AB 2795: Financial regulation.
<p>The bill amends several sections of existing financial regulations in California:</p> <p>1. It updates requirements for franchise sales by removing specific references to item 2 of a franchise disclosure document and mandates that franchise brokers be registered unless exempted.</p> <p>2. The bill repeals the State Assistance Fund for Enterprise Act of 1989, which authorized financial assistance for small businesses through a nonprofit corporation.</p> <p>3. It modifies eligibility criteria for securities investment by state funds, requiring higher ratings (from "A" to "AA") and stricter maturity limits on commercial paper.</p> <p>4. The bill allows the Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation to provide notices electronically instead of by mail, with exceptions for certain licensees using the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry (NMLS).</p>
| Sep. 20, 2026 | Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 410, Statutes of 2026. |
| Sep. 20, 2026 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Sep. 04, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. |
| Aug. 27, 2026 | Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6693.). |
| Aug. 27, 2026 | In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. |
| Enrolled September 01, 2026 |
| Passed IN Senate August 26, 2026 |
| Passed IN Assembly August 27, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate August 20, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate August 12, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate June 09, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 16, 2026 |
| Introduced by Committee on Banking and Finance |
March 19, 2026 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 25608 of the Corporations Code is amended to read:25608.
(a) The commissioner shall charge and collect the fees fixed in this section and Section 25608.1. All fees charged and collected under this section and Section 25608.1 shall be transmitted to the Treasurer at least weekly, accompanied by a detailed statement thereof and shall be credited to the Financial Protection Fund.Value of Securities Proposed to be Sold | Filing Fee |
$25,000 or less | $ 25 |
$25,001 to $100,000 | $ 35 |
$100,001 to $500,000 | $ 50 |
$500,001 to $1,000,000 | $150 |
Over $1,000,000 | $300 |
SEC. 2.
Section 31526 of the Corporations Code is amended to read:31526.
(a) It is unlawful for a franchise broker to communicate with a prospective franchisee about investing in a franchise opportunity that is subject to this law unless the franchise broker first provides to the prospective franchisee a copy of the completed Uniform Franchise Broker Disclosure Document.SEC. 3.
Section 302 is added to the Financial Code, to read:302.
Unless otherwise provided by rule, the commissioner shall require the use of the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry forms and instructions whenever a statute or regulation requires licensure or registration through that system.SEC. 4.
Section 331.5 of the Financial Code is amended to read:331.5.
(a) (1) Any person licensed by or registered with the commissioner under any law shall establish and maintain an electronic service address designated for receiving communications and documents that are sent by the commissioner to licensees or registrants. This electronic service address shall be provided to the commissioner upon licensure or registration. The electronic service address provided to the commissioner shall not be the electronic service address of any individual employee. A licensee or registrant shall have the capacity to receive an attachment that accompanies a message sent to its electronic service address, provided the size of the attachment is reasonable in relation to the technology available at the time the attachment is sent.SEC. 5.
Section 2042 of the Financial Code is amended to read:2042.
(a) In addition to the fees provided in Section 2038, the commissioner shall levy an assessment each fiscal year, on a pro rata basis, on those licensees that at any time during the preceding calendar year engaged in the business of money transmission in California in an amount that is, in their judgment, sufficient to meet the commissioner’s expenses in administering the provisions of this division and to provide a reasonable reserve for contingencies.Aggregate face amount of payment instruments and stored value sold (in millions) | Percentage of base assessment rate | |
First $1 ........................ | 100.0 | |
Next $9 ........................ | 25.0 | |
Next $40 ........................ | 12.5 | |
Next $50 ........................ | 6.0 | |
Next $400 ........................ | 3 | |
Next $500 ........................ | 2 | |
Excess over $1,000 ........................ | 1 |
SEC. 6.
Section 8032 of the Financial Code is amended to read:8032.
(a) On or before the 20th day of June of each year the commissioner shall notify each association of the amount assessed and levied against it.SEC. 7.
Section 12214 of the Financial Code is amended to read:12214.
