Which place’s debt rules apply—and who can help?

S_NH PASS-01 — New Hampshire provider market access and consumer fees

Actual research/access date: October 24, 2026, America/Los_Angeles. Scope: Provider classification, public market access, consumer-facing fees, and fee timing. This is not a whole-state acceptance, provider authorization, A066 acceptance, or a substitute for the remaining agreement, custody, bond, remedies, litigation, secured-debt, sector, local, tribal, contract, and case-law passes.

Executive determination

New Hampshire is a licensed-market state, not a categorical prohibition state. A nonexempt person must obtain a New Hampshire Banking Department debt-adjuster license before engaging in covered debt-adjustment activity in New Hampshire or with persons located in New Hampshire. The covered activity is broad: compensated advice or counseling, creating adjustment contracts, negotiating with creditors, receiving and distributing debtor funds, and acting as an intermediary to obtain concessions. The statutory label attached to the program does not control. C001–C007. New Hampshire Government+1

The current law expressly accommodates debt-management, debt-settlement, and repayment plans, but assigns materially different fee rules to them:

The statutory amounts are fixed. I found no CPI-indexed debt-adjuster consumer-fee table or annual adjustment notice. The only verified future change is a government licensing fee increase on October 1, 2027, which is not a consumer service fee. C019–C031. New Hampshire Government+4

A. Substantive answers

1. Current classification of debt adjustment, settlement, DMP, counseling, and related fee-taking conduct

1.1 The umbrella definition is activity-based

RSA 399-D:1 IX treats the following as “debt adjustment”:

• Compensated debt-management advice or counseling.
• Creating debt-adjustment contracts for compensation.
• Negotiating with one or more creditors for compensation.
• Receiving money or monetary evidence as the debtor’s agent to distribute—or supervise, coordinate, or control distributions—to creditors in full or partial payment.
• Otherwise engaging in the debt-adjustment business, including acting on existing contracts.
• Acting as an intermediary between debtor and creditor to obtain concessions.

“Compensation” includes fees, creditor fair-share contributions, and other financial or similar incentives. Thus a nominally “free” debtor service supported by creditor contributions or another financial incentive can still involve statutory compensation. S_NH-P1-S001; C001–C002. New Hampshire Government

1.2 Statutory program branches

S_NH-P1-S001, RSA 399-D:1 IX–XIII; C003–C004. New Hampshire Government

1.3 Principal reduction does not by itself answer the classification question

A program negotiating a creditor’s acceptance of less than principal is plainly within the broad negotiation/intermediary definition. It is the statutory settlement-plan branch only when the facts fit the additional “lump sum” formulation. A provider should therefore not assume that every discounted payoff receives RSA 399-D:16’s treatment, nor that a non-lump-sum discount escapes RSA 399-D entirely. The agreement, payment mechanics, representations, and actual service determine the branch. C004. New Hampshire Government

1.4 Custodial versus noncustodial

A provider that only advises or negotiates may still need the debt-adjuster license because RSA 399-D:1 IX(a)–(c) does not require possession of funds. A provider that receives debtor money for creditor distribution independently fits IX(d). C001, C017. New Hampshire Government

For a custodial consumer program, RSA 399-G:3 VI supplies a specific money-transmitter exemption when all of the following are true:

1. The provider is duly licensed under RSA 399-D.
2. The money transmission is solely to provide debt adjustment to a consumer.
3. The service is under an RSA 399-D contract.
4. A $100,000 bond is on file under RSA 399-D.

The ordinary RSA 399-D application bond is $25,000. Therefore, the ordinary debt-adjuster bond alone does not establish this money-transmitter exemption. C017. New Hampshire Government+1

1.5 Consumer versus business purpose

The chapter does not confine “debtor” to a natural person. A debtor is a “person,” and “person” includes corporations, business trusts, partnerships, associations, and other legal or commercial entities. That text facially reaches at least some business-debt services. At the same time:

• “Concessions” is defined by reference to terms more favorable to an individual.
• Several contract, disclosure, and refund provisions use “consumer.”
• No current controlling decision or accessible current agency interpretation resolving every commercial-purpose boundary was located.

