{"meta":{"key":"s_ga--pass-01","task":"S_GA","title":"SGA Georgia provider market access and consumer fees","parent_title":"Georgia debt and debt relief law","edition":"pass-01","path":"/research/s_ga--pass-01/","kind":"split_pass","category":"state","role":"state","area_numbers":[66],"groups":["collections"],"date":"2026-10-23","tables":8,"claims":36,"sources":26,"review_status":"revise","review_complete":true,"sha256":"6003edafd47bdbf23070aa35a5ce5cf40810c315fceda7dcb345a145bd905dfc","headings":["A. Substantive findings","1. What Georgia classifies as debt adjusting","2. Prohibited, conditionally permitted, and exempt models","3. Georgia fee bases, limits, adjustments, and refunds","4. When fees may be requested or received","5. Public market-access procedure actually verified","6–7. Examples and component coverage","B. Source register","B1. Documents and operational sources","B2. Section URLs belonging to the single chapter document S002","B3. Failed routes material to unresolved issues","C. Claim table","D. Worked examples and coverage/gap table","D1. Plain-text worked examples","D2. Full component coverage and remaining investigations","E. Researcher self-check"],"generation_provenance":{"actual_route":"regular_chat_adaptive_models","actual_model":"GPT-6","actual_mode":"Pro","provenance_limit":"Actual documented capture labels only; missing labels remain unknown. No preferred setting is inferred as actual execution."},"public_id":"S_GA/pass-01","facets":{"geography":["us","us-ga"],"debt_type":[],"stage":[],"subject":["fees-outcomes","provider-licensing"]},"scope":"Provider market access and consumer fee framework only; allotherstatecategories remainrequired","pending_corrections":0},"markdown":"# S_GA PASS-01 — Georgia provider market access and consumer fees\n\n**Baseline:** October 22, 2026, Pacific.\n**Actual access:** October 23, 2026, approximately 05:48–06:01 UTC, corresponding to **October 22, 2026, approximately 10:48–11:01 p.m. PDT**.\n\n**Component result:** Georgia has a conditional statutory pathway for compliant debt-adjustment services involving payment distribution. The materials examined do **not** establish an ordinary debt-adjuster license that authorizes a conventional debt-settlement business. Negotiation without custody can still meet the statutory definition, and a lawful positive-fee pathway for a purely noncustodial provider was **not established**.\n\nThe verified ordinary fee ceiling is **7.5% of the relevant monthly creditor-payment base**, with a consequential disagreement over the denominator: *Pries v. GreenPath* excludes the provider’s fee from that base, while informal agency guidance uses language suggesting a deduction from the total payment. This report preserves that disagreement.\n\n**This is a component investigation. It does not complete Georgia, approve a particular provider, or imply state or A066 acceptance.**\n\nSource identifiers below use **S_GA-P1-S001–S026**; claim identifiers use **S_GA-P1-C001–C036**.\n\n## A. Substantive findings\n\n### 1. What Georgia classifies as debt adjusting\n\n#### The operative test concerns the contracted activity\n\nO.C.G.A. §18-5-1(1) combines a business/holding-out element with a contract for compensation. It reaches a business offering debt adjustment, budget counseling, debt management, debt pooling, or similarly described debt-management services that contracts with a debtor for a fee to do either of the following:\n\n- Adjust, compromise, or discharge an account, note, or other indebtedness.\n- Receive the debtor’s money or other value and distribute it to creditors.\n\nThose are alternative activity branches. **Receiving or controlling debtor funds is not a prerequisite to the adjustment/compromise branch.** A “negotiation,” “consulting,” “membership,” or “legal services” label does not resolve coverage.\n\n**Claims C001–C003; sources S001 §18, S002 §18-5-1.** [legiscan.com+1](https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n| Model or activity | Classification under the examined Georgia provisions | Consequence for this pass |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Negotiating a reduction of principal for compensation | Fits the adjustment/compromise branch when the other definition elements are present. | Analyze the Act even if the debtor pays creditors directly. |\n| Negotiating lower interest, waived charges, or changed payment terms | Can constitute adjustment of indebtedness without reducing principal. | A concessions-only service is not categorically outside the Act. |\n| DMP with creditor concessions and collection/distribution of monthly payments | Can satisfy both branches. | Conditional statutory compliance pathway exists; ordinary fees, handling, insurance, audit, and filing requirements apply unless exempt. |\n| Receiving and distributing payments without principal reduction | Independently covered by the distribution branch when performed under the qualifying fee contract. | Principal reduction is unnecessary for coverage. |\n| Education or budget counseling that does not contract to adjust indebtedness or receive/distribute payments | The required activity element may be absent. | Examine the actual contract and performance; do not decide from “counseling” alone. |\n| Truly uncompensated assistance | The definition’s fee-contract element may be absent. | Required donations, bundled compensation, or indirect charges require further examination. |\n| Provider-controlled accumulation of debtor payments for eventual settlements | Covered activity; retaining distributable funds beyond the statutory period creates a separate problem. | A future settlement objective does not suspend the 30-day distribution rule. |\n| Separate-account or noncustodial settlement service | Potentially covered under the adjustment branch; ownership, control, agency, and actual payment flows matter. | No positive-fee clearance established merely from using a separate account administrator. |\n\nOnce the activity is covered, §18-5-2 expressly includes **charges, fees, contributions, and combinations**. Calling the consideration a contribution therefore does not itself avoid the ceiling.\n\nThe Attorney General’s **Unofficial Opinion 1997-6** also distinguished general counseling from the complete statutory definition. Its discussion of the former broad prohibition is historical, however; it is not the source of current permission. **C003, C009, C014–C015; S017, S002.**\n\n#### Consumer/business purpose and resident/remote nexus\n\nThe definition uses broad indebtedness language rather than an express personal, family, or household-purpose limitation. I did **not** establish a general business-debt exclusion. In particular, the mere fact that an individual incurred a debt for business purposes is not a verified exemption.\n\nThe fee restriction and annual requirements expressly refer to debtors residing in Georgia. “Resides” includes temporary as well as permanent residence. Those provisions do not condition application on the provider having a Georgia office. An out-of-state provider therefore cannot assume that remote delivery removes its dealings with a Georgia resident from the Act.\n\nTwo boundaries remain held:\n\n1. Application of the residence language to a corporation or other entity debtor.\n2. The complete obligations of a Georgia-based operator serving only nonresident debtors, particularly because §18-5-3.2 uses broader wording than the resident-specific fee and annual-filing provisions.\n\n**C004–C005; S002 §§18-5-1, -2, -3.1, -3.2.** [law.justia.com+3](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-1/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n### 2. Prohibited, conditionally permitted, and exempt models\n\n#### The ordinary pathway is statutory compliance, not a debt-adjuster license\n\nThe operative chapter establishes substantive restrictions and annual filing duties. The Attorney General’s current operational page provides **audit/insurance filing forms and an exemption certification**. It does not provide a debt-adjuster license application or an approval process that converts an otherwise unlawful fee model into a lawful one.\n\nAccordingly, the supported classification is:\n\n| Model | Market-access result established in this pass |\n| --- | --- |\n| Nonexempt DMP/payment-distribution service complying with the Act | **Conditionally permitted by the statutory framework**, subject to the applicable requirements. No ordinary debt-adjuster license identified. |\n| Promptly funded principal-reduction settlement administered through a compliant distribution model | **Not categorically excluded merely because principal is reduced.** The definition expressly encompasses compromise, and *Pries* uses a lump-sum settlement illustration. All other requirements remain applicable. |\n| High-percentage enrolled-debt or savings-fee settlement model | **No separate Georgia authorization established.** The federal availability of a fee-allocation method does not create a Georgia exception. |\n| Nonexempt noncustodial negotiation with a positive provider fee | **Held.** Coverage can exist under §18-5-1(1)(A), while the ordinary fee base may be zero because nothing is paid to that provider for creditor distribution. |\n| Provider receives payments and holds them for months awaiting settlement | **Incompatible with the verified 30-day distribution requirement**, absent a valid statutory exclusion or a materially different, legally established factual classification. |\n| Exempt activity/entity under §18-5-3 | Outside this chapter to the extent the exemption actually applies; other laws and professional obligations remain unresolved. |\n\nThe 2025 ConsumerEd guidance treats the stop-paying-creditors/send-money-for-eventual-settlement model as unlawful. That guidance supports a warning about that model; it does not justify rewriting the statute as a categorical prohibition on every principal reduction. *Pries*’s lump-sum discussion is illustrative judicial reasoning, not a provider approval.\n\n**C006–C008; S009, S013 pp. 4–7 and p. 6 n.2, S015, S002 §18-5-3.2.** [consumer.georgia.gov+3](https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n#### Exemptions require the actual statutory facts\n\n**Attorney/practice-of-law exclusion.** The operative phrase is debt adjusting **“incurred in the practice of law in this state.”** The current statutory attorney clause does not contain “incidentally.” That word appears in the separate own-creditor exclusion.\n\nThe mere presence of a lawyer, a law-firm contract, attorney ownership, or an attorney referral does not establish that the actual debt-adjustment work falls within the exclusion. Two recent bankruptcy opinions are particularly relevant:\n\n- *Schofield v. The Brian A. Moore Law Firm, LLC (In re Mai)*, September 30, 2025, examines the actual services rather than granting a categorical law-firm exemption.\n- *Wills v. Turnbull (In re Bush)*, March 31, 2026, follows that approach at the pleading stage.\n\nThese opinions do **not** establish ultimate liability for every defendant or a complete bright-line definition of legal practice. *Bush* reported that the *Mai* appeal remained undecided as of March 31, 2026; its status at this investigation’s baseline was not verified. **C010, C036; S002 §18-5-3, S018 Part V, S019 pp. 10–13 and p. 4 n.3.** [law.justia.com+2](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n**Nonprofit organizations.** Section 18-5-3 contains no standalone nonprofit exclusion. An organization’s tax status or charitable description does not establish exemption from Georgia’s chapter. The treatment of bona fide nonprofits under the FTC’s jurisdiction is a separate federal issue. **C009; S002 §18-5-3, S017, S023.**\n\n**Own-creditor adjustment.** The exclusion concerns persons or entities that incidentally adjust indebtedness **owed to themselves**. A paid intermediary negotiating debts owed to unrelated creditors does not qualify merely because it calls its activity incidental. **C011; S002 §18-5-3.**\n\n**Institutional exclusions.** Section 18-5-3 enumerates:\n\n- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.\n- Banks, bank holding companies, trust companies, savings and loan associations, credit unions, credit card banks, and savings banks meeting the stated regulatory-supervision condition.\n- Persons defined in §7-3-3 operating under Chapter 3 of Title 7, the Georgia Installment Loan Act.\n- The statutory language also addresses the listed entities’ subsidiaries.\n\nThe current reproduced regulator list names the OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, NCUA, and Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. A generic relationship with a regulated institution, or possession of some other financial license, is not an established substitute for the enumerated conditions. Full qualification under §7-3-3 and the relevant institutional licensing regime remains a targeted follow-up if that exemption is invoked.\n\n**C012; S002 §18-5-3, S004 §9, S026 §18.** [law.justia.com+2](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n#### Separate unauthorized-practice boundary\n\nThe Georgia Supreme Court’s *In re UPL Advisory Opinion 2003-1*, 280 Ga. 121, addresses a nonlawyer company negotiating with a creditor’s lawyer for a debtor **already sued**. The court found unauthorized practice despite a limited power of attorney, disclaimers, and arrangements under which the creditor’s attorney prepared documents.\n\nThat is a controlling, fact-specific boundary. It should neither be ignored because the provider satisfies the Debt Adjustment Act nor expanded here into a holding that every prelitigation negotiation is unauthorized practice.\n\n**C013; S020, 280 Ga. at 122–123.** [law.justia.com](https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2005/s03u1732-1.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n### 3. Georgia fee bases, limits, adjustments, and refunds\n\n#### Verified ordinary ceiling\n\nSection 18-5-2 prohibits direct or indirect acceptance of covered consideration exceeding **7.5% of the monthly amount paid by the debtor to the provider for distribution to creditors**.\n\nThe provision does not establish independent percentage allowances based on:\n\n- Original or enrolled debt.\n- Debt forgiven.\n- Savings.\n- Number of creditors.\n- Number of settlements.\n\nNor did the examined sources establish an additional setup allowance, minimum monthly charge, annual dollar allowance, or lifetime fee allowance that can be added to the ordinary ceiling.\n\n**C014–C015; S002 §18-5-2; S001 §18.** [law.justia.com+1](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n| Fee or charge | Verified treatment | Limitation |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Ordinary service fee, including a combination of ordinary fee labels | Aggregate monthly ceiling of 7.5% of the applicable creditor-distribution base | Renaming or splitting the charge does not create separate allowances. |\n| Setup or enrollment fee | No independent additional allowance established | Must satisfy the ordinary ceiling and independently applicable timing restrictions. |\n| Fixed monthly fee | No independent fixed-dollar schedule established | A fixed amount can still exceed the percentage ceiling, particularly with smaller distributions. |\n| Settlement, per-debt, enrolled-balance, or savings fee | No separate Georgia authorization established | Federal allocation methods do not supply state permission. |\n| Insufficient-funds transaction charge | Express allowance for a **reasonable, separate** charge | No exact dollar maximum verified; federal treatment and the actual transaction still matter. |\n| Copy of audit summary following written request | Charge limited to reproduction cost | This is a narrow document-copy provision, not a service-fee allowance. |\n| Cancellation/termination charge | No separate affirmative authorization established | No general cancellation fee or retention formula supplied by this chapter. |\n| Excessive fee or failure to distribute within the statutory period | §18-5-4(b)(2) provides liability measured by all fees/charges/contributions paid, plus $5,000 | This is not merely an excess-fee credit; full remedies analysis remains a later pass. |\n\n**C017–C018, C021–C022; S002 §§18-5-2, -3.1(a)(1), -4(b)(2).**\n\n#### Material denominator conflict: net creditor payments versus total payment\n\nIn *Pries v. GreenPath*, the federal district court interpreted the statutory base as the amount distributed to creditors **excluding the provider’s own fee**. It rejected calculation on a total payment that includes that fee.\n\nBy contrast, the September 26, 2025 ConsumerEd article describes taking 7.5% **“off the top.”** If applied to a fee-inclusive payment, that produces a different result.\n\nThis pass therefore uses the *Pries* method for bounded calculations:\n\nOrdinary fee ≤ 0.075 × creditor distribution, excluding the provider fee.\n\nBut the report does **not** claim a verified Georgia appellate decision has conclusively resolved the conflict statewide. *Pries* is a federal district-court ruling on a motion to dismiss; subsequent appellate history was not established.\n\n**C016, C036; S013 pp. 4–7; S015 answer discussing lawful adjustment.** [cases.justia.com+1](https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/georgia/gamdce/5%3A2020cv00353/117400/19/0.pdf?ts=1618256699&utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n#### Indexing and dated material\n\nNo CPI mechanism, inflation-adjustment formula, or current adjustment notice was identified for the chapter’s 7.5% ceiling. Consequently:\n\n- The percentage is not converted into an invented annual dollar schedule.\n- No inflation-adjusted setup, monthly, or settlement allowance is supplied.\n- The reasonable NSF amount remains held because the examined provision supplies no numerical amount.\n\nThe Attorney General’s HTML statute page expressly identifies its text as current through **2006**. The accessible November 2024 exemption form also contains older terminology. Those materials cannot establish the current wording merely because they remain online.\n\nThe currentness work included the 2015 and 2020 enacted amendments, the 2025 statutory reproduction, and official 2025/2026 legislative summaries. The latter did not identify a Chapter 18-5 amendment in the portions searched. This is meaningful corroboration, but the inaccessible official consolidated-code route prevents an unqualified authenticated-code certification.\n\n**C025–C027; S003–S008, S011–S012, S024–S026.**\n\n### 4. When fees may be requested or received\n\n#### Georgia rules\n\nThree propositions must remain separate:\n\n1. **Section 18-5-2 restricts acceptance** of consideration above the ceiling.\n2. **Section 18-5-3.2(a)** requires distribution of debtor funds, less authorized fees, to appropriate creditors within **30 days of receipt**.\n3. **Section 18-5-3.2(b)** requires a separate trust account for debtor receipts and disbursements.\n\nThe 30-day provision does not authorize indefinite accumulation, and the ceiling does not itself authorize an advance fee.\n\nThe current Attorney General “Credit and Debt” guidance says no upfront fees. A historical October 11, 2013 ConsumerEd answer states that some upfront fees may be permitted within the combined monthly limit. Neither educational page establishes an exception to an independently applicable federal prohibition. The precise state-only point within a monthly service cycle at which a compliant ordinary fee may first be requested or deducted was **not conclusively resolved** by a controlling decision in this pass.\n\n**C019–C020; S002 §§18-5-2, -3.2; S014 debt-management discussion; S016 answer.