(a) An applicant at the time of filing an application for a license under this division shall pay to the commissioner the sum of fifty dollars ($50) as a fee for investigating the application and two hundred dollars ($200) as an application fee. The investigation fee and application fee are not refundable if an application is denied or withdrawn.SEC. 8.
Section 17207 of the Financial Code is amended to read:17207.
The commissioner shall charge and collect the following fees and assessments:SEC. 9.
Section 18351 of the Financial Code is amended to read:18351.
On or before the 30th day of November in each year, the commissioner shall notify each industrial loan company of the amount assessed and levied against it and that amount shall be paid within 20 days thereafter. If payment is not made within 20 days, the commissioner shall assess and collect a penalty in addition to the assessment, of 1 percent of the assessment for each month or part of a month that the payment is delayed or withheld.SEC. 10.
Section 23016 of the Financial Code is amended to read:23016.
(a) (1) Each licensee shall pay to the commissioner its pro rata share of all costs and expenses reasonably incurred in the administration of this division, as estimated by the commissioner, for the ensuing year and any deficit actually incurred or anticipated in the administration of the program in the year in which the assessment is made.SEC. 10.5.
Section 23016 of the Financial Code is amended to read:23016.
(a) (1) Each licensee shall pay to the commissioner its pro rata share of all costs and expenses reasonably incurred in the administration of this division, as estimated by the commissioner, for the ensuing year and any deficit actually incurred or anticipated in the administration of the program in the year in which the assessment is made.SEC. 11.
Division 15.5 (commencing with Section 32000) of the Financial Code is repealed.SEC. 12.
Section 50401 of the Financial Code is amended to read:50401.
(a) In addition to other fees and reimbursements required to be paid under this division, each residential mortgage lender or servicer licensee shall pay to the commissioner an amount equal to the lesser of: (1) its pro rata share of all costs and expenses (including overhead and the maintenance of a prudent reserve not to exceed 90 days’ costs and expenses) that the commissioner reasonably expects to incur in the current fiscal year in the administration of this division and not otherwise recovered by the commissioner under this division or from the Financial Protection Fund, plus a deficit or less a surplus actually incurred during the prior two fiscal years; or (2) fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000). The pro rata share shall be the greater of either three thousand dollars ($3,000) or the sum of: (A) a number derived from the ratio of the aggregate principal amount of the mortgage loans secured by residential real property originated by the licensee to all mortgage loans secured by residential real property originated by all licensees under this division, as shown by the annual financial reports to the commissioner, which number is then multiplied by one-half of the costs and expenses estimated by the commissioner; plus (B) a number derived from the ratio of the average value of mortgage loans secured by residential real property serviced by a licensee to the average value of all mortgage loans secured by residential real property serviced by all licensees under this division, as shown by the annual financial reports to the commissioner, which number is then multiplied by one-half of the costs and expenses estimated by the commissioner. For the purposes of this section, the “principal amount” of a mortgage loan means the initial total amount a borrower is obligated to repay the lender and the “average value” of loans serviced means the sum of the aggregate dollar value of all mortgage loans secured by residential real property serviced by a licensee, calculated as of the last day of each month in the calendar year just ended, divided by 12.SEC. 13.
Section 16430 of the Government Code is amended to read:16430.
Eligible securities for the investment of surplus moneys shall be any of the following:SEC. 14.
Section 53667 of the Government Code is amended to read:53667.
(a) Expenses incurred by the administrator in carrying out the duties and responsibilities assigned to the administrator by the sections specified in subdivision (a) of Section 53661, shall be borne by the Local Agency Deposit Security Fund, which is hereby created and continuously appropriated to the administrator for the administration of the sections specified in subdivision (a) of Section 53661. This fund shall consist of fines levied pursuant to Section 53661, fees collected pursuant to the sections specified in subdivision (a) of Section 53661, and assessments levied pursuant to this section.SEC. 15.
Section 10.5 of this bill incorporates amendments to Section 23016 of the Financial Code proposed by both this bill and Assembly Bill 2028. That section of this bill shall only become operative if (1) both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2027, (2) each bill amends Section 23016 of the Financial Code, and (3) this bill is enacted after Assembly Bill 2028, in which case Section 10 of this bill shall not become operative.