(815 ILCS 177/25)

Sec. 25. Prohibited activities. No person, including any officer, agent, employee, or representative, shall:

(a) Charge or impose any fee, charge, or other consideration in the making or facilitating of a refund anticipation loan or refund anticipation check apart from the fee charged by the creditor or financial institution that provides the loan or check. This prohibition does not include any charge or fee imposed by the facilitator to all of its customers, such as fees for tax return preparation, if the same fee in the same amount is charged to the customers who do not receive refund anticipation loans, refund anticipation checks, or any other tax related financial product.

(b) Fail to comply with any provision of this Act.

(c) Directly or indirectly arrange for any third party to charge any interest, fee, or charge related to a refund anticipation loan or refund anticipation check, other than the refund anticipation loan or refund anticipation check fee imposed by the creditor, including but not limited to: (i) charges for insurance; (ii) attorneys fees or other collection costs; or (iii) check cashing.

(d) Include any of the following provisions in any document provided or signed in connection with a refund anticipation loan or refund anticipation check, including the loan application or agreement:

(i) A hold harmless clause;

(ii) A waiver of the right to a jury trial, if applicable, in any action brought by or against the consumer;

(iii) Any assignment of wages or of other compensation for services;

(iv) A provision in which the consumer agrees not to assert any claim or defense arising out of the contract, or to seek any remedies pursuant to Section 35 of this Act;

(v) A waiver of any provision of this Act. Any such waiver shall be deemed null, void, and of no effect;

(vi) A waiver of the right to injunctive, declaratory, or other equitable relief; or

(vii) A provision requiring that any aspect of a resolution of a dispute between the parties to the agreement be kept confidential. This provision shall not affect the right of the parties to agree that certain specified information is a trade secret or otherwise confidential, or to later agree, after the dispute arises, to keep a resolution confidential.