** [law.justia.com+2](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n#### Independently applicable federal TSR baseline\n\nThe current text of **16 C.F.R. §310.4(a)(5)** was read directly. Its debt-relief fee prohibition became effective **October 27, 2010**. The eCFR page checked here reported currency through October 21, 2026; that webpage currency date is not the debt-relief provision’s effective date.\n\nWhere the TSR applies, the seller or telemarketer may not **request or receive** the fee until:\n\n1. At least one debt has actually been renegotiated, settled, reduced, or otherwise altered under a valid agreement executed by the customer.\n2. The customer has made at least one payment pursuant to that agreement.\n3. For debts resolved individually, the fee satisfies one of the specified allocation methods.\n\nThe allocation alternatives are:\n\n- The resolved debt’s enrollment balance divided by the total enrolled balance, applied proportionally to the total fee; or\n- A constant percentage of savings, using the enrollment balance and the amount actually paid to satisfy the debt.\n\nThese federal alternatives **do not authorize those fee bases in Georgia**.\n\n**C029–C030, C034; S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(A)–(C); S022, 75 Fed. Reg. 48458, 48480–48481.** [ecfr.gov+2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n**DMP nuance.** The 2010 rule explanation requires a customer-executed DMP binding on applicable creditors and evidence of the customer’s first payment to the counseling agency for creditor distribution. It also explains that later periodic servicing fees are not prohibited merely because they recur. Georgia’s ceiling and conditions still apply.\n\n**Installment nuance.** A genuine creditor-approved installment settlement can satisfy the first-payment condition with its first agreed installment. A provider cannot divide a creditor-required lump sum into invented installments and charge after a token payment.\n\n**C031–C032; S022, 75 Fed. Reg. 48489, §III.C.5(a), nn.431–432.** [govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-08-10/pdf/2010-19412.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n**Coverage boundaries.** The TSR debt-relief definition concerns unsecured creditors or debt collectors and includes balance, interest, and fee concessions. Coverage requires the relevant telemarketing and jurisdictional facts. Inbound calls responding to debt-relief advertising and direct-mail solicitations are expressly carved out of otherwise available inbound-call exemptions. There is no general attorney exemption. Bona fide nonprofit jurisdiction and the rule’s face-to-face/business-call provisions require separate factual analysis; none supplies a Georgia exemption. **C028; S021 §§310.2(o), (ii), 310.6(b)(3)–(7); S023 coverage discussion.** [ecfr.gov+2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n**Dedicated accounts and cancellation.** Section 310.4(a)(5)(ii) permits a qualifying account arrangement only with its stated safeguards: insured institution, customer ownership and interest, independent administration, no compensated referrals, and withdrawal without penalty. Remaining account funds, less fees earned under the specified federal conditions, must be returned within **seven business days** of the request.\n\nThat is not a general seven-day Georgia cancellation rule, nor does it establish Georgia permission for the account structure. It also does not automatically claw back every previously earned fee merely because the customer later cancels.\n\n**C033–C034; S021 §310.4(a)(5)(ii)(A)–(E); S022, 75 Fed. Reg. 48490–48491.** [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n### 5. Public market-access procedure actually verified\n\nThe responsible office for these filings is the **Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division**. Sections 18-5-3.1 and 18-5-5 supply the relevant filing/repository and rulemaking framework.\n\nThe following current public materials were opened and read:\n\n- “Debt Adjustment Companies – Required Filings.”\n- “Certification of Requisite Filing under the Debt Adjustment Act,” November 2024 form.\n- “Certification of Requisite Filing Exemption under the Debt Adjustment Act,” November 2024 form.\n\nThe ordinary annual submission uses the cover sheet with an independent CPA audit and insurance documentation. The form requests company/contact details, the audit period and issuance date, insurance confirmations, signature, and notarization. The webpage provides return instructions.\n\nThe statutory prerequisites include:\n\n- Independent annual CPA audit of accounts holding debtor funds and making creditor payments.\n- Continuous insurance for employee dishonesty, depositor forgery, and computer fraud.\n- Coverage of at least the greater of **$100,000** or **10% of the immediately preceding six-month monthly average of aggregate deposits from all debtors**.\n- Deductible no greater than **10% of policy face coverage**.\n- Insurer rating of at least **A− or equivalent**.\n- **30 days’ advance written termination notice** to the Attorney General.\n- Annual filing of the audit and insurance policy.\n\nThese are access-related prerequisites, not consumer service-fee allowances.\n\n**C023–C024; S002 §18-5-3.1; S009–S010.** [law.justia.com+2](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-1/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\nThe statute expressly makes the Attorney General a repository and provides that receipt alone does not impose oversight responsibility. That wording does not eliminate the chapter’s enforcement powers. More importantly, **receipt of a filing is not an affirmative license or finding of compliance**.\n\nNo public debt-adjuster license lookup, initial license application, fixed annual filing deadline, filing fee, or verified first-year audit accommodation was established in the examined materials. No named provider’s actual filing, exemption, or authorization status was verified.\n\nThe exemption form must also be read cautiously:\n\n- It uses “incidental” in its lawyer checkbox, unlike the current statutory attorney clause.\n- It retains “Georgia Industrial Loan Act.”\n- It references the former Office of Thrift Supervision.\n- The annual form’s awkward “greater of over $100,000” wording does not replace the statutory minimum.\n- Absence of a deductible checkbox does not remove the statutory deductible restriction.\n\n**C024–C025, C035; S002 §§18-5-3, -3.1(c); S010–S011.** [law.justia.com+2](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)\n\n### 6–7. Examples and component coverage\n\nThe requested worked examples appear in **Section D**, followed by the complete coverage/gap table. They are conditional calculations and classification tests, not representations that a provider has been authorized.\n\n## B. Source register\n\n**Access convention:** Every “read” entry below was checked during the actual access window stated above. “Read” means the relevant operative passage was retrieved and examined, not merely a search result. A reproduced statute, enacted bill, or judicial opinion remains primary legal material, but a private host is identified separately from an official issuer. Failed routes are not substantive evidence.\n\n### B1. Documents and operational sources\n\n| Source ID | Document / issuer and direct literal URL | Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| **S_GA-P1-S001** | Georgia General Assembly, **SB 148, 2015 enacted text**, reproduced by LegiScan. [https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf](https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** §18, printed pp.92–94, reproducing §§18-5-1, -2, -3, -3.1, -4, -5. Effective July 1, 2015, corroborated by S006. Historical enactment, not a current consolidation; its institutional wording requires later reconciliation. Official-host attempts failed, recorded below. [legiscan.com+1](https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S002** | **2025 Georgia Code, Title 18, Chapter 5**, statutory text reproduced by Justia. [https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** all seven operative sections, listed in B2. Most recent consolidated reproduction successfully read; privately hosted and expressly not guaranteed current. Used with enacted amendments and official checks, not treated as authenticated October 2026 code. [law.justia.com](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S003** | Georgia AG, **Debt Adjustment Act** HTML reproduction. [https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act](https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** displayed statutory text, especially §§18-5-1–4. Page labels the law current through **2006**. Official host but historical/incomplete currentness; not sufficient for current exemption wording. [consumer.georgia.gov](https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S004** | Georgia General Assembly, **SB 462, 2020 enacted text**, LegiScan reproduction. [https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf](https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** §9, printed pp.35–36, bill lines1204–1213; §§10–11. Changes §18-5-3’s loan-act reference to **Georgia Installment Loan Act**. Effective date corroborated by S005. The URL’s session label is not the enactment year. [legiscan.com](https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S005** | Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, **Summary of General Statutes Enacted at the 2020 Session**. [https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2&utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** printed p.3/PDF p.12, Act409/SB462: June30,2020 effective date; specified agreement applicability from July1. Official legislative summary, supporting chronology rather than replacing operative text. [legis.ga.gov](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2&utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S006** | Georgia legislative-counsel **2015 general-statutes summary**, preserved by the Digital Library of Georgia. [https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext](https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** printed p.1, Act9/HB90, effective March13,2015; printed p.5, Act187/SB148, effective July1,2015. Official government publication in archival hosting. [Digital Library of Georgia+1](https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S007** | Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, **2025 general-statutes summary**. [https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read/targeted search:** foreword scope, Title18 entry, and Chapter18-5/debt-adjustment searches. No relevant amendment identified. Bounded regular-session currentness check; not a substitute for an authenticated code or every possible later enactment. [legis.ga.gov](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S008** | Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, **2026 general-statutes summary**. [https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read/targeted search:** Title18 entry and relevant text searches. No Chapter18-5 amendment identified. Same bounded-negative limitation as S007. [legis.ga.gov](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S009** | Georgia AG CPD, **Debt Adjustment Companies – Required Filings**. [https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings](https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** substantive requirements and “Associated Documents” instructions. Currently accessible procedure; not a licensing grant. Its shorthand exemption discussion is less precise than §18-5-3. [consumer.georgia.gov](https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S010** | Georgia AG CPD, **Certification of Requisite Filing under the Debt Adjustment Act**. [https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download](https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read in full:** one page; document metadata identifies November2024 version. Audit/insurance checklist, signature and notary block. Operational form; wording discrepancies noted above. [Debt Adjustment Filing Submission Form 11-2024](https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S011** | Georgia AG CPD, **Certification of Requisite Filing Exemption**. [https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download](https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read in full:** one page; November2024 metadata. Exemption checkboxes, supporting-document certification, signature/notary. Contains older terminology; a checkbox is not an adjudication of eligibility. [2024-11](https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S012** | Georgia Secretary of State, **Department60 rules catalog and Chapter60-2 catalog**. [https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60](https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ; [https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60-2](https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60-2?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** full returned department/chapter indexes and displayed administrative-history notes. No debt-adjustment-specific fee/licensing rule identified. Did not treat unrelated consumer rules as read operative debt-adjustment regulations. [Department 60. DEPARTMENT OF LAW+1](https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S013** | U.S. District Court, M.D.Ga., ***Pries v. GreenPath, Inc.***, No.5:20-cv-353-MTT, Doc.19, Jan.5,2021; court PDF reproduced by Justia. [https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/georgia/gamdce/5:2020cv00353/117400/19/0.pdf?ts=1618256699](https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/georgia/gamdce/5:2020cv00353/117400/19/0.pdf?ts=1618256699) | **Read:** particularly pp.4–7, PartIII.A, p.6 n.2, and disposition. Denial of dismissal; net-distribution interpretation. Federal district authority, not a Georgia appellate holding. Later history held. [cases.justia.com](https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/georgia/gamdce/5%3A2020cv00353/117400/19/0.pdf?ts=1618256699&utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S014** | Georgia AG CPD, **Credit and Debt**. [https://consumer.georgia.gov/credit-and-debt](https://consumer.georgia.gov/credit-and-debt?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** debt-management discussion, including upfront-fee, percentage, and distribution statements. Undated current public guidance; not an enacted rule or effective-date record. [consumer.georgia.gov](https://consumer.georgia.gov/credit-and-debt?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S015** | Georgia ConsumerEd, **Finding a reputable lender to consolidate credit card debt**, Sept.26,2025. [https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2025-09-26/finding-reputable-lender-consolidate-credit-card-debt](https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2025-09-26/finding-reputable-lender-consolidate-credit-card-debt?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** answer’s lawful-distribution and unlawful-settlement-model discussion. Informal guidance; fee-denominator language conflicts with *Pries* if applied to a fee-inclusive payment. Publication date is not a legal effective date. [consumered.georgia.gov](https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2025-09-26/finding-reputable-lender-consolidate-credit-card-debt?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S016** | Georgia ConsumerEd, **Is debt settlement legitimate?**, Oct.11,2013. [https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2013-10-11/debt-settlement-legitimate](https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2013-10-11/debt-settlement-legitimate?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** answer discussing the historical law, combined ceiling, upfront fees, and accumulation model. Historical educational guidance; no current advance-fee authorization inferred. Formal withdrawal status not established. [consumered.georgia.gov](https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2013-10-11/debt-settlement-legitimate?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S017** | Georgia AG, **Unofficial Opinion1997-6**, Jan.31,1997. [https://law.georgia.gov/opinions/1997-6](https://law.georgia.gov/opinions/1997-6?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** opinion text on counseling, definition, and nonprofit status. Historical and expressly unofficial; former prohibition discussion cannot be carried forward as current law. [Office of the Attorney General](https://law.georgia.gov/opinions/1997-6?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S018** | U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.Ga., ***Schofield v. The Brian A. Moore Law Firm, LLC (In re Mai)***, Sept.30,2025, Adv.24-02004-MJK; reproduced by CounselStack. [https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-a-schofield-as-chapter-7-trustee-of-the-est-v-the-brian-a-moore-gasb-2025](https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-a-schofield-as-chapter-7-trustee-of-the-est-v-the-brian-a-moore-gasb-2025?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** PartV, Georgia Debt Adjustment Act analysis, including nn.9–10. Situation/services-based attorney analysis at pleading stage. Appellate status at baseline unresolved. [Counsel Stack](https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-a-schofield-as-chapter-7-trustee-of-the-est-v-the-brian-a-moore-gasb-2025?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S019** | U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.Ga., ***Wills v. Turnbull (In re Bush)***, Mar.31,2026, Adv.25-01016-SDB; reproduced by CaseMine. [https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/69dcf436b7a3a6284c487a7d](https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/69dcf436b7a3a6284c487a7d?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** pp.10–13, attorney-exemption analysis; p.4 n.3, *Mai* appeal status as of this opinion. Pleading-stage ruling; no baseline-date appellate clearance inferred. [CaseMine](https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/69dcf436b7a3a6284c487a7d?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S020** | Georgia Supreme Court, ***In re UPL Advisory Opinion2003-1***, 280Ga.121, 623S.E.2d464 (2005), reproduced by Justia. [https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2005/s03u1732-1.html](https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2005/s03u1732-1.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** opinion, especially pp.122–123. Decided Nov.21,2005; reconsideration denied Jan.17,2006. Controlling state-court authority for the described litigation-negotiation facts; no broader holding inferred. [law.justia.com](https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2005/s03u1732-1.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S021** | eCFR/OFR-GPO, **16C.F.R. Part310, Telemarketing Sales Rule**. [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** §§310.2(o),(ii); 310.4(a)(5)(i)–(ii); 310.6(b)(3)–(7); relevant state-action text. Currency banner through Oct.21,2026. Federal common context; applicability is fact-dependent. [ecfr.gov+2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S022** | FTC, **Telemarketing Sales Rule final rule**, 75Fed.Reg.48458, Aug.10,2010. [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-08-10/pdf/2010-19412.pdf](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-08-10/pdf/2010-19412.