Accordingly, a provider should not rely on the marketing label “business debt” to avoid RSA 399-D. But this pass does not claim that every service involving every commercial obligation is covered. The underlying obligation, creditor definition, service, compensation, and custody model remain material. C005, C018, C036. New Hampshire Government+2

The separate money-transmitter problem is sharper: the special RSA 399-G:3 VI exemption expressly says service “to a consumer.” Money transmission includes receiving money for transmission from a person located in New Hampshire, and the money-transmission definitions separately recognize business-entity locations. A commercial custodial provider may therefore need a separate RSA 399-G license or another exemption even if it also holds an RSA 399-D license. That ultimate interface remains unresolved here. C018. New Hampshire Government+2

1.6 Resident and remote-provider nexus

The licensing trigger reaches activity conducted “in this state” or with persons located in this state. It is not limited to providers maintaining a New Hampshire storefront. The statute also requires a foreign applicant to identify a New Hampshire resident agent and consent to service, while a branch license is tied to a separate in-state business location. C006, C013. New Hampshire Government+1

For money transmission requested electronically or by telephone, RSA 399-G permits location determinations using an individual’s residential address or a business entity’s principal-place-of-business or other physical address information. C018. New Hampshire Government

1.7 Underlying creditor boundary

“Creditor” means a person who regularly extends credit subject to interest or another charge, or whose written agreement is payable in more than four installments. A one-time, non-credit commercial claim or simple invoice may present a different analysis. Nevertheless, compensated counseling and the broad “otherwise engaging” branch may still matter. The exact treatment of unusual non-credit obligations remains open. C037. New Hampshire Government

2. Prohibited, licensed, authorized, and exempt models

2.1 Core market-access result

A nonexempt person engaging in debt adjustment in New Hampshire or with persons located there must obtain a Banking Department license. If the commissioner finds the completed applicant meets the chapter’s requirements, the commissioner issues a license permitting debt-adjustment business under New Hampshire law. This is ordinary licensing, not a statutory prohibition dressed up as licensing. The license is also expressly not an endorsement or recommendation by the state. C007, C015. New Hampshire Government+1

2.2 Model-by-model access matrix

S_NH-P1-S001–S005; C007–C018, C036–C038. New Hampshire Government+4

2.3 Attorney and nonprofit boundaries

The attorney exemption applies to an attorney admitted in New Hampshire “when engaged in such practice.” It does not state that an attorney-affiliated marketing company, call center, lead generator, or adjustment company becomes exempt. Moreover, a person operating under the debt-adjustment chapter may not practice law, offer legal services, give legal advice, or use misleading attorney-related authority. C009, C038. New Hampshire Government+1

There is no general nonprofit exemption in RSA 399-D:3. The licensing application statute separately specifies nonprofit financial statements and board-member background checks, which strongly confirms that nonprofit status ordinarily changes application materials rather than eliminating the license. C010. New Hampshire Government

2.4 Institutional exclusions

The explicit state exemptions are:

• New Hampshire-admitted attorneys acting in legal practice.
• Financial institutions authorized to transact business in New Hampshire and adjusting debt in the regular course of principal business.
• Certain regulated or court-supervised fiduciaries.
• Employees of licensees acting in regular employment.
• Other persons designated by commissioner rule or order.

A “financial institution” includes banks, savings institutions, credit unions, trust companies, and persons licensed under RSA 361-A, 397-A, or 399-A. C008, C011. New Hampshire Government+1

Mortgage-loss-mitigation intermediaries not subject to RSA 397-A are included in debt adjustment, while persons specifically exempt under RSA 397-A:4 are excluded from that intermediary branch. That does not create a general mortgage or creditor exemption for unrelated debt-settlement activity. C003. New Hampshire Government

3. Current fee structures, bases, limits, and adjustments

3.1 Fee base

“Indebtedness” is the outstanding principal stated in the contract, excluding current or projected interest and fees. Both the DMP and settlement percentage ceilings use total indebtedness as stated in the contract. C019. New Hampshire Government+2

3.2 Applicable fee table

C019–C031, C035. New Hampshire Government+4

3.3 DMP creditor threshold

In addition to the 30-day waiting period, a DMP licensee may not receive a fee unless it has written acceptance from creditors holding at least 25% of total indebtedness and either:

• At least 25% of the number of creditors listed in the contract; or
• A distribution has been made to at least 25% of the number of creditors.

