As used in this part, the following definitions apply:

1. (1) "Consumer" means an individual who, singly or jointly with another individual, owes money to one or more creditors for personal, family, or household purposes.
2. (2) "Credit counseling service" means a person that provides or offers to provide debt management plan services to consumers for consideration.
3. (3) "Credit counselor" means a person who is an employee or agent of a credit counseling service and who designs debt management plans and provides consumers with budget, basic financial planning, and consumer education services.
4. (4) "Debt management plan" means a written agreement under which a credit counseling service is to receive money from a consumer for the purpose of distributing that money to one or more creditors of the consumer as full or partial payment of the consumer's obligation to the creditor or creditors.
5. (5) "Department" means the department of justice provided for in 2-15-2001.
6. (6) "Person" means an individual, sole proprietorship, firm, partnership, corporation, limited liability partnership or company, or other entity and includes a nonprofit organization exempt from taxation under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3).

7. (7) "Trust account" means an account:

   1. (a) established by a credit counseling service in a federally insured financial institution;
   2. (b) designated as a trust account or other appropriate designation indicating that the funds in the account are not funds of the credit counseling service or its directors, officers, employees, or agents;
   3. (c) used exclusively for funds paid by consumers to the credit counseling service for disbursement to creditors of the consumers; and
   4. (d) that is unavailable to creditors of the credit counseling service.

History: En. Sec. 3, Ch. 272, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 30, Ch. 280, L. 2005.