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ; same document HTML: [https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/08/10/2010-19412/telemarketing-sales-rule](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/08/10/2010-19412/telemarketing-sales-rule?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** Dates; 48480–48481/n.312, state/federal interaction; 48489 §III.C.5(a), nn.431–432; 48490–48491, allocation/accounts. Fee ban effective Oct.27,2010. Original adoption and explanation, read alongside current S021. [federalregister.gov+2](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/08/10/2010-19412/telemarketing-sales-rule?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S023** | FTC staff, **Debt Relief Services & the Telemarketing Sales Rule: A Guide for Business**. [https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/debt-relief-services-telemarketing-sales-rule-guide-business](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/debt-relief-services-telemarketing-sales-rule-guide-business?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** coverage, nonprofit, attorney, and service-type sections. Expressly staff guidance, not binding on the Commission; current regulation controls. [Federal Trade Commission](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/debt-relief-services-telemarketing-sales-rule-guide-business?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| **S_GA-P1-S024** | Georgia AG download labeled **Debt Adjustment Act2022**. [https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/document/debt-adjustment-act-2022/download](https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/document/debt-adjustment-act-2022/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Attempted, not substantively read:** retrieval identified an eight-page PDF but returned no text; screenshot attempts supplied no usable image content. Filename alone does not establish version or operative content. No legal claim relies on it. |\n| **S_GA-P1-S025** | Official-code access route, **Georgia Code/Lexis**. [https://w3.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp](https://w3.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Failed access:** no usable authenticated current chapter obtained. Access point only; not a source of a substantive proposition. |\n| **S_GA-P1-S026** | Georgia General Assembly, **HB90, 2015 enacted text**, LegiScan reproduction. [https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf](https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | **Read:** §18, printed p.7, bill lines198–202, deleting the obsolete OTS reference from §18-5-3. Effective March13,2015 per S006. Read with S001 and S002; not presented as a standalone current consolidation. [legiscan.com](https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n\n### B2. Section URLs belonging to the single chapter document S002\n\nThese are **section-level routes for S_GA-P1-S002**, not additional document IDs.\n\n| Pinpoint | Direct literal URL |\n| --- | --- |\n| §18-5-1 — definitions | [https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-1/](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-1/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| §18-5-2 — ordinary fee ceiling and NSF exception | [https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-2/](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| §18-5-3 — exclusions | [https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| §18-5-3.1 — audit, insurance, filing, reproduction cost | [https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-1/](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-1/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| §18-5-3.2 — distribution and trust account | [https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-2/](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| §18-5-4 — violations and fee recovery | [https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-4/](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-4/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n| §18-5-5 — rulemaking | [https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-5/](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-5/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) |\n\n### B3. Failed routes material to unresolved issues\n\n| Related source/issue | Route and observed limitation | Exact next action |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| S001 official-host enactment | [https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/152987](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/152987) and [https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/153730](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/153730) did not yield usable text in these retrieval attempts. | Obtain a readable official-host enrolled/approved copy and compare §18 against the reproduced text already read. |\n| S026 official-host enactment | [https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/150690](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/150690) failed text retrieval. | Compare the readable official copy of HB90 §18 with the reproduced enactment and current codification. |\n| S013 subsequent history | [https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18520846/pries-v-greenpath-inc/](https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18520846/pries-v-greenpath-inc/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) returned an access failure. | Obtain a publicly readable docket and any later merits/appellate decision; do not infer subsequent disposition from the 2021 order. |\n| S018 subsequent history | Public route identified: [https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/60639306/The_Brian_A_Moore_Law_Firm_LLC_v_Schofield](https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/60639306/The_Brian_A_Moore_Law_Firm_LLC_v_Schofield) did not establish current disposition. | Read the disposition of appeal No.2:25-cv-00127 and any later appeal from an accessible public source. |\n| S024/S025 current consolidation | AG PDF content and official code route remained unreadable. | Obtain a readable, authenticated current Chapter18-5 and its effective-date history; compare the full chapter and exclusions. |\n\nNo paid access, application, contact, or access-control workaround was used to resolve these failures.\n\n## C. Claim table\n\n**Confidence convention:** “High—text” means the cited provision or passage was actually read and directly supports the assertion. It does not remove the overall current-consolidation limitation. “Qualified” identifies an interpretation, bounded negative search, guidance conflict, or unresolved factual application. All source references below incorporate the version/status limitations in Section B.\n\n| Claim ID | Precise assertion | Source IDs and pinpoints | Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| **S_GA-P1-C001** | Debt adjusting requires the business/holding-out component plus a fee contract for either specified adjustment activity or receipt/distribution. | S001 §18/§18-5-1; S002 §18-5-1(1) | High—text. Marketing terminology is insufficient by itself. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C002** | Principal compromise, concessions affecting indebtedness, and distribution services can fall within the definition; custody is unnecessary for branch(A). | S002 §18-5-1(1)(A)–(B) | High on alternatives; application to a particular concession depends on actual services. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C003** | Pure education or genuinely uncompensated assistance may lack a required definition element. | S002 §18-5-1; S017 definition analysis; S011 relevant checkboxes | Qualified. Bundled/indirect compensation and actual contractual obligations must be examined. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C004** | No express household-purpose limitation or general business-debt exclusion was found in this chapter. | S002 §§18-5-1–3 | High on examined text; corporate-debtor residence and business applications remain held. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C005** | Temporary/permanent Georgia residence triggers the resident-specific provisions without an express in-state-provider requirement. | S002 §§18-5-1(3), -2, -3.1(a) | High—text. Full jurisdiction and nonresident-only operations not resolved. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C006** | The verified ordinary pathway is statutory compliance and annual filing, not an identified discretionary debt-adjuster license. | S002 §§18-5-2–5; S009–S010 | Qualified negative finding. No other activity’s license converted into debt-adjustment permission. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C007** | Noncustodial negotiation may be covered while lacking a positive ordinary distribution-based fee allowance. | S002 §§18-5-1(1)(A), -2; S013 PartIII.A | Qualified statutory inference. Positive-fee market access held; no categorical appellate holding asserted. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C008** | Provider-held accumulation beyond30days conflicts with the distribution rule; principal reduction itself is not categorically excluded. | S002 §18-5-3.2(a); S013 p.6 n.2; S015 answer | High on deadline; settlement-path application conditional. Agency model description does not replace statutory classification. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C009** | Nonprofit status alone does not exempt a provider from the Georgia chapter. | S002 §18-5-3; S017 nonprofit discussion | High—text. Federal nonprofit jurisdiction is separate. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C010** | Attorney exclusion concerns adjustment incurred in Georgia legal practice, not automatic law-firm status. | S002 §18-5-3; S018 PartV; S019 pp.10–13 | High on wording; actual-service boundary qualified. Recent opinions are pleading-stage and later status is held. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C011** | Own-creditor exclusion requires incidental adjustment of debt owed to the adjusting person/entity. | S002 §18-5-3, second sentence | High—text. Does not establish an unrelated-debt intermediary exemption. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C012** | Institutional exclusions require the enumerated entity, subsidiary, supervision, or Installment Loan Act conditions. | S002 §18-5-3; S004 §9; S026 §18 | High on enumeration; entity-specific qualification and §7-3-3 analysis remain open. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C013** | Nonlawyer representation in the litigation-negotiation facts of UPL Opinion2003-1 constitutes unauthorized practice. | S020, 280Ga.122–123 | High—controlling state holding on those facts. Not generalized to all prelitigation services. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C014** | Ordinary covered consideration is limited to7.5% of the relevant monthly amount paid to the provider for creditor distribution. | S002 §18-5-2; S001 §18 | High—text; denominator dispute separately recorded in C016. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C015** | Ordinary charges/fees/contributions aggregate; no independent setup, per-debt, savings, annual, lifetime, minimum-dollar, or CPI allowance was established. | S002 §18-5-2 and chapter review; S012 catalog check | High on aggregation; bounded negative for additional schedules/rules. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C016** | *Pries* excludes the provider’s fee from the denominator; informal2025 guidance suggests a conflicting gross-payment treatment. | S013 pp.4–7; S015 answer | High on what each says; statewide controlling resolution and later case history unverified. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C017** | Georgia expressly permits a reasonable, separate NSF transaction charge, without a verified numerical cap in the examined provision. | S002 §18-5-2 proviso | High—text. Exact amount and any independently applicable federal timing treatment held. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C018** | A requested audit-summary copy may be charged at no more than reproduction cost. | S002 §18-5-3.1(a)(1) | High—text. Narrow copy charge, not an additional ordinary service-fee bucket. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C019** | Debtor receipts less authorized fees must reach appropriate creditors within30days; separate trust account required. | S002 §18-5-3.2(a)–(b); S003 same section | High—text. Complete funds/agency/account analysis deferred. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C020** | The state ceiling is not advance-fee authorization; current and historical AG educational statements on upfront fees differ. | S002 §§18-5-2, -3.2; S014 debt-management section; S016 answer | High on text/guidance distinction. Precise state-only intracycle fee timing unresolved. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C021** | Violating §18-5-2 or §18-5-3.2(a) supports statutory debtor liability of all fees/charges/contributions paid plus$5,000. | S002 §18-5-4(b)(2); S001 §18 | High—text. Procedure, offsets, additional remedies, and disputed facts remain outside this fee illustration. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C022** | No general state cancellation refund schedule or independently authorized cancellation fee was established in the examined chapter. | S002 chapter review | Qualified negative. Other law and contract-specific rights remain open. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C023** | Annual independent CPA audit, continuous specified insurance, statutory coverage/deductible/rating/notice conditions, and annual filings apply to covered resident-debtor operations. | S002 §18-5-3.1(a)–(b); S009–S010 | High—text. Exemptions apply; startup/no-custody implementation not resolved. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C024** | AG repository receipt and the current forms do not constitute licensing approval or an adjudication of compliance. | S002 §18-5-3.1(c); S009–S011 | High on repository language; no licensing process identified in examined material. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C025** | Accessible agency forms contain terminology that must be reconciled with current statutory text. | S010–S011 p.1; S002 §§18-5-3, -3.1; S004 §9; S026 §18 | High on observed discrepancies. Form date does not amend the law. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C026** | No debt-adjustment-specific fee/licensing regulation was located in the official Dept60/Chapter60-2 indexes and targeted searches. | S012; S002 §18-5-5 | Qualified negative, not a claim that every Georgia rule or administrative order was read. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C027** | Currentness is corroborated by amendments,2025 text, and2025/2026 official legislative checks, but an authenticated current consolidated chapter was not obtained. | S001–S008, S024–S026 | Qualified. No relevant future-effective or proposed change was identified; exhaustive status certification is not claimed. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C028** | TSR coverage includes qualifying unsecured-debt relief telemarketing, including specified inbound solicitations; attorney/nonprofit/business exceptions require separate analysis. | S021 §§310.2(o),(ii),310.6(b)(3)–(7); S023 coverage sections | High on rule text; application fact-dependent. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C029** | For covered TSR activity, requesting or receiving fees requires an executed valid modification agreement and at least one payment under it. | S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(A)–(B) | High—current text. A proposal, attempted negotiation, or settlement promise alone is insufficient. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C030** | Individually resolved debts require proportional enrollment-balance allocation or a constant savings percentage under the federal rule. | S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(C)(1)–(2) | High—text. Neither option grants Georgia permission to charge that amount. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C031** | FTC’s DMP explanation requires a customer-executed plan binding applicable creditors and evidence of first payment to the counseling agency for distribution. | S022,75FR48489, §III.C.5(a), n.431 | High on agency explanation. Later periodic fees remain subject to state law. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C032** | A genuine installment settlement’s first payment can satisfy federal timing; a provider-created split of a required lump sum cannot. | S022,75FR48489,n.432; S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(B) | High on explanation. Actual creditor terms control. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C033** | Qualifying federal dedicated accounts require the enumerated safeguards and penalty-free withdrawal/account-fund return within7business days, less properly earned fees. | S021 §310.4(a)(5)(ii)(A)–(E) | High—text. Not a universal Georgia cancellation rule or automatic refund of every previously paid fee. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C034** | State fee permission and federal timing/account permission are cumulative where both apply. | S021 §310.4(a)(5); S022,75FR48480–81,n.312 | High. Satisfaction of one regime does not establish compliance with the other. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C035** | This pass verified procedure, not any named provider’s filing, exemption, or authorization status. | S009–S011; scope of research performed | Direct limitation. Marketing statements were not used as authorization evidence. |\n| **S_GA-P1-C036** | *Pries*, *Mai*, and *Bush* have different authority/procedural limits; later history was not fully verified. | S013 disposition; S018 PartV; S019 p.4n.3 and pp.10–13; failed routes B3 | High on the opinions read; subsequent disposition held. No final-merits or statewide-appellate conclusion inferred. |\n\n## D. Worked examples and coverage/gap table\n\n### D1. Plain-text worked examples\n\n**Shared assumptions for Examples 1–5:** A nonexempt Georgia-resident service otherwise satisfies the applicable access requirements; creditor payments occur in the same month as the relevant receipts and within30days; any applicable TSR performance conditions have been met before requesting/receiving a fee. No unrelated fee allowance, carryforward, or exemption is assumed. Calculations use the *Pries* interpretation and do not resolve the guidance conflict.\n\n#### Example 1 — $400 goes to creditors\n\nInputs: creditor distribution D = $400.00; ordinary rate = 0.075.\nBase: money distributed to creditors, excluding the provider fee.\nOperator: multiplication.\nIntermediate: 400.00 × 0.075 = 30.00.\nResult: ordinary fee ceiling = **$30.00 for that month**.\nCombined customer outlay if the full fee is charged: 400.00 + 30.00 = **$430.00**.\nUnits/rounding: dollars; exact cents, no rounding needed.\n\nA $400 creditor payment is different from a $400 total customer budget. **C014, C016, C019, C029.**\n\n#### Example 2 — Customer has only $400 total\n\nInputs: total payment T = $400.00; fee F is included in that total.\nBase: creditor distribution = 400.00 − F.\nOperator: solve F ≤ 0.075 × (400.00 − F).\nIntermediate: 1.075F ≤ 30.00; F ≤ 27.906976… dollars.\nResult using downward cent rounding: **$27.90 fee; $372.10 to creditors**.\nCheck: 372.10 × 0.075 = $27.9075, so $27.90 does not exceed the exact ceiling.\n\nThe downward rounding is a conservative calculation choice; no statutory rounding convention was verified.\n\nFor comparison, taking 7.5% of the $400 total produces a $30 fee and $370 distribution. The *Pries* ceiling on $370 is $27.75. That method therefore exceeds the court’s interpreted ceiling by **$2.25**. This is why the denominator disagreement matters. **C016.