This is a conjunctive amount-plus-count/distribution test. C021. New Hampshire Government

3.4 Cancellation and default fees

For DMPs and repayment plans, the cancellation/default formula applies only when:

• The debtor provides 30 days’ written cancellation notice, or willfully defaults by failing to make contractually obligated payments for 30 days; and
• The licensee performed all contractually required services.

The amount is the lesser of 5% of remaining service charges or $50. The current text does not clearly state whether this fee sits inside or outside an otherwise applicable aggregate percentage ceiling. That interaction remains held. C022, C027. New Hampshire Government+1

3.5 Setup, enrollment, monthly, per-debt, and savings fees

• Setup/enrollment: No current statutory section establishes a separate setup or enrollment fee. DMP and settlement fees are monthly and cannot begin before day 30. The Department’s unread FAQ search excerpt says enrollment fees have not been allowed since January 1, 2017, but the full page could not be fetched. C029, C039. New Hampshire Government+2
• Monthly: DMP fees must be equal monthly amounts, subject to cent-rounding. Settlement fees are described as monthly amortized, but the current text does not supply an equal-payment formula. C020, C024. New Hampshire Government+1
• Per debt: New Hampshire’s state ceiling is based on total contractual principal, not an express state per-debt fee. An applicable federal TSR allocation rule may create a per-debt earning calculation after performance. C030, C032–C033. New Hampshire Government+2
• Percentage of savings: No New Hampshire savings-based ceiling was located. The TSR permits a constant savings percentage as one federal allocation option after the federal trigger, but that does not override New Hampshire’s aggregate 15% principal cap. C030, C033. eCFR
• Fair share or other indirect compensation: It is statutory “compensation” and must be disclosed when paid by another party. The current text does not resolve whether every fair-share contribution counts toward the phrase “licensee’s fees” in the DMP and settlement ceilings. C002, C028. New Hampshire Government+1

3.6 Current amounts and historical reconciliation

The current percentage caps and $50 cancellation limit are fixed in the statute. No CPI formula or annual debt-adjuster fee bulletin was found. Older fee charts or pre-2017 enrollment-fee structures should not be carried forward automatically because HB 1618 repealed and reenacted RSA 399-D effective January 1, 2017. C031, C039. New Hampshire Government+3

The government application and renewal fee is presently $500 for the principal office and $500 for each New Hampshire branch. Effective October 1, 2027, the principal-office amount becomes $750 while the branch amount remains $500. These are government licensing charges, not consumer charges. C014. New Hampshire Government+1

4. When fees may be requested or received

4.1 State-law sequence

All plans

A written contract must be made and a copy furnished immediately. It must include the services, obligations and creditors as applicable, total charges, start and end dates, cancellation, and applicable prepayment terms. No fee entitlement exists before signature. C019. New Hampshire Government

DMP

State prerequisites are:

1. Signed written contract.
2. Contract effective at least 30 days.
3. Written creditor acceptance covering at least 25% of total indebtedness.
4. At least 25% of creditor count accepted, or a distribution to at least 25% of creditor count.
5. Thereafter, equal monthly fees at 30-day intervals.

Applicable federal law may require a still-later performance event. C020–C021, C032. New Hampshire Government+1

Settlement

The state statute says:

1. Signed written contract.
2. At least 30 days in effect.
3. Thereafter, monthly amortized fees at 30-day intervals.

It does not, in its current wording, expressly state that the first creditor settlement and first consumer payment are state prerequisites. However:

• The Department’s current search-index excerpt says fees cannot be collected until an agreement exists with a creditor and an initial payment has been made, and that the licensee is entitled to collect only for successfully negotiated creditors.
• The FAQ body returned 403, so its full context, legal basis, exceptions, and update date were not verified.
• The federal TSR imposes that performance trigger when it applies.
• RSA 399-D:14 XI makes violations of applicable federal law violations of the state chapter.

