mobile unit] limited station and the area in which the applicant proposes to operate such [mobile unit] limited station; and also such further information as the superintendent may require.

3. Such applicant at the time of making such application shall pay to the superintendent a fee as prescribed pursuant to section eighteen-a of this chapter for investigating the application. Any licensee requesting a change of address, shall at the time of making such request, pay to the superintendent a fee as prescribed pursuant to section eighteen-a of this chapter for investigating the new address; provided, however, that the superintendent may, [in his or her] at such superintendent's discretion, waive such investigation fee if warranted, and provided further, that no fee shall be payable for the relocation of a limited station.

4. Every applicant shall prove, in form satisfactory to the superintendent that [he or it] such applicant has available for the operation of such business, for each location and for each [mobile unit] limited station specified in the application, liquid assets of at least ten thousand dollars, and every licensee shall continuously maintain for the operation of such business for each location and for each [mobile unit] limited station liquid assets of at least ten thousand dollars. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this subdivision, the superintendent, upon application by an applicant and for good cause shown, may permit a reduction from ten thousand dollars to not less than five thousand dollars of minimum liquid assets required for each location.

§ 5. Section 369 of the banking law, as amended by chapter 151 of the laws of 1945, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 233 of the laws of 2005, subdivisions 4 and 5 as amended by chapter 132 of the laws of 1969, subdivision 6 as amended by section 1 of subpart A of part II of chapter 55 of the laws of 2019, and subdivision 7 as added by chapter 485 of the laws of 1947, is amended to read as follows:

§ 369. Conditions precedent to issuing license; issuance and filing of license; posting license. 1. If the superintendent shall find that the financial responsibility, experience, character, and general fitness of the applicant, and of the members thereof if the applicant be a co-partnership [or], association or limited liability company, and of the officers and directors thereof if the applicant be a corporation, are such as to command the confidence of the community and to warrant belief that the business will be operated honestly, fairly, and efficiently within the purposes of this article, and if the superintendent shall find that the granting of such application will promote the convenience and advantage of the area in which such business is to be conducted, and if the superintendent shall find that the applicant has available for the operation of such business for each location and for each [mobile unit] limited station specified in the application liquid assets of at least ten thousand dollars, the superintendent shall thereupon execute a license in duplicate to permit the cashing of checks, drafts and money orders in accordance with the provisions of this article at the location or in the area specified in such application. In finding whether the application will promote the convenience and advantage to the public, the superintendent shall determine whether there is a community need for a new licensee in the proposed area to be served. No license shall be issued to an applicant for a license, at a location to be licensed which is closer than one thousand five hundred eighty-four feet (three-tenths of a mile) from an existing licensee, except with the written consent of such existing licensee or pursuant to subdivision three of section three hundred seventy of this article, subject to any restriction or condition as the superintendent may promulgate by regulation; provided, however, the superintendent may permit a location to be licensed that is closer than three-tenths of a mile from an existing licensee provided such applicant engages in the cashing of checks, drafts or money orders only for payees of such checks, drafts or money orders that are other than natural persons at the location to be licensed and such applicant was engaged in the cashing of such checks, drafts or money orders for payees that are other than natural persons at such location on or before the fourteenth day of July, two thousand four, and provided further that upon licensing any such location by the superintendent, such license as it pertains solely to such location shall not be affected thereafter by any change of control of such license pursuant to section three hundred seventy-a of this article, provided that the licensee continues thereafter to engage at that location in the cashing of checks, drafts or money orders only for payees that are other than natural persons and provided further that such license shall bear a legend stating that such location is restricted to the cashing of checks, drafts or money orders only for payees that are other than natural persons. The three-tenths of a mile distance requirement as set forth in this section shall not apply in cases where the existing licensee is a restricted location as authorized in the preceding sentence, or is any other licensed location that engages solely in the cashing of checks, drafts or money orders only for payees that are other than natural persons. For purposes of this section, such distance shall be measured on a straight line along the street between the nearest point of the store fronts of the check cashing facilities. The primary business of the licensee, at the location to be licensed, shall be financial services. The superintendent shall transmit one copy of such license to the applicant and file another in the office of the department. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this subdivision, the superintendent, upon application by an applicant and for good cause shown, may permit a reduction from ten thousand dollars to not less than five thousand dollars of minimum liquid assets required for each location.

2. Such license shall state the name of the licensee; and if the licensee is a co-partnership [or], association or limited liability company, the names of the members thereof; and if the licensee is a corporation, the date of its incorporation; and if the business is to be conducted at a specific address, the address at which such business is to be conducted; and if the business is to be conducted through the use of a [mobile unit] limited station, the New York state registration number or other identification of such [mobile unit] limited station and the area in which such [mobile unit] limited station is authorized to do business.

3. Such license shall be kept conspicuously posted in the place of business of the licensee or, in the case of a [mobile unit] limited station, upon such [mobile unit] limited station. Such license shall not be transferable or assignable.

4. Such license shall remain in full force and effect until it is surrendered by the licensee or revoked or suspended as provided in this article.

5. If the superintendent shall find that the applicant fails to meet any of the conditions set forth in subdivision one of this section, [he] such superintendent shall not issue such license, and [he] such superintendent shall notify the applicant of the denial. If an application is denied or withdrawn, the superintendent shall retain the investigation fee to cover the costs of investigating the application and return the license fee to the applicant.

6. The superintendent may, consistent with article twenty-three-A of the correction law, refuse to issue a license pursuant to this article if [he] such superintendent shall find that the applicant, or any person who is a director, officer, partner, agent, employee or substantial stockholder of the applicant, (a) has been convicted of a crime in any jurisdiction or (b) is associating or consorting with any person who has, or persons who have, been convicted of a crime or crimes in any jurisdiction or jurisdictions. For the purposes of this article, a person shall be deemed to have been convicted of a crime if such person shall have pleaded guilty to a charge thereof before a court or magistrate, or shall have been found guilty thereof by the decision or judgment of a court or magistrate or by the verdict of a jury, irrespective of the pronouncement of sentence or the suspension thereof. The term "substantial stockholder," as used in this subdivision, shall be deemed to refer to a person owning or controlling ten per centum or more of the total outstanding stock of the corporation in which such person is a stockholder. In making a determination pursuant to this subdivision, the superintendent shall require fingerprinting of the applicant. Such fingerprints shall be submitted to the division of criminal justice services for a state criminal history record check, as defined in subdivision one of section three thousand thirty-five of the education law, and may be submitted to the federal bureau of investigation for a national criminal history record check.

7. No license pursuant to this article shall be issued to any applicant to do business at the place specified in the application as the place where the business is to be conducted if, within the twelve months preceding such application, a license to engage in business pursuant to this article at such place shall have been revoked.

§ 6. Section 370 of the banking law, as amended by chapter 151 of the laws of 1945, subdivision 2 as amended by section 38 of part O of chapter 59 of the laws of 2006 and subdivision 3 as amended by chapter 703 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:

§ 370. Restrictions as to place or area of doing business; establishment of stations; change of location. 1. No more than one place of business or one [mobile unit] limited station shall be maintained under the same license; provided, however, that more than one license may be issued to the same licensee upon compliance with the provisions of this article for each new license.