**\n\n#### Example 3 — Lower debt, completed lump-sum settlement\n\nInputs: debt = $500; accepted settlement = $200; provider distributes the full $200 this month.\nBase: $200 distribution, not the $500 original debt or $300 reduction.\nOperator/intermediate: 200 × 0.075 = 15.\nResult: ordinary fee ceiling = **$15**.\n\nA proposed $20 flat per-debt fee exceeds that ceiling by $5. A fee of20% of enrolled debt would be 500 × 0.20 = $100 and exceeds it by $85.\n\nLegal conditions: this is a prompt, otherwise compliant distribution example, with an accepted agreement and actual payment where TSR applies. It is not permission to hold settlement funds for months or to undertake prohibited legal representation. **C008, C013–C016, C029.**\n\n#### Example 4 — Fees already collected this month\n\nInputs: total creditor distributions this month = $600; ordinary fees already accepted = $20; proposed additional ordinary fee = $30.\nBase/operator: 600 × 0.075 = $45 aggregate ordinary ceiling.\nIntermediate: 45 − 20 = $25 remaining capacity.\nResult: proposed total fees = 20 + 30 = $50, exceeding the ceiling by **$5**.\n\nCalling the second fee “setup,” “settlement,” or “membership” does not create a second allowance. This example assumes the earlier $20 was otherwise lawful; it does not establish that refunding $5 alone cures every statutory consequence. **C014–C016, C021.**\n\n#### Example 5 — Partial settlement passes federal allocation math but fails Georgia’s ceiling\n\nInputs:\n\n- Total enrolled debt = $10,000.\n- First debt = $4,000.\n- Other unresolved debt = $6,000.\n- First debt settled under a genuine creditor agreement for ten $200 installments.\n- Hypothetical total program fee = $2,000.\n\nFederal allocation calculation:\n4,000 ÷ 10,000 = 0.40.\n2,000 × 0.40 = **$800 allocated to the first debt**.\n\nThat arithmetic does not establish that the $2,000 contract fee or $800 charge is lawful in Georgia.\n\nAssume the customer has executed the agreement and the first **$200 actually reaches the creditor** through the provider this month. Georgia calculation:\n200 × 0.075 = **$15 ordinary fee ceiling this month**.\nFull-fee customer outlay would be $200 + $15 = $215.\n\nThe remaining nine installments do not enlarge this month’s base. If $200 instead means the total fee-inclusive deposit, the downward-rounded *Pries* fee is **$13.95**, not $15.\n\nBefore the first agreed payment, the federal fee trigger is unmet. If the creditor required a single $2,000 payment, an unauthorized $200 partial payment would not manufacture an installment trigger. **C014, C016, C029–C032, C034.**\n\n#### Example 6 — Noncustodial negotiation: classification hold\n\nInputs: debtor pays creditor $2,000 directly; negotiator receives no money for creditor distribution; negotiator requests a $400 fee.\nCoverage test: a compensated contract to compromise the debt can satisfy §18-5-1(1)(A).\nOrdinary statutory base on these stated facts: $0 paid to this provider for distribution.\nArithmetic: 0 × 0.075 = **$0**.\n\nResult: **positive-fee pathway held**. The service does not become exempt because it avoids custody. This example does not decide whether a particular independent-account arrangement changes the relevant legal receipt/distribution facts; that requires its contracts, control rights, and actual payment flow. **C001–C002, C007.**\n\n#### Example 7 — NSF and audit-copy boundaries\n\n**NSF case:** An attempted $100 debit fails. No creditor distribution occurs.\n\nOrdinary-fee calculation on a zero distribution: 0 × 0.075 = $0.\nSeparate NSF amount: **held**. The statute permits a reasonable, separate transaction charge, but this research did not verify a numerical amount or a rule making a proposed $25 or $35 charge automatically reasonable.\n\n**Audit-copy case:** Assume a written request for the audit summary and documented reproduction cost of10pages × $0.10/page.\n\nIntermediate/result: 10 × 0.10 = **$1.00 reproduction cost ceiling on those facts**. The $0.10 cost is an example input, not a statutory rate. This does not create a $1 monthly service allowance. **C017–C018.**\n\n#### Example 8 — Federal dedicated-account cancellation\n\nInputs: qualifying TSR-covered dedicated account contains $1,000 principal and $2 accrued interest; no provider fee has been earned under the federal conditions.\nBase/operator: 1,000 + 2 − 0 = **$1,002**.\nResult: customer may withdraw without penalty and must receive **$1,002 within seven business days of the request**.\n\nA $25 exit penalty is incompatible with the stated federal account condition. This example does not approve the account under Georgia law and does not create a general state cancellation period. **C033–C034.**\n\n#### Example 9 — Statutory recovery is not merely the overcharge\n\nInputs: an established §18-5-2 violation; total covered fees paid = $240; no previous refund or offset assumed.\nStatutory measure: 240 + 5,000 = **$5,240**.\n\nThis illustrates §18-5-4(b)(2)’s stated measure. It does not calculate additional remedies, litigation expenses, disputed offsets, or the effect of earlier refunds. **C021.**\n\n### D2. Full component coverage and remaining investigations\n\n| Scope item | Status | Supporting claims | Exact missing evidence / next investigation |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Definition; principal reduction versus concessions/distribution | **Answered** | C001–C003 | Apply the established elements to any actual service contract and conduct supplied later. |\n| Custodial versus noncustodial models | **Partial** | C002, C007–C008, C019 | Obtain authority addressing positive fees with zero provider distribution and independent account-administrator/agency arrangements. |\n| Consumer versus business purpose | **Partial** | C004 | Read controlling authority applying the Act to business-purpose individual debts and entity debtors; resolve corporate residence. |\n| Resident debtor / remote provider | **Answered at statutory-text level; jurisdiction partial** | C005 | Full choice-of-law, jurisdiction, temporary-residence, and nonresident-only provider analysis remains open. |\n| Ordinary public market-access pathway | **Answered** | C006, C023–C024 | Verified statutory compliance/filing framework; no ordinary debt-adjuster license identified. |\n| Named provider’s actual status | **Unresolved; not inferred** | C035 | Verify the particular entity’s actual filings, exemption facts, and relevant institutional status from public records when that investigation is undertaken. |\n| Nonprofit and own-creditor exclusions | **Answered at statutory level** | C009, C011 | Entity-specific facts still required; no automatic label-based exclusion. |\n| Attorney exclusion | **Partial** | C010, C013, C036 | Obtain *Mai* appeal disposition and later *Bush* history; identify controlling state appellate treatment of actual services. |\n| Institutional exclusions | **Partial** | C012, C025 | Read §7-3-3 and the relevant institutional licensing provisions if invoked; verify entity/subsidiary and supervision facts. |\n| Ordinary ceiling and aggregation | **Answered** | C014–C015 | No additional ordinary fee schedule established. |\n| Gross versus net denominator | **Partial—conflict preserved** | C016, C036 | Obtain controlling appellate authority or formally authoritative reconciliation, plus *Pries* later history. |\n| Exact NSF amount | **Unresolved/held** | C017 | Locate any applicable authoritative reasonableness standard or controlling decision; evaluate the specific charge and transaction. No CPI calculation. |\n| Reproduction-cost charge | **Answered** | C018 | Actual documented reproduction cost needed for a real charge. |\n| CPI/indexing/current dollar schedules | **Answered as bounded negative** | C015, C026–C027 | No mechanism identified; verify against authenticated current chapter and any relevant promulgated rule/adoption order. |\n| State fee timing and30-day distribution | **Partial** | C019–C020 | Resolve state-only intracycle fee timing, cross-month accounting, and the conflicting educational statements. |\n| Federal TSR timing/allocation | **Answered as common context** | C028–C032, C034 | Determine actual telemarketing/jurisdiction/exemption facts for any provider model. |\n| Cancellation, credits, and refunds | **Partial** | C021–C022, C033 | Complete state contract/cancellation law, prior-refund offsets, and remedies analysis; do not generalize the federal account rule. |\n| Current forms and procedure | **Answered; startup details unresolved** | C023–C025 | Obtain authoritative first-year audit instructions, any filing deadline/fee, and confirmation of the current form revision if operational use is later required. |\n| Rules/adoption orders | **Partial—negative search bounded** | C026 | No debt-adjustment-specific rule identified in the official catalog examined. Any later-discovered relevant rule requires full operative text and adoption/effective history. |\n| Authenticated current law | **Partial** | C027 | Resolve failed official-code/PDF routes and compare the authenticated chapter with the statutes and reproductions already read. |\n| Worked fee/boundary examples | **Answered conditionally** | C007, C014–C022, C029–C034 | Recalculate only after the actual contract, monthly flow, prior fees, exemption, and federal coverage are established. |\n| Agreements, funds, bond/insurance, remedies beyond necessary access/fee points | **Excluded from completion in this pass** | C019, C021, C023 | Full agreement/disclosure, safeguarding, bonding-versus-insurance, enforcement, and remedies passes remain required. |\n| Collection, litigation, limitations, debtor exemptions, secured debt, sector, local, tribal, contract, and comprehensive case-law coverage | **Open—later required passes** | C013 only for the necessary UPL boundary | Conduct separate complete investigations. No findings here close these categories. |\n| State acceptance or A066 acceptance | **Not established** | Entire component limitation | Requires completion and review of the broader dossier; no acceptance by implication. |\n\n## E. Researcher self-check\n\n**Actually read:** The operative chapter sections in the 2025 reproduction; relevant 2015 and2020 enacted passages; the official historical statute page; current filing instructions and both one-page forms; official rules indexes; relevant portions of official legislative summaries; the judicial passages identified above; current TSR fee, account, definition, and exemption provisions; and the material2010 adoption explanation.\n\n**Not treated as read authority:** Search snippets, provider marketing, association fee charts, the unreadable AG “2022” PDF, the inaccessible official consolidated-code route, and inaccessible later-history dockets. No legal conclusion depends on a title-only or snippet-only result.\n\n**Authority checks:** Statutory text, judicial holdings, informal guidance, operational forms, and historical material are separately identified. The *Pries* denominator conflict is retained. The recent attorney cases are not presented as final merits determinations or statewide appellate holdings. No relevant future-effective, proposed, stayed, vacated, or withdrawn change was established; unresolved subsequent history remains expressly held.\n\n**Execution checks:** Parallel research subtasks contributed, and the sources relied on in this answer were reopened or examined in the main research session. No separate chatgpt.com conversations were opened, and no verified model-selector change is claimed. No Deep Research session, application, purchase, contact, account change, publication, or private borrower data was used. This answer makes no claim of local file creation or publication readiness.\n\n**Disposition:** PASS-01 supplies substantive Georgia market-access and consumer-fee findings, with identified evidence holds. The remaining Georgia dossier categories and A066 acceptance remain open.\n\nEND S_GA PASS-01\n\n","tables":[{"headers":["Model or activity","Classification under the examined Georgia provisions","Consequence for this pass"],"index":0,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Model or activity","Classification under the examined Georgia provisions","Consequence for this pass"],["Negotiating a reduction of principal for compensation","Fits the adjustment/compromise branch when the other definition elements are present.","Analyze the Act even if the debtor pays creditors directly."],["Negotiating lower interest, waived charges, or changed payment terms","Can constitute adjustment of indebtedness without reducing principal.","A concessions-only service is not categorically outside the Act."],["DMP with creditor concessions and collection/distribution of monthly payments","Can satisfy both branches.","Conditional statutory compliance pathway exists; ordinary fees, handling, insurance, audit, and filing requirements apply unless exempt."],["Receiving and distributing payments without principal reduction","Independently covered by the distribution branch when performed under the qualifying fee contract.","Principal reduction is unnecessary for coverage."],["Education or budget counseling that does not contract to adjust indebtedness or receive/distribute payments","The required activity element may be absent.","Examine the actual contract and performance; do not decide from “counseling” alone."],["Truly uncompensated assistance","The definition’s fee-contract element may be absent.","Required donations, bundled compensation, or indirect charges require further examination."],["Provider-controlled accumulation of debtor payments for eventual settlements","Covered activity; retaining distributable funds beyond the statutory period creates a separate problem.","A future settlement objective does not suspend the 30-day distribution rule."],["Separate-account or noncustodial settlement service","Potentially covered under the adjustment branch; ownership, control, agency, and actual payment flows matter.","No positive-fee clearance established merely from using a separate account administrator."]]},{"headers":["Model","Market-access result established in this pass"],"index":1,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Model","Market-access result established in this pass"],["Nonexempt DMP/payment-distribution service complying with the Act","Conditionally permitted by the statutory framework, subject to the applicable requirements. No ordinary debt-adjuster license identified."],["Promptly funded principal-reduction settlement administered through a compliant distribution model","Not categorically excluded merely because principal is reduced. The definition expressly encompasses compromise, and Pries uses a lump-sum settlement illustration. All other requirements remain applicable."],["High-percentage enrolled-debt or savings-fee settlement model","No separate Georgia authorization established. The federal availability of a fee-allocation method does not create a Georgia exception."],["Nonexempt noncustodial negotiation with a positive provider fee","Held. Coverage can exist under §18-5-1(1)(A), while the ordinary fee base may be zero because nothing is paid to that provider for creditor distribution."],["Provider receives payments and holds them for months awaiting settlement","Incompatible with the verified 30-day distribution requirement, absent a valid statutory exclusion or a materially different, legally established factual classification."],["Exempt activity/entity under §18-5-3","Outside this chapter to the extent the exemption actually applies; other laws and professional obligations remain unresolved."]]},{"headers":["Fee or charge","Verified treatment","Limitation"],"index":2,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Fee or charge","Verified treatment","Limitation"],["Ordinary service fee, including a combination of ordinary fee labels","Aggregate monthly ceiling of 7.5% of the applicable creditor-distribution base","Renaming or splitting the charge does not create separate allowances."],["Setup or enrollment fee","No independent additional allowance established","Must satisfy the ordinary ceiling and independently applicable timing restrictions."],["Fixed monthly fee","No independent fixed-dollar schedule established","A fixed amount can still exceed the percentage ceiling, particularly with smaller distributions."],["Settlement, per-debt, enrolled-balance, or savings fee","No separate Georgia authorization established","Federal allocation methods do not supply state permission."],["Insufficient-funds transaction charge","Express allowance for a reasonable, separate charge","No exact dollar maximum verified; federal treatment and the actual transaction still matter."],["Copy of audit summary following written request","Charge limited to reproduction cost","This is a narrow document-copy provision, not a service-fee allowance."],["Cancellation/termination charge","No separate affirmative authorization established","No general cancellation fee or retention formula supplied by this chapter."],["Excessive fee or failure to distribute within the statutory period","§18-5-4(b)(2) provides liability measured by all fees/charges/contributions paid, plus $5,000","This is not merely an excess-fee credit; full remedies analysis remains a later pass."]]},{"headers":["Source ID","Document / issuer and direct literal URL","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations"],"index":3,"links":[{"href":"https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf"},{"href":"https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"legiscan.com\n+1"},{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/"},{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"law.justia.com"},{"href":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act"},{"href":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"consumer.georgia.gov"},{"href":"https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf"},{"href":"https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"legiscan.com"},{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2&utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2"},{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2&utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"legis.ga.gov"},{"href":"https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext"},{"href":"https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"Digital Library of Georgia\n+1"},{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf"},{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"legis.ga.gov"},{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf"},{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"legis.ga.gov"},{"href":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings"},{"href":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"consumer.georgia.gov"},{"href":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download"},{"href":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"Debt Adjustment Filing Submission Form 11-2024"},{"href":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download"},{"href":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"2024-11"},{"href":"https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60"},{"href":"https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60-2?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60-2"},{"href":"https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"Department 60. DEPARTMENT OF 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Trade Commission"}],[{"href":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/document/debt-adjustment-act-2022/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/document/debt-adjustment-act-2022/download"}],[{"href":"https://w3.