Therefore, the mere passage of 30 days is not a verified sufficient basis for a typical telemarketed consumer settlement fee. C024–C025, C032, C039. New Hampshire Government+3

Repayment

No state repayment-plan performance milestone beyond the signed-contract rule was found in RSA 399-D:17. The Department’s search excerpt states that total charges must be agreed in the written contract before collection. Whether the TSR or CROA imposes a later event depends on the program’s representations and sales method. C026–C027, C039. New Hampshire Government+2

4.2 Independently applicable federal TSR baseline

For a covered telemarketing debt-relief service, 16 C.F.R. §310.4(a)(5) prohibits requesting or receiving a fee until:

1. At least one debt has been renegotiated, settled, reduced, or otherwise altered under a valid creditor agreement;
2. The customer has made at least one payment under that agreement; and
3. If debts are resolved individually, the fee is allocated either:Pro rata according to the individual debt’s enrolled balance relative to total enrolled debt; orAs a constant percentage of savings across debts.

The rule’s debt-relief definition covers represented alterations of unsecured debt terms, including balance, interest, or fees. Its telemarketing definition generally requires a campaign involving more than one interstate telephone call. Inbound calls responding to general advertisements or direct mail do not receive the usual exemption when the advertisement concerns debt-relief services. C032–C033. eCFR+3

The TSR is not assumed universally applicable. Entity jurisdiction, call facts, debt type, representations, and exemptions still matter. Calls between a telemarketer and a business to induce a business purchase are generally exempt under §310.6(b)(7); the listed exceptions do not include the debt-relief advance-fee provision. That federal B2B result does not create an exemption from RSA 399-D. C034. eCFR

Dedicated accounts

The TSR permits funds to be accumulated before fees are earned only under specified conditions, including insured-institution custody, consumer ownership, independent account administration, no referral payments, penalty-free withdrawal, and return of unearned funds within seven business days after the customer’s request. This is not a state bond or trust exception to the federal performance trigger. C033. eCFR

4.3 Conditional credit-repair overlap

A provider can also trigger credit-repair rules when it expressly or implicitly represents that paid services will improve an individual consumer’s credit record, history, or rating. CROA defines that activity separately and prohibits payment before the agreed service is fully performed. It excludes, among others, true §501(c)(3) organizations, a creditor restructuring its own debt, and depository institutions or credit unions. The telemarketing rule has an additional credit-repair timing provision tied to the represented service period and a consumer report issued more than six months after the claimed results. C035. U.S. Code+2

This is a conditional overlap finding—not a conclusion that every New Hampshire debt-adjuster program is a credit-repair service or that a federal nonprofit exclusion creates a New Hampshire nonprofit exemption.

5. Regulator permission, public lookup, and application procedure

5.1 Issuing authority and procedure

The issuing regulator is the New Hampshire Bank Commissioner through the New Hampshire Banking Department. The applicant must file one verified application through NMLS. Required statutory materials include organizational information, trade-name authority, principal and branch locations, a New Hampshire resident agent for a foreign entity, financial statements, principals and background-check authorization, a blank proposed debtor contract, and other information requested by the commissioner. C013. New Hampshire Government+1

The application requirements distinguish for-profit and nonprofit financial statements and require board-member background checks for nonprofit applicants. A $25,000 continuous surety bond is part of the ordinary debt-adjuster application. C010, C013, C017. New Hampshire Government

After a complete application and payment, the commissioner has up to 120 days to investigate. A compliant applicant is issued a license. Licenses generally expire December 31; an initial license issued from November 1 through December 31 can run through December 31 of the following year. C015. New Hampshire Government

Effective October 1, 2026, an application may be deemed abandoned when the applicant does not respond within 180 calendar days to a Department communication, including an NMLS communication requesting a response. C016. New Hampshire Government

5.2 Current statutory government fees

• Principal-office application: $500 through September 30, 2027.
• Each in-state branch application: $500.
• Principal-office renewal: $500 through September 30, 2027.
• Each branch renewal: $500.
• Beginning October 1, 2027: principal application and renewal become $750; branch remains $500.