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://w3.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp"}],[{"href":"https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf"},{"href":"https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"legiscan.com"}]],"rows":[["Source ID","Document / issuer and direct literal URL","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations"],["S_GA-P1-S001","Georgia General Assembly, SB 148, 2015 enacted text, reproduced by LegiScan. https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf","Read: §18, printed pp.92–94, reproducing §§18-5-1, -2, -3, -3.1, -4, -5. Effective July 1, 2015, corroborated by S006. Historical enactment, not a current consolidation; its institutional wording requires later reconciliation. Official-host attempts failed, recorded below. \nlegiscan.com\n+1"],["S_GA-P1-S002","2025 Georgia Code, Title 18, Chapter 5, statutory text reproduced by Justia. https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/","Read: all seven operative sections, listed in B2. Most recent consolidated reproduction successfully read; privately hosted and expressly not guaranteed current. Used with enacted amendments and official checks, not treated as authenticated October 2026 code. \nlaw.justia.com"],["S_GA-P1-S003","Georgia AG, Debt Adjustment Act HTML reproduction. https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act","Read: displayed statutory text, especially §§18-5-1–4. Page labels the law current through 2006. Official host but historical/incomplete currentness; not sufficient for current exemption wording. \nconsumer.georgia.gov"],["S_GA-P1-S004","Georgia General Assembly, SB 462, 2020 enacted text, LegiScan reproduction. https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf","Read: §9, printed pp.35–36, bill lines1204–1213; §§10–11. Changes §18-5-3’s loan-act reference to Georgia Installment Loan Act. Effective date corroborated by S005. The URL’s session label is not the enactment year. \nlegiscan.com"],["S_GA-P1-S005","Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, Summary of General Statutes Enacted at the 2020 Session. https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2","Read: printed p.3/PDF p.12, Act409/SB462: June30,2020 effective date; specified agreement applicability from July1. Official legislative summary, supporting chronology rather than replacing operative text. \nlegis.ga.gov"],["S_GA-P1-S006","Georgia legislative-counsel 2015 general-statutes summary, preserved by the Digital Library of Georgia. https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext","Read: printed p.1, Act9/HB90, effective March13,2015; printed p.5, Act187/SB148, effective July1,2015. Official government publication in archival hosting. \nDigital Library of Georgia\n+1"],["S_GA-P1-S007","Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, 2025 general-statutes summary. https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf","Read/targeted search: foreword scope, Title18 entry, and Chapter18-5/debt-adjustment searches. No relevant amendment identified. Bounded regular-session currentness check; not a substitute for an authenticated code or every possible later enactment. \nlegis.ga.gov"],["S_GA-P1-S008","Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, 2026 general-statutes summary. https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf","Read/targeted search: Title18 entry and relevant text searches. No Chapter18-5 amendment identified. Same bounded-negative limitation as S007. \nlegis.ga.gov"],["S_GA-P1-S009","Georgia AG CPD, Debt Adjustment Companies – Required Filings. https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings","Read: substantive requirements and “Associated Documents” instructions. Currently accessible procedure; not a licensing grant. Its shorthand exemption discussion is less precise than §18-5-3. \nconsumer.georgia.gov"],["S_GA-P1-S010","Georgia AG CPD, Certification of Requisite Filing under the Debt Adjustment Act. https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download","Read in full: one page; document metadata identifies November2024 version. Audit/insurance checklist, signature and notary block. Operational form; wording discrepancies noted above. \nDebt Adjustment Filing Submission Form 11-2024"],["S_GA-P1-S011","Georgia AG CPD, Certification of Requisite Filing Exemption. https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download","Read in full: one page; November2024 metadata. Exemption checkboxes, supporting-document certification, signature/notary. Contains older terminology; a checkbox is not an adjudication of eligibility. \n2024-11"],["S_GA-P1-S012","Georgia Secretary of State, Department60 rules catalog and Chapter60-2 catalog. https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60 ; https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60-2","Read: full returned department/chapter indexes and displayed administrative-history notes. No debt-adjustment-specific fee/licensing rule identified. Did not treat unrelated consumer rules as read operative debt-adjustment regulations. \nDepartment 60. DEPARTMENT OF LAW\n+1"],["S_GA-P1-S013","U.S. District Court, M.D.Ga., Pries v. GreenPath, Inc., No.5:20-cv-353-MTT, Doc.19, Jan.5,2021; court PDF reproduced by Justia. https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/georgia/gamdce/5:2020cv00353/117400/19/0.pdf?ts=1618256699","Read: particularly pp.4–7, PartIII.A, p.6 n.2, and disposition. Denial of dismissal; net-distribution interpretation. Federal district authority, not a Georgia appellate holding. Later history held. \ncases.justia.com"],["S_GA-P1-S014","Georgia AG CPD, Credit and Debt. https://consumer.georgia.gov/credit-and-debt","Read: debt-management discussion, including upfront-fee, percentage, and distribution statements. Undated current public guidance; not an enacted rule or effective-date record. \nconsumer.georgia.gov"],["S_GA-P1-S015","Georgia ConsumerEd, Finding a reputable lender to consolidate credit card debt, Sept.26,2025. https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2025-09-26/finding-reputable-lender-consolidate-credit-card-debt","Read: answer’s lawful-distribution and unlawful-settlement-model discussion. Informal guidance; fee-denominator language conflicts with Pries if applied to a fee-inclusive payment. Publication date is not a legal effective date. \nconsumered.georgia.gov"],["S_GA-P1-S016","Georgia ConsumerEd, Is debt settlement legitimate?, Oct.11,2013. https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2013-10-11/debt-settlement-legitimate","Read: answer discussing the historical law, combined ceiling, upfront fees, and accumulation model. Historical educational guidance; no current advance-fee authorization inferred. Formal withdrawal status not established. \nconsumered.georgia.gov"],["S_GA-P1-S017","Georgia AG, Unofficial Opinion1997-6, Jan.31,1997. https://law.georgia.gov/opinions/1997-6","Read: opinion text on counseling, definition, and nonprofit status. Historical and expressly unofficial; former prohibition discussion cannot be carried forward as current law. \nOffice of the Attorney General"],["S_GA-P1-S018","U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.Ga., Schofield v. The Brian A. Moore Law Firm, LLC (In re Mai), Sept.30,2025, Adv.24-02004-MJK; reproduced by CounselStack. https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-a-schofield-as-chapter-7-trustee-of-the-est-v-the-brian-a-moore-gasb-2025","Read: PartV, Georgia Debt Adjustment Act analysis, including nn.9–10. Situation/services-based attorney analysis at pleading stage. Appellate status at baseline unresolved. \nCounsel Stack"],["S_GA-P1-S019","U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.Ga., Wills v. Turnbull (In re Bush), Mar.31,2026, Adv.25-01016-SDB; reproduced by CaseMine. https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/69dcf436b7a3a6284c487a7d","Read: pp.10–13, attorney-exemption analysis; p.4 n.3, Mai appeal status as of this opinion. Pleading-stage ruling; no baseline-date appellate clearance inferred. \nCaseMine"],["S_GA-P1-S020","Georgia Supreme Court, In re UPL Advisory Opinion2003-1, 280Ga.121, 623S.E.2d464 (2005), reproduced by Justia. https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2005/s03u1732-1.html","Read: opinion, especially pp.122–123. Decided Nov.21,2005; reconsideration denied Jan.17,2006. Controlling state-court authority for the described litigation-negotiation facts; no broader holding inferred. \nlaw.justia.com"],["S_GA-P1-S021","eCFR/OFR-GPO, 16C.F.R. Part310, Telemarketing Sales Rule. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310","Read: §§310.2(o),(ii); 310.4(a)(5)(i)–(ii); 310.6(b)(3)–(7); relevant state-action text. Currency banner through Oct.21,2026. Federal common context; applicability is fact-dependent. \necfr.gov\n+2"],["S_GA-P1-S022","FTC, Telemarketing Sales Rule final rule, 75Fed.Reg.48458, Aug.10,2010. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-08-10/pdf/2010-19412.pdf ; same document HTML: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/08/10/2010-19412/telemarketing-sales-rule","Read: Dates; 48480–48481/n.312, state/federal interaction; 48489 §III.C.5(a), nn.431–432; 48490–48491, allocation/accounts. Fee ban effective Oct.27,2010. Original adoption and explanation, read alongside current S021. \nfederalregister.gov\n+2"],["S_GA-P1-S023","FTC staff, Debt Relief Services & the Telemarketing Sales Rule: A Guide for Business. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/debt-relief-services-telemarketing-sales-rule-guide-business","Read: coverage, nonprofit, attorney, and service-type sections. Expressly staff guidance, not binding on the Commission; current regulation controls. \nFederal Trade Commission"],["S_GA-P1-S024","Georgia AG download labeled Debt Adjustment Act2022. https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/document/debt-adjustment-act-2022/download","Attempted, not substantively read: retrieval identified an eight-page PDF but returned no text; screenshot attempts supplied no usable image content. Filename alone does not establish version or operative content. No legal claim relies on it."],["S_GA-P1-S025","Official-code access route, Georgia Code/Lexis. https://w3.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp","Failed access: no usable authenticated current chapter obtained. Access point only; not a source of a substantive proposition."],["S_GA-P1-S026","Georgia General Assembly, HB90, 2015 enacted text, LegiScan reproduction. https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf","Read: §18, printed p.7, bill lines198–202, deleting the obsolete OTS reference from §18-5-3. Effective March13,2015 per S006. Read with S001 and S002; not presented as a standalone current consolidation. \nlegiscan.com"]]},{"headers":["Pinpoint","Direct literal URL"],"index":4,"links":[{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-1/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-1/"},{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-2/"},{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/"},{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-1/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-1/"},{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-2/"},{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-4/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-4/"},{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-5/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-5/"}],"row_links":[[],[{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-1/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-1/"}],[{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-2/"}],[{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/"}],[{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-1/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-1/"}],[{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-2/"}],[{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-4/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-4/"}],[{"href":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-5/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-5/"}]],"rows":[["Pinpoint","Direct literal URL"],["§18-5-1 — definitions","https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-1/"],["§18-5-2 — ordinary fee ceiling and NSF exception","https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-2/"],["§18-5-3 — exclusions","https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3/"],["§18-5-3.1 — audit, insurance, filing, reproduction cost","https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-1/"],["§18-5-3.2 — distribution and trust account","https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-3-2/"],["§18-5-4 — violations and fee recovery","https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-4/"],["§18-5-5 — rulemaking","https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/section-18-5-5/"]]},{"headers":["Related source/issue","Route and observed limitation","Exact next action"],"index":5,"links":[{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/152987","text":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/152987"},{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/153730","text":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/153730"},{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/150690","text":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/150690"},{"href":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18520846/pries-v-greenpath-inc/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18520846/pries-v-greenpath-inc/"},{"href":"https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/60639306/The_Brian_A_Moore_Law_Firm_LLC_v_Schofield","text":"https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/60639306/The_Brian_A_Moore_Law_Firm_LLC_v_Schofield"}],"row_links":[[],[{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/152987","text":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/152987"},{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/153730","text":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/153730"}],[{"href":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/150690","text":"https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/150690"}],[{"href":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18520846/pries-v-greenpath-inc/?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18520846/pries-v-greenpath-inc/"}],[{"href":"https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/60639306/The_Brian_A_Moore_Law_Firm_LLC_v_Schofield","text":"https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/60639306/The_Brian_A_Moore_Law_Firm_LLC_v_Schofield"}],[]],"rows":[["Related source/issue","Route and observed limitation","Exact next action"],["S001 official-host enactment","https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/152987 and https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/153730 did not yield usable text in these retrieval attempts.","Obtain a readable official-host enrolled/approved copy and compare §18 against the reproduced text already read."],["S026 official-host enactment","https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20152016/150690 failed text retrieval.","Compare the readable official copy of HB90 §18 with the reproduced enactment and current codification."],["S013 subsequent history","https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18520846/pries-v-greenpath-inc/ returned an access failure.","Obtain a publicly readable docket and any later merits/appellate decision; do not infer subsequent disposition from the 2021 order."],["S018 subsequent history","Public route identified: https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/60639306/The_Brian_A_Moore_Law_Firm_LLC_v_Schofield did not establish current disposition.","Read the disposition of appeal No.2:25-cv-00127 and any later appeal from an accessible public source."],["S024/S025 current consolidation","AG PDF content and official code route remained unreadable.","Obtain a readable, authenticated current Chapter18-5 and its effective-date history; compare the full chapter and exclusions."]]},{"headers":["Claim ID","Precise assertion","Source IDs and pinpoints","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence"],"index":6,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Claim ID","Precise assertion","Source IDs and pinpoints","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence"],["S_GA-P1-C001","Debt adjusting requires the business/holding-out component plus a fee contract for either specified adjustment activity or receipt/distribution.","S001 §18/§18-5-1; S002 §18-5-1(1)","High—text. Marketing terminology is insufficient by itself."],["S_GA-P1-C002","Principal compromise, concessions affecting indebtedness, and distribution services can fall within the definition; custody is unnecessary for branch(A).","S002 §18-5-1(1)(A)–(B)","High on alternatives; application to a particular concession depends on actual services."],["S_GA-P1-C003","Pure education or genuinely uncompensated assistance may lack a required definition element.","S002 §18-5-1; S017 definition analysis; S011 relevant checkboxes","Qualified. Bundled/indirect compensation and actual contractual obligations must be examined."],["S_GA-P1-C004","No express household-purpose limitation or general business-debt exclusion was found in this chapter.","S002 §§18-5-1–3","High on examined text; corporate-debtor residence and business applications remain held."],["S_GA-P1-C005","Temporary/permanent Georgia residence triggers the resident-specific provisions without an express in-state-provider requirement.","S002 §§18-5-1(3), -2, -3.1(a)","High—text. Full jurisdiction and nonresident-only operations not resolved."],["S_GA-P1-C006","The verified ordinary pathway is statutory compliance and annual filing, not an identified discretionary debt-adjuster license.","S002 §§18-5-2–5; S009–S010","Qualified negative finding. No other activity’s license converted into debt-adjustment permission."],["S_GA-P1-C007","Noncustodial negotiation may be covered while lacking a positive ordinary distribution-based fee allowance.","S002 §§18-5-1(1)(A), -2; S013 PartIII.A","Qualified statutory inference. Positive-fee market access held; no categorical appellate holding asserted."],["S_GA-P1-C008","Provider-held accumulation beyond30days conflicts with the distribution rule; principal reduction itself is not categorically excluded.","S002 §18-5-3.2(a); S013 p.6 n.2; S015 answer","High on deadline; settlement-path application conditional. Agency model description does not replace statutory classification."],["S_GA-P1-C009","Nonprofit status alone does not exempt a provider from the Georgia chapter.","S002 §18-5-3; S017 nonprofit discussion","High—text. Federal nonprofit jurisdiction is separate."],["S_GA-P1-C010","Attorney exclusion concerns adjustment incurred in Georgia legal practice, not automatic law-firm status.","S002 §18-5-3; S018 PartV; S019 pp.10–13","High on wording; actual-service boundary qualified. Recent opinions are pleading-stage and later status is held."],["S_GA-P1-C011","Own-creditor exclusion requires incidental adjustment of debt owed to the adjusting person/entity.","S002 §18-5-3, second sentence","High—text. Does not establish an unrelated-debt intermediary exemption."],["S_GA-P1-C012","Institutional exclusions require the enumerated entity, subsidiary, supervision, or Installment Loan Act conditions.","S002 §18-5-3; S004 §9; S026 §18","High on enumeration; entity-specific qualification and §7-3-3 analysis remain open."],["S_GA-P1-C013","Nonlawyer representation in the litigation-negotiation facts of UPL Opinion2003-1 constitutes unauthorized practice.","S020, 280Ga.122–123","High—controlling state holding on those facts. Not generalized to all prelitigation services."],["S_GA-P1-C014","Ordinary covered consideration is limited to7.5% of the relevant monthly amount paid to the provider for creditor distribution.","S002 §18-5-2; S001 §18","High—text; denominator dispute separately recorded in C016."],["S_GA-P1-C015","Ordinary charges/fees/contributions aggregate; no independent setup, per-debt, savings, annual, lifetime, minimum-dollar, or CPI allowance was established.","S002 §18-5-2 and chapter review; S012 catalog check","High on aggregation; bounded negative for additional schedules/rules."],["S_GA-P1-C016","Pries excludes the provider’s fee from the denominator; informal2025 guidance suggests a conflicting gross-payment treatment.","S013 pp.4–7; S015 answer","High on what each says; statewide controlling resolution and later case history unverified."],["S_GA-P1-C017","Georgia expressly permits a reasonable, separate NSF transaction charge, without a verified numerical cap in the examined provision.","S002 §18-5-2 proviso","High—text. Exact amount and any independently applicable federal timing treatment held."],["S_GA-P1-C018","A requested audit-summary copy may be charged at no more than reproduction cost.","S002 §18-5-3.1(a)(1)","High—text. Narrow copy charge, not an additional ordinary service-fee bucket."],["S_GA-P1-C019","Debtor receipts less authorized fees must reach appropriate creditors within30days; separate trust account required.","S002 §18-5-3.2(a)–(b); S003 same section","High—text. Complete funds/agency/account analysis deferred."],["S_GA-P1-C020","The state ceiling is not advance-fee authorization; current and historical AG educational statements on upfront fees differ.","S002 §§18-5-2, -3.2; S014 debt-management section; S016 answer","High on text/guidance distinction. Precise state-only intracycle fee timing unresolved."],["S_GA-P1-C021","Violating §18-5-2 or §18-5-3.2(a) supports statutory debtor liability of all fees/charges/contributions paid plus$5,000.","S002 §18-5-4(b)(2); S001 §18","High—text. Procedure, offsets, additional remedies, and disputed facts remain outside this fee illustration."],["S_GA-P1-C022","No general state cancellation refund schedule or independently authorized cancellation fee was established in the examined chapter.","S002 chapter review","Qualified negative. Other law and contract-specific rights remain open."],["S_GA-P1-C023","Annual independent CPA audit, continuous specified insurance, statutory coverage/deductible/rating/notice conditions, and annual filings apply to covered resident-debtor operations.","S002 §18-5-3.1(a)–(b); S009–S010","High—text. Exemptions apply; startup/no-custody implementation not resolved."],["S_GA-P1-C024","AG repository receipt and the current forms do not constitute licensing approval or an adjudication of compliance.","S002 §18-5-3.1(c); S009–S011","High on repository language; no licensing process identified in examined material."],["S_GA-P1-C025","Accessible agency forms contain terminology that must be reconciled with current statutory text.","S010–S011 p.1; S002 §§18-5-3, -3.1; S004 §9; S026 §18","High on observed discrepancies. Form date does not amend the law."],["S_GA-P1-C026","No debt-adjustment-specific fee/licensing regulation was located in the official Dept60/Chapter60-2 indexes and targeted searches.","S012; S002 §18-5-5","Qualified negative, not a claim that every Georgia rule or administrative order was read."],["S_GA-P1-C027","Currentness is corroborated by amendments,2025 text, and2025/2026 official legislative checks, but an authenticated current consolidated chapter was not obtained.","S001–S008, S024–S026","Qualified. No relevant future-effective or proposed change was identified; exhaustive status certification is not claimed."],["S_GA-P1-C028","TSR coverage includes qualifying unsecured-debt relief telemarketing, including specified inbound solicitations; attorney/nonprofit/business exceptions require separate analysis.","S021 §§310.2(o),(ii),310.6(b)(3)–(7); S023 coverage sections","High on rule text; application fact-dependent."],["S_GA-P1-C029","For covered TSR activity, requesting or receiving fees requires an executed valid modification agreement and at least one payment under it.","S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(A)–(B)","High—current text. A proposal, attempted negotiation, or settlement promise alone is insufficient."],["S_GA-P1-C030","Individually resolved debts require proportional enrollment-balance allocation or a constant savings percentage under the federal rule.","S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(C)(1)–(2)","High—text. Neither option grants Georgia permission to charge that amount."],["S_GA-P1-C031","FTC’s DMP explanation requires a customer-executed plan binding applicable creditors and evidence of first payment to the counseling agency for distribution.","S022,75FR48489, §III.C.5(a), n.431","High on agency explanation. Later periodic fees remain subject to state law."],["S_GA-P1-C032","A genuine installment settlement’s first payment can satisfy federal timing; a provider-created split of a required lump sum cannot.","S022,75FR48489,n.432; S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(B)","High on explanation. Actual creditor terms control."],["S_GA-P1-C033","Qualifying federal dedicated accounts require the enumerated safeguards and penalty-free withdrawal/account-fund return within7business days, less properly earned fees.","S021 §310.4(a)(5)(ii)(A)–(E)","High—text. Not a universal Georgia cancellation rule or automatic refund of every previously paid fee."],["S_GA-P1-C034","State fee permission and federal timing/account permission are cumulative where both apply.","S021 §310.4(a)(5); S022,75FR48480–81,n.312","High. Satisfaction of one regime does not establish compliance with the other."],["S_GA-P1-C035","This pass verified procedure, not any named provider’s filing, exemption, or authorization status.","S009–S011; scope of research performed","Direct limitation. Marketing statements were not used as authorization evidence."],["S_GA-P1-C036","Pries, Mai, and Bush have different authority/procedural limits; later history was not fully verified.","S013 disposition; S018 PartV; S019 p.4n.3 and pp.10–13; failed routes B3","High on the opinions read; subsequent disposition held. No final-merits or statewide-appellate conclusion inferred."]]},{"headers":["Scope item","Status","Supporting claims","Exact missing evidence / next investigation"],"index":7,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Scope item","Status","Supporting claims","Exact missing evidence / next investigation"],["Definition; principal reduction versus concessions/distribution","Answered","C001–C003","Apply the established elements to any actual service contract and conduct supplied later."],["Custodial versus noncustodial models","Partial","C002, C007–C008, C019","Obtain authority addressing positive fees with zero provider distribution and independent account-administrator/agency arrangements."],["Consumer versus business purpose","Partial","C004","Read controlling authority applying the Act to business-purpose individual debts and entity debtors; resolve corporate residence."],["Resident debtor / remote provider","Answered at statutory-text level; jurisdiction partial","C005","Full choice-of-law, jurisdiction, temporary-residence, and nonresident-only provider analysis remains open."],["Ordinary public market-access pathway","Answered","C006, C023–C024","Verified statutory compliance/filing framework; no ordinary debt-adjuster license identified."],["Named provider’s actual status","Unresolved; not inferred","C035","Verify the particular entity’s actual filings, exemption facts, and relevant institutional status from public records when that investigation is undertaken."],["Nonprofit and own-creditor exclusions","Answered at statutory level","C009, C011","Entity-specific facts still required; no automatic label-based exclusion."],["Attorney exclusion","Partial","C010, C013, C036","Obtain Mai appeal disposition and later Bush history; identify controlling state appellate treatment of actual services."],["Institutional exclusions","Partial","C012, C025","Read §7-3-3 and the relevant institutional licensing provisions if invoked; verify entity/subsidiary and supervision facts."],["Ordinary ceiling and aggregation","Answered","C014–C015","No additional ordinary fee schedule established."],["Gross versus net denominator","Partial—conflict preserved","C016, C036","Obtain controlling appellate authority or formally authoritative reconciliation, plus Pries later history."],["Exact NSF amount","Unresolved/held","C017","Locate any applicable authoritative reasonableness standard or controlling decision; evaluate the specific charge and transaction. No CPI calculation."],["Reproduction-cost charge","Answered","C018","Actual documented reproduction cost needed for a real charge."],["CPI/indexing/current dollar schedules","Answered as bounded negative","C015, C026–C027","No mechanism identified; verify against authenticated current chapter and any relevant promulgated rule/adoption order."],["State fee timing and30-day distribution","Partial","C019–C020","Resolve state-only intracycle fee timing, cross-month accounting, and the conflicting educational statements."],["Federal TSR timing/allocation","Answered as common context","C028–C032, C034","Determine actual telemarketing/jurisdiction/exemption facts for any provider model."],["Cancellation, credits, and refunds","Partial","C021–C022, C033","Complete state contract/cancellation law, prior-refund offsets, and remedies analysis; do not generalize the federal account rule."],["Current forms and procedure","Answered; startup details unresolved","C023–C025","Obtain authoritative first-year audit instructions, any filing deadline/fee, and confirmation of the current form revision if operational use is later required."],["Rules/adoption orders","Partial—negative search bounded","C026","No debt-adjustment-specific rule identified in the official catalog examined. Any later-discovered relevant rule requires full operative text and adoption/effective history."],["Authenticated current law","Partial","C027","Resolve failed official-code/PDF routes and compare the authenticated chapter with the statutes and reproductions already read."],["Worked fee/boundary examples","Answered conditionally","C007, C014–C022, C029–C034","Recalculate only after the actual contract, monthly flow, prior fees, exemption, and federal coverage are established."],["Agreements, funds, bond/insurance, remedies beyond necessary access/fee points","Excluded from completion in this pass","C019, C021, C023","Full agreement/disclosure, safeguarding, bonding-versus-insurance, enforcement, and remedies passes remain required."],["Collection, litigation, limitations, debtor exemptions, secured debt, sector, local, tribal, contract, and comprehensive case-law coverage","Open—later required passes","C013 only for the necessary UPL boundary","Conduct separate complete investigations. No findings here close these categories."],["State acceptance or A066 acceptance","Not established","Entire component limitation","Requires completion and review of the broader dossier; no acceptance by implication."]]}],"claims":[{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C001","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C001","Precise assertion":"Debt adjusting requires the business/holding-out component plus a fee contract for either specified adjustment activity or receipt/distribution.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S001 §18/§18-5-1; S002 §18-5-1(1)","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Marketing terminology is insufficient by itself."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C002","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C002","Precise assertion":"Principal compromise, concessions affecting indebtedness, and distribution services can fall within the definition; custody is unnecessary for branch(A).","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-1(1)(A)–(B)","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on alternatives; application to a particular concession depends on actual services."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C003","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C003","Precise assertion":"Pure education or genuinely uncompensated assistance may lack a required definition element.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-1; S017 definition analysis; S011 relevant checkboxes","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"Qualified. Bundled/indirect compensation and actual contractual obligations must be examined."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C004","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C004","Precise assertion":"No express household-purpose limitation or general business-debt exclusion was found in this chapter.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §§18-5-1–3","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on examined text; corporate-debtor residence and business applications remain held."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C005","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C005","Precise assertion":"Temporary/permanent Georgia residence triggers the resident-specific provisions without an express in-state-provider requirement.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §§18-5-1(3), -2, -3.1(a)","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Full jurisdiction and nonresident-only operations not resolved."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C006","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C006","Precise assertion":"The verified ordinary pathway is statutory compliance and annual filing, not an identified discretionary debt-adjuster license.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §§18-5-2–5; S009–S010","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"Qualified negative finding. No other activity’s license converted into debt-adjustment permission."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C007","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C007","Precise assertion":"Noncustodial negotiation may be covered while lacking a positive ordinary distribution-based fee allowance.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §§18-5-1(1)(A), -2; S013 PartIII.A","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"Qualified statutory inference. Positive-fee market access held; no categorical appellate holding asserted."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C008","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C008","Precise assertion":"Provider-held accumulation beyond30days conflicts with the distribution rule; principal reduction itself is not categorically excluded.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-3.2(a); S013 p.6 n.2; S015 answer","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on deadline; settlement-path application conditional. Agency model description does not replace statutory classification."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C009","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C009","Precise assertion":"Nonprofit status alone does not exempt a provider from the Georgia chapter.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-3; S017 nonprofit discussion","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Federal nonprofit jurisdiction is separate."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C010","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C010","Precise assertion":"Attorney exclusion concerns adjustment incurred in Georgia legal practice, not automatic law-firm status.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-3; S018 PartV; S019 pp.10–13","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on wording; actual-service boundary qualified. Recent opinions are pleading-stage and later status is held."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C011","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C011","Precise assertion":"Own-creditor exclusion requires incidental adjustment of debt owed to the adjusting person/entity.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-3, second sentence","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Does not establish an unrelated-debt intermediary exemption."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C012","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C012","Precise assertion":"Institutional exclusions require the enumerated entity, subsidiary, supervision, or Installment Loan Act conditions.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-3; S004 §9; S026 §18","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on enumeration; entity-specific qualification and §7-3-3 analysis remain open."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C013","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C013","Precise assertion":"Nonlawyer representation in the litigation-negotiation facts of UPL Opinion2003-1 constitutes unauthorized practice.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S020, 280Ga.122–123","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—controlling state holding on those facts. Not generalized to all prelitigation services."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C014","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C014","Precise assertion":"Ordinary covered consideration is limited to7.5% of the relevant monthly amount paid to the provider for creditor distribution.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-2; S001 §18","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text; denominator dispute separately recorded in C016."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C015","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C015","Precise assertion":"Ordinary charges/fees/contributions aggregate; no independent setup, per-debt, savings, annual, lifetime, minimum-dollar, or CPI allowance was established.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-2 and chapter review; S012 catalog check","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on aggregation; bounded negative for additional schedules/rules."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C016","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C016","Precise assertion":"Pries excludes the provider’s fee from the denominator; informal2025 guidance suggests a conflicting gross-payment treatment.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S013 pp.4–7; S015 answer","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on what each says; statewide controlling resolution and later case history unverified."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C017","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C017","Precise assertion":"Georgia expressly permits a reasonable, separate NSF transaction charge, without a verified numerical cap in the examined provision.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-2 proviso","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Exact amount and any independently applicable federal timing treatment held."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C018","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C018","Precise assertion":"A requested audit-summary copy may be charged at no more than reproduction cost.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-3.1(a)(1)","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Narrow copy charge, not an additional ordinary service-fee bucket."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C019","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C019","Precise assertion":"Debtor receipts less authorized fees must reach appropriate creditors within30days; separate trust account required.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-3.2(a)–(b); S003 same section","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Complete funds/agency/account analysis deferred."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C020","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C020","Precise assertion":"The state ceiling is not advance-fee authorization; current and historical AG educational statements on upfront fees differ.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §§18-5-2, -3.2; S014 debt-management section; S016 answer","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on text/guidance distinction. Precise state-only intracycle fee timing unresolved."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C021","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C021","Precise assertion":"Violating §18-5-2 or §18-5-3.2(a) supports statutory debtor liability of all fees/charges/contributions paid plus$5,000.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-4(b)(2); S001 §18","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Procedure, offsets, additional remedies, and disputed facts remain outside this fee illustration."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C022","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C022","Precise assertion":"No general state cancellation refund schedule or independently authorized cancellation fee was established in the examined chapter.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 chapter review","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"Qualified negative. Other law and contract-specific rights remain open."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C023","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C023","Precise assertion":"Annual independent CPA audit, continuous specified insurance, statutory coverage/deductible/rating/notice conditions, and annual filings apply to covered resident-debtor operations.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-3.1(a)–(b); S009–S010","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Exemptions apply; startup/no-custody implementation not resolved."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C024","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C024","Precise assertion":"AG repository receipt and the current forms do not constitute licensing approval or an adjudication of compliance.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S002 §18-5-3.1(c); S009–S011","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on repository language; no licensing process identified in examined material."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C025","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C025","Precise assertion":"Accessible agency forms contain terminology that must be reconciled with current statutory text.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S010–S011 p.1; S002 §§18-5-3, -3.1; S004 §9; S026 §18","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on observed discrepancies. Form date does not amend the law."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C026","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C026","Precise assertion":"No debt-adjustment-specific fee/licensing regulation was located in the official Dept60/Chapter60-2 indexes and targeted searches.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S012; S002 §18-5-5","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"Qualified negative, not a claim that every Georgia rule or administrative order was read."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C027","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C027","Precise assertion":"Currentness is corroborated by amendments,2025 text, and2025/2026 official legislative checks, but an authenticated current consolidated chapter was not obtained.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S001–S008, S024–S026","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"Qualified. No relevant future-effective or proposed change was identified; exhaustive status certification is not claimed."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C028","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C028","Precise assertion":"TSR coverage includes qualifying unsecured-debt relief telemarketing, including specified inbound solicitations; attorney/nonprofit/business exceptions require separate analysis.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S021 §§310.2(o),(ii),310.6(b)(3)–(7); S023 coverage sections","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on rule text; application fact-dependent."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C029","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C029","Precise assertion":"For covered TSR activity, requesting or receiving fees requires an executed valid modification agreement and at least one payment under it.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(A)–(B)","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—current text. A proposal, attempted negotiation, or settlement promise alone is insufficient."},"coordinator_verification_status":"selected_support_checked_with_recorded_scope_limits","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C030","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C030","Precise assertion":"Individually resolved debts require proportional enrollment-balance allocation or a constant savings percentage under the federal rule.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(C)(1)–(2)","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Neither option grants Georgia permission to charge that amount."},"coordinator_verification_status":"selected_support_checked_with_recorded_scope_limits","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C031","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C031","Precise assertion":"FTC’s DMP explanation requires a customer-executed plan binding applicable creditors and evidence of first payment to the counseling agency for distribution.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S022,75FR48489, §III.C.5(a), n.431","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on agency explanation. Later periodic fees remain subject to state law."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C032","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C032","Precise assertion":"A genuine installment settlement’s first payment can satisfy federal timing; a provider-created split of a required lump sum cannot.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S022,75FR48489,n.432; S021 §310.4(a)(5)(i)(B)","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on explanation. Actual creditor terms control."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C033","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C033","Precise assertion":"Qualifying federal dedicated accounts require the enumerated safeguards and penalty-free withdrawal/account-fund return within7business days, less properly earned fees.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S021 §310.4(a)(5)(ii)(A)–(E)","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High—text. Not a universal Georgia cancellation rule or automatic refund of every previously paid fee."},"coordinator_verification_status":"selected_support_checked_with_recorded_scope_limits","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C034","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C034","Precise assertion":"State fee permission and federal timing/account permission are cumulative where both apply.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S021 §310.4(a)(5); S022,75FR48480–81,n.312","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High. Satisfaction of one regime does not establish compliance with the other."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C035","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C035","Precise assertion":"This pass verified procedure, not any named provider’s filing, exemption, or authorization status.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S009–S011; scope of research performed","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"Direct limitation. Marketing statements were not used as authorization evidence."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"claim_id":"S_GA-P1-C036","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"Claim ID":"S_GA-P1-C036","Precise assertion":"Pries, Mai, and Bush have different authority/procedural limits; later history was not fully verified.","Source IDs and pinpoints":"S013 disposition; S018 PartV; S019 p.4n.3 and pp.10–13; failed routes B3","Conditions, exceptions, currentness, and confidence":"High on the opinions read; subsequent disposition held. No final-merits or statewide-appellate conclusion inferred."},"coordinator_verification_status":"held_for_additional_source_verification","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"}],"sources":[{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S001","urls":["https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf","https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S001","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia General Assembly, SB 148, 2015 enacted text, reproduced by LegiScan. https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB148/id/1204558/Georgia-2015-SB148-Enrolled.pdf","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: §18, printed pp.92–94, reproducing §§18-5-1, -2, -3, -3.1, -4, -5. Effective July 1, 2015, corroborated by S006. Historical enactment, not a current consolidation; its institutional wording requires later reconciliation. Official-host attempts failed, recorded below. \nlegiscan.com\n+1"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S002","urls":["https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/","https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S002","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"2025 Georgia Code, Title 18, Chapter 5, statutory text reproduced by Justia. https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-18/chapter-5/","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: all seven operative sections, listed in B2. Most recent consolidated reproduction successfully read; privately hosted and expressly not guaranteed current. Used with enacted amendments and official checks, not treated as authenticated October 2026 code. \nlaw.justia.com"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S003","urls":["https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act","https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S003","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia AG, Debt Adjustment Act HTML reproduction. https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-services/debt-adjustment-act","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: displayed statutory text, especially §§18-5-1–4. Page labels the law current through 2006. Official host but historical/incomplete currentness; not sufficient for current exemption wording. \nconsumer.georgia.gov"},"coordinator_verification_status":"selected_passages_checked_only_see_review","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S004","urls":["https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf","https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S004","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia General Assembly, SB 462, 2020 enacted text, LegiScan reproduction. https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB462/id/2198764/Georgia-2019-SB462-Enrolled.pdf","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: §9, printed pp.35–36, bill lines1204–1213; §§10–11. Changes §18-5-3’s loan-act reference to Georgia Installment Loan Act. Effective date corroborated by S005. The URL’s session label is not the enactment year. \nlegiscan.com"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S005","urls":["https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2","https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2&utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S005","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, Summary of General Statutes Enacted at the 2020 Session. https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/summary-of-2020-general-statutes.pdf?sfvrsn=3dc9689d_2","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: printed p.3/PDF p.12, Act409/SB462: June30,2020 effective date; specified agreement applicability from July1. Official legislative summary, supporting chronology rather than replacing operative text. \nlegis.ga.gov"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S006","urls":["https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext","https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S006","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia legislative-counsel 2015 general-statutes summary, preserved by the Digital Library of Georgia. https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_s-ga-bl400-pl4-bs1-bs7-b2015-belec-p-btext","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: printed p.1, Act9/HB90, effective March13,2015; printed p.5, Act187/SB148, effective July1,2015. Official government publication in archival hosting. \nDigital Library of Georgia\n+1"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S007","urls":["https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf","https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S007","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, 2025 general-statutes summary. https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/legislative-counsel-document-library/25sumdoc.pdf","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read/targeted search: foreword scope, Title18 entry, and Chapter18-5/debt-adjustment searches. No relevant amendment identified. Bounded regular-session currentness check; not a substitute for an authenticated code or every possible later enactment. \nlegis.ga.gov"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S008","urls":["https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf","https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S008","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, 2026 general-statutes summary. https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/general-statutes/sumdoc2026_finalb6de4f3e-b2e8-49d5-bc38-34c4f39c2207.pdf","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read/targeted search: Title18 entry and relevant text searches. No Chapter18-5 amendment identified. Same bounded-negative limitation as S007. \nlegis.ga.gov"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S009","urls":["https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings","https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S009","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia AG CPD, Debt Adjustment Companies – Required Filings. https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/debt-adjustment-companies-required-filings","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: substantive requirements and “Associated Documents” instructions. Currently accessible procedure; not a licensing grant. Its shorthand exemption discussion is less precise than §18-5-3. \nconsumer.georgia.gov"},"coordinator_verification_status":"selected_passages_checked_only_see_review","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S010","urls":["https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download","https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S010","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia AG CPD, Certification of Requisite Filing under the Debt Adjustment Act. https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-submission-form/download","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read in full: one page; document metadata identifies November2024 version. Audit/insurance checklist, signature and notary block. Operational form; wording discrepancies noted above. \nDebt Adjustment Filing Submission Form 11-2024"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S011","urls":["https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download","https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S011","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia AG CPD, Certification of Requisite Filing Exemption. https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/business-form/debt-adjustment-filings-exemption/download","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read in full: one page; November2024 metadata. Exemption checkboxes, supporting-document certification, signature/notary. Contains older terminology; a checkbox is not an adjudication of eligibility. \n2024-11"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S012","urls":["https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60","https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60-2","https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60?utm_source=chatgpt.com","https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60-2?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S012","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia Secretary of State, Department60 rules catalog and Chapter60-2 catalog. https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60 ; https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/60-2","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: full returned department/chapter indexes and displayed administrative-history notes. No debt-adjustment-specific fee/licensing rule identified. Did not treat unrelated consumer rules as read operative debt-adjustment regulations. \nDepartment 60. DEPARTMENT OF LAW\n+1"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S013","urls":["https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/georgia/gamdce/5:2020cv00353/117400/19/0.pdf?ts=1618256699","https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/georgia/gamdce/5%3A2020cv00353/117400/19/0.pdf?ts=1618256699&utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S013","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"U.S. District Court, M.D.Ga., Pries v. GreenPath, Inc., No.5:20-cv-353-MTT, Doc.19, Jan.5,2021; court PDF reproduced by Justia. https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/georgia/gamdce/5:2020cv00353/117400/19/0.pdf?ts=1618256699","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: particularly pp.4–7, PartIII.A, p.6 n.2, and disposition. Denial of dismissal; net-distribution interpretation. Federal district authority, not a Georgia appellate holding. Later history held. \ncases.justia.com"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S014","urls":["https://consumer.georgia.gov/credit-and-debt","https://consumer.georgia.gov/credit-and-debt?