NMLS system processing charges, background-check costs, and the precise current state-specific checklist attachments were not independently verified from an exported New Hampshire checklist and remain held. C014. New Hampshire Government+1

5.3 Operational pages and public verification

The current Banking Department search results state that all new New Hampshire debt-adjuster licensing is conducted through NMLS, and its license-verification material directs users to NMLS Consumer Access. Direct retrieval of those Banking Department page bodies returned 403. The statute itself independently mandates the NMLS filing, so the blocked operational page does not create a permission gap. C013, C040. New Hampshire Banking Department+2

NMLS describes Consumer Access as a searchable public site for state-licensed companies, branches, and individuals. It also provides a Checklist Compiler for exporting state-supplied requirements. C040. Nationwide Licensing System+3

No company name or NMLS ID was provided in this assignment. Accordingly, this report verifies the public procedure but does not declare any named provider licensed, exempt, active, or authorized.

5.4 Current regulations

The current official Banking Department rule table of contents lists Ban 100, 500, 700, 1100, 1400, and 1800, but does not publish a current Ban 3700 debt-adjuster chapter. Historical filing records show Ban 3700 adopted in 1996 and selected Ban 3702 provisions adopted or readopted in 1996 and 2001. Current RSA 541-A:17 generally limits a rule’s effectiveness to 10 years absent extension or readoption. No later Ban 3700 readoption appears in the reviewed filing history. C041. New Hampshire Government+5

Therefore, this pass does not apply the old Ban 3700 trust-account, location, choice-of-law, or agent provisions as current rules. The exact historical expiration date or formal expiration instrument for every provision was not recovered and remains a source-status gap.

6. Bounded worked examples

These calculations assume the provider is licensed, the contract is otherwise valid, no lower contractual fee applies, and all applicable state and federal earning conditions have been satisfied. They show ceilings or classifications, not a provider authorization.

Example 1 — Ten-month DMP

Plain text

Inputs
  Total contractual principal indebtedness: $6,000.00
  Plan length: 10 months

State fee base
  $6,000.00 principal
  Current/projected interest and fees excluded

Operator
  $6,000.00 × 10%

Aggregate state ceiling
  $600.00

Equal monthly amortization
  $600.00 ÷ 10 = $60.00 per month

Rounding
  Exact to the cent; no residual cent adjustment.

Conditions
  Signed written contract.
  Contract in effect at least 30 days.
  Required creditor amount and creditor-count/distribution thresholds met.
  Applicable federal performance trigger also met if the TSR applies.

Authority: C019–C021, C032. New Hampshire Government+2

Example 2 — Seventeen-month DMP and rounding

Plain text

Inputs
  Total principal indebtedness: $10,000.00
  Plan length: 17 months

Applicable tier
  More than 10 months but less than 18 months: 12.5%

Aggregate ceiling
  $10,000.00 × 12.5% = $1,250.00

Unrounded monthly amount
  $1,250.00 ÷ 17 = $73.529411...

Illustrative cent reconciliation
  16 months × $73.53 = $1,176.48
  Final month = $73.52
  Total = $1,250.00

The statute requires equal monthly amortization but does not prescribe a cent-rounding convention. The one-cent final adjustment is arithmetic only, not a verified Department-approved schedule. C020. New Hampshire Government

Example 3 — DMP creditor-acceptance test

Plain text

Contract creditors and principal balances
  Creditor A: $6,000
  Creditor B: $2,000
  Creditor C: $1,000
  Creditor D: $1,000
  Total:      $10,000

Scenario A
  Written acceptance from Creditor A.
  Amount test: $6,000 ÷ $10,000 = 60%      -> passes 25%.
  Count test: 1 creditor ÷ 4 = 25%          -> passes 25%.
  State creditor threshold met.

Scenario B
  Written acceptance only from Creditor B.
  Amount test: $2,000 ÷ $10,000 = 20%       -> fails.
  Count test: 1 creditor ÷ 4 = 25%           -> passes.
  Overall threshold fails because the amount test is mandatory.

A qualifying payment distribution to at least 25% of the creditor count can satisfy the second branch, but not the separate 25%-of-indebtedness acceptance requirement. C021. New Hampshire Government

Example 4 — DMP or repayment cancellation fee

Plain text

Case A
  Remaining service charges: $600.00
  5% of remaining charges: $30.00
  Statutory comparison: lesser of $30.00 or $50.00
  Result: $30.00

Case B
  Remaining service charges: $2,000.00
  5% of remaining charges: $100.00
  Statutory comparison: lesser of $100.00 or $50.00
  Result: $50.00

These results assume the required 30-day written cancellation notice—or a qualifying 30-day willful payment default—and that the provider performed all contractually required services. Whether the fee is additionally constrained by the aggregate DMP percentage ceiling remains unresolved. C022, C027. New Hampshire Government+1

Example 5 — Settlement aggregate cap and federal pro-rata earning

Plain text

Inputs
  Total enrolled principal: $30,000
  Contracted aggregate fee: 15%

New Hampshire aggregate ceiling
  $30,000 × 15% = $4,500

First individually resolved debt
  Enrolled balance: $12,000

Federal pro-rata allocation
  $12,000 ÷ $30,000 = 40%
  40% × $4,500 = $1,800 potentially earned

Required federal events
  Valid agreement altering that debt.
  At least one customer payment under that agreement.

The $1,800 is not earned merely because 30 days have elapsed. It is the pro-rata amount only after the federal trigger, assuming the TSR applies and no lower contractual or state limitation controls. C024–C025, C032–C033. New Hampshire Government+1

Example 6 — Alternative federal savings calculation

Plain text

Enrolled balance of resolved debt: $12,000
Amount actually paid to satisfy debt: $7,000
Savings: $12,000 − $7,000 = $5,000

Assumed contractual savings percentage: 20%
Potential fee: $5,000 × 20% = $1,000

The 20% figure is an example contract term, not a New Hampshire statutory percentage. The same percentage must be used across individually resolved debts, the federal performance trigger must be satisfied, and total collected fees still cannot exceed the applicable New Hampshire aggregate ceiling. C030, C033. eCFR+1

Example 7 — Lower-debt, partial settlement, and previous fees

Plain text

Total enrolled principal: $5,000
New Hampshire 15% aggregate ceiling: $750

First resolved debt balance: $1,000
Federal pro-rata share:
  $1,000 ÷ $5,000 × $750 = $150

Assume prior properly earned fees: $650
Remaining New Hampshire aggregate headroom:
  $750 − $650 = $100

Current result
  Federal allocation calculation: $150
  Remaining state aggregate ceiling: $100
  Maximum additional amount under these assumptions: $100

The federal allocation method does not enlarge the state aggregate ceiling. C025, C033. New Hampshire Government+1

Example 8 — Federal dedicated-account withdrawal

Plain text

Customer-owned dedicated-account balance: $2,000
Fee already earned under the federal trigger: $300
Unearned/customer funds: $2,000 − $300 = $1,700

Result if TSR dedicated-account provision applies
  $1,700 must be returned within seven business days
  after the customer's withdrawal request.

This is the federal dedicated-account return rule, not a general New Hampshire voluntary-cancellation refund formula. C033, C030. eCFR

Example 9 — Repayment-plan reclassification

Plain text

Initial facts
  Principal: $12,000
  Schedule: 12 monthly payments
  No creditor reduction in interest, finance charges,
  late fees, default fees, or delinquency fees.
  No lump-sum payoff for less than principal.

Initial classification
  Potential debt-repayment plan.
  No plan-specific numerical state fee ceiling established.
  Exact permissible service charge: held.

Changed facts
  Creditors agree to reduce financing and late charges.
  The plan now fits the statutory DMP definition.