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S014","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia AG CPD, Credit and Debt. https://consumer.georgia.gov/credit-and-debt","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: debt-management discussion, including upfront-fee, percentage, and distribution statements. Undated current public guidance; not an enacted rule or effective-date record. \nconsumer.georgia.gov"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S015","urls":["https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2025-09-26/finding-reputable-lender-consolidate-credit-card-debt","https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2025-09-26/finding-reputable-lender-consolidate-credit-card-debt?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S015","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia ConsumerEd, Finding a reputable lender to consolidate credit card debt, Sept.26,2025. https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2025-09-26/finding-reputable-lender-consolidate-credit-card-debt","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: answer’s lawful-distribution and unlawful-settlement-model discussion. Informal guidance; fee-denominator language conflicts with Pries if applied to a fee-inclusive payment. Publication date is not a legal effective date. \nconsumered.georgia.gov"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S016","urls":["https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2013-10-11/debt-settlement-legitimate","https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2013-10-11/debt-settlement-legitimate?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S016","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia ConsumerEd, Is debt settlement legitimate?, Oct.11,2013. https://consumered.georgia.gov/ask-ed/2013-10-11/debt-settlement-legitimate","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: answer discussing the historical law, combined ceiling, upfront fees, and accumulation model. Historical educational guidance; no current advance-fee authorization inferred. Formal withdrawal status not established. \nconsumered.georgia.gov"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S017","urls":["https://law.georgia.gov/opinions/1997-6","https://law.georgia.gov/opinions/1997-6?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S017","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia AG, Unofficial Opinion1997-6, Jan.31,1997. https://law.georgia.gov/opinions/1997-6","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: opinion text on counseling, definition, and nonprofit status. Historical and expressly unofficial; former prohibition discussion cannot be carried forward as current law. \nOffice of the Attorney General"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S018","urls":["https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-a-schofield-as-chapter-7-trustee-of-the-est-v-the-brian-a-moore-gasb-2025","https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-a-schofield-as-chapter-7-trustee-of-the-est-v-the-brian-a-moore-gasb-2025?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S018","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.Ga., Schofield v. The Brian A. Moore Law Firm, LLC (In re Mai), Sept.30,2025, Adv.24-02004-MJK; reproduced by CounselStack. https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-a-schofield-as-chapter-7-trustee-of-the-est-v-the-brian-a-moore-gasb-2025","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: PartV, Georgia Debt Adjustment Act analysis, including nn.9–10. Situation/services-based attorney analysis at pleading stage. Appellate status at baseline unresolved. \nCounsel Stack"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S019","urls":["https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/69dcf436b7a3a6284c487a7d","https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/69dcf436b7a3a6284c487a7d?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S019","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.Ga., Wills v. Turnbull (In re Bush), Mar.31,2026, Adv.25-01016-SDB; reproduced by CaseMine. https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/69dcf436b7a3a6284c487a7d","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: pp.10–13, attorney-exemption analysis; p.4 n.3, Mai appeal status as of this opinion. Pleading-stage ruling; no baseline-date appellate clearance inferred. \nCaseMine"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S020","urls":["https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2005/s03u1732-1.html","https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2005/s03u1732-1.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S020","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia Supreme Court, In re UPL Advisory Opinion2003-1, 280Ga.121, 623S.E.2d464 (2005), reproduced by Justia. https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2005/s03u1732-1.html","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: opinion, especially pp.122–123. Decided Nov.21,2005; reconsideration denied Jan.17,2006. Controlling state-court authority for the described litigation-negotiation facts; no broader holding inferred. \nlaw.justia.com"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S021","urls":["https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310","https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S021","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"eCFR/OFR-GPO, 16C.F.R. Part310, Telemarketing Sales Rule. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-310","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: §§310.2(o),(ii); 310.4(a)(5)(i)–(ii); 310.6(b)(3)–(7); relevant state-action text. Currency banner through Oct.21,2026. Federal common context; applicability is fact-dependent. \necfr.gov\n+2"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S022","urls":["https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-08-10/pdf/2010-19412.pdf","https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/08/10/2010-19412/telemarketing-sales-rule","https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-08-10/pdf/2010-19412.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com","https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/08/10/2010-19412/telemarketing-sales-rule?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S022","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"FTC, Telemarketing Sales Rule final rule, 75Fed.Reg.48458, Aug.10,2010. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-08-10/pdf/2010-19412.pdf ; same document HTML: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/08/10/2010-19412/telemarketing-sales-rule","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: Dates; 48480–48481/n.312, state/federal interaction; 48489 §III.C.5(a), nn.431–432; 48490–48491, allocation/accounts. Fee ban effective Oct.27,2010. Original adoption and explanation, read alongside current S021. \nfederalregister.gov\n+2"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S023","urls":["https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/debt-relief-services-telemarketing-sales-rule-guide-business","https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/debt-relief-services-telemarketing-sales-rule-guide-business?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S023","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"FTC staff, Debt Relief Services & the Telemarketing Sales Rule: A Guide for Business. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/debt-relief-services-telemarketing-sales-rule-guide-business","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: coverage, nonprofit, attorney, and service-type sections. Expressly staff guidance, not binding on the Commission; current regulation controls. \nFederal Trade Commission"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S024","urls":["https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/document/debt-adjustment-act-2022/download","https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/document/debt-adjustment-act-2022/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S024","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia AG download labeled Debt Adjustment Act2022. https://consumer.georgia.gov/document/document/debt-adjustment-act-2022/download","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Attempted, not substantively read: retrieval identified an eight-page PDF but returned no text; screenshot attempts supplied no usable image content. Filename alone does not establish version or operative content. No legal claim relies on it."},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S025","urls":["https://w3.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp","https://w3.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S025","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Official-code access route, Georgia Code/Lexis. https://w3.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Failed access: no usable authenticated current chapter obtained. Access point only; not a source of a substantive proposition."},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"},{"source_id":"S_GA-P1-S026","urls":["https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf","https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_GA-P1-S026","Document / issuer and direct literal URL":"Georgia General Assembly, HB90, 2015 enacted text, LegiScan reproduction. https://legiscan.com/GA/text/HB90/id/1162982/Georgia-2015-HB90-Enrolled.pdf","Exact pinpoint, version, status, and limitations":"Read: §18, printed p.7, bill lines198–202, deleting the obsolete OTS reference from §18-5-3. Effective March13,2015 per S006. Read with S001 and S002; not presented as a standalone current consolidation. \nlegiscan.com"},"coordinator_verification_status":"unverified_in_current_scoped_review"}],"coverage":[{"topic":"Definition; principal reduction versus concessions/distribution","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Definition; principal reduction versus concessions/distribution","Status":"Answered","Supporting claims":"C001–C003","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Apply the established elements to any actual service contract and conduct supplied later."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Custodial versus noncustodial models","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Custodial versus noncustodial models","Status":"Partial","Supporting claims":"C002, C007–C008, C019","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Obtain authority addressing positive fees with zero provider distribution and independent account-administrator/agency arrangements."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Consumer versus business purpose","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Consumer versus business purpose","Status":"Partial","Supporting claims":"C004","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Read controlling authority applying the Act to business-purpose individual debts and entity debtors; resolve corporate residence."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Resident debtor / remote provider","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Resident debtor / remote provider","Status":"Answered at statutory-text level; jurisdiction partial","Supporting claims":"C005","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Full choice-of-law, jurisdiction, temporary-residence, and nonresident-only provider analysis remains open."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Ordinary public market-access pathway","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Ordinary public market-access pathway","Status":"Answered","Supporting claims":"C006, C023–C024","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Verified statutory compliance/filing framework; no ordinary debt-adjuster license identified."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Named provider’s actual status","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Named provider’s actual status","Status":"Unresolved; not inferred","Supporting claims":"C035","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Verify the particular entity’s actual filings, exemption facts, and relevant institutional status from public records when that investigation is undertaken."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Nonprofit and own-creditor exclusions","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Nonprofit and own-creditor exclusions","Status":"Answered at statutory level","Supporting claims":"C009, C011","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Entity-specific facts still required; no automatic label-based exclusion."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Attorney exclusion","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Attorney exclusion","Status":"Partial","Supporting claims":"C010, C013, C036","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Obtain Mai appeal disposition and later Bush history; identify controlling state appellate treatment of actual services."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Institutional exclusions","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Institutional exclusions","Status":"Partial","Supporting claims":"C012, C025","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Read §7-3-3 and the relevant institutional licensing provisions if invoked; verify entity/subsidiary and supervision facts."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Ordinary ceiling and aggregation","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Ordinary ceiling and aggregation","Status":"Answered","Supporting claims":"C014–C015","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"No additional ordinary fee schedule established."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Gross versus net denominator","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Gross versus net denominator","Status":"Partial—conflict preserved","Supporting claims":"C016, C036","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Obtain controlling appellate authority or formally authoritative reconciliation, plus Pries later history."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Exact NSF amount","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Exact NSF amount","Status":"Unresolved/held","Supporting claims":"C017","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Locate any applicable authoritative reasonableness standard or controlling decision; evaluate the specific charge and transaction. No CPI calculation."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Reproduction-cost charge","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Reproduction-cost charge","Status":"Answered","Supporting claims":"C018","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Actual documented reproduction cost needed for a real charge."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"CPI/indexing/current dollar schedules","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"CPI/indexing/current dollar schedules","Status":"Answered as bounded negative","Supporting claims":"C015, C026–C027","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"No mechanism identified; verify against authenticated current chapter and any relevant promulgated rule/adoption order."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"State fee timing and30-day distribution","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"State fee timing and30-day distribution","Status":"Partial","Supporting claims":"C019–C020","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Resolve state-only intracycle fee timing, cross-month accounting, and the conflicting educational statements."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Federal TSR timing/allocation","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Federal TSR timing/allocation","Status":"Answered as common context","Supporting claims":"C028–C032, C034","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Determine actual telemarketing/jurisdiction/exemption facts for any provider model."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Cancellation, credits, and refunds","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Cancellation, credits, and refunds","Status":"Partial","Supporting claims":"C021–C022, C033","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Complete state contract/cancellation law, prior-refund offsets, and remedies analysis; do not generalize the federal account rule."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Current forms and procedure","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Current forms and procedure","Status":"Answered; startup details unresolved","Supporting claims":"C023–C025","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Obtain authoritative first-year audit instructions, any filing deadline/fee, and confirmation of the current form revision if operational use is later required."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Rules/adoption orders","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Rules/adoption orders","Status":"Partial—negative search bounded","Supporting claims":"C026","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"No debt-adjustment-specific rule identified in the official catalog examined. Any later-discovered relevant rule requires full operative text and adoption/effective history."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Authenticated current law","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Authenticated current law","Status":"Partial","Supporting claims":"C027","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Resolve failed official-code/PDF routes and compare the authenticated chapter with the statutes and reproductions already read."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Worked fee/boundary examples","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Worked fee/boundary examples","Status":"Answered conditionally","Supporting claims":"C007, C014–C022, C029–C034","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Recalculate only after the actual contract, monthly flow, prior fees, exemption, and federal coverage are established."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Agreements, funds, bond/insurance, remedies beyond necessary access/fee points","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Agreements, funds, bond/insurance, remedies beyond necessary access/fee points","Status":"Excluded from completion in this pass","Supporting claims":"C019, C021, C023","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Full agreement/disclosure, safeguarding, bonding-versus-insurance, enforcement, and remedies passes remain required."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"Collection, litigation, limitations, debtor exemptions, secured debt, sector, local, tribal, contract, and comprehensive case-law coverage","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"Collection, litigation, limitations, debtor exemptions, secured debt, sector, local, tribal, contract, and comprehensive case-law coverage","Status":"Open—later required passes","Supporting claims":"C013 only for the necessary UPL boundary","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Conduct separate complete investigations. No findings here close these categories."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"topic":"State acceptance or A066 acceptance","researcher_record":{"Scope item":"State acceptance or A066 acceptance","Status":"Not established","Supporting claims":"Entire component limitation","Exact missing evidence / next investigation":"Requires completion and review of the broader dossier; no acceptance by implication."},"coordinator_acceptance":"reviewed_component_only_not_accepted_remaining_gaps_open","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"}],"annotations":{},"corrections":[],"resolved_corrections":[],"review_history":[]}