DMP ceiling after reclassification
  12 months -> 12.5% tier
  $12,000 × 12.5% = $1,500 aggregate ceiling

A provider cannot preserve the repayment-plan fee treatment merely by retaining a repayment marketing label after the service facts become a DMP. C003–C004, C023, C026. New Hampshire Government+2

Example 10 — Discounted installment resolution

Plain text

Original principal: $20,000
Creditor agrees to accept: $12,000
Payment method: four installments, not one lump sum

Result
  Compensated negotiation is covered debt adjustment.
  Principal is being reduced.
  The arrangement does not cleanly match the statutory
  "lump sum" settlement-plan definition.
  No fee section is assigned in this example without
  reviewing the actual contract and payment mechanics.

This is a classification hold, not a no-license result. C004. New Hampshire Government

Example 11 — Remote business debtor and custody

Plain text

Debtor
  New Hampshire LLC with a New Hampshire principal place of business.

Provider
  Located outside New Hampshire.
  Negotiates a six-installment written commercial credit obligation.

Noncustodial model
  RSA 399-D can apply because "person" includes a commercial entity
  and the provider serves a person located in New Hampshire.

Custodial model
  Provider also receives LLC money to transmit to creditor.
  The special RSA 399-G debt-adjuster exemption says "to a consumer."
  Separate money-transmitter licensing or another exemption must be analyzed.

The federal TSR’s B2B exemption does not answer the state licensing issue. C005–C006, C018, C034. New Hampshire Government+4

B. Source table

C. Claim table

D. Scope coverage and gap table

E. Researcher self-check

Actually read

• Current official RSA 399-D sections defining debt adjustment, requiring the license, listing exemptions, governing application and renewal, prohibiting conduct, specifying contracts and plan fees, and providing the fee-refund consequence.
• Current official RSA 399-G definitions, money-transmitter exemption, and license requirement.
• Current official Banking Department administrative-rules table of contents.
• Official Banking Department rule filing history, including historical Ban 3700 entries.
• Current RSA 541-A:17 rule-duration provision.
• The 2016 adopted HB 1618 reenactment text.
• Current eCFR provisions for TSR definitions, advance-fee timing, allocation, dedicated accounts, and exemptions.
• Current OLRC text for CROA definitions and advance-payment prohibition.
• Official NMLS public descriptions of Consumer Access and the Checklist Compiler.

Located but not treated as fully read authority

• New Hampshire Banking Department debt-adjuster, forms, verification, and FAQ pages. Search-index excerpts were available, but direct page retrieval returned 403.
• The exact current New Hampshire Debt Adjuster NMLS checklist. The public Checklist Compiler was verified, but an exported state-specific checklist was not recovered.
• Historical enforcement orders discovered in search. Older orders largely concern the predecessor statute and were not used to establish current fees.
• A controlling published decision applying the current reenacted fee structure was not located. No case was silently treated as controlling.

Holds preserved

• Exact current NMLS ancillary fees and checklist attachments.
• Full legal basis and exceptions behind the Department FAQ’s settlement-performance and enrollment-fee statements.
• Settlement monthly-amortization formula.
• Repayment-plan numerical fee ceiling.
• Fair-share treatment under aggregate percentage caps.
• Settlement cancellation/refund consequences outside RSA 399-D:21 and the conditional federal dedicated-account rule.
• Exact historical Ban 3700 expiration date or instrument.
• Commercial-debtor custodial money-transmission result.
• Individual commissioner exemption orders and current case-law interpretation.
• Any named provider’s actual license status.

Method and provenance

This was completed in regular Chat using public web research. No Chrome control, browser-tab creation, Work mode, Deep Research, API, purchase, account or permission change, contact, application filing, private borrower information, other-chat delegation, local-write claim, or publication action occurred.

The actual runtime model was GPT-5.6 Sol Pro, used under the owner-authorized quality-first fallback because the requested GPT-6 Pro runtime was not available here. This is researcher self-checking and source reconciliation, not an independent legal review or publication-ready legal opinion.

END S_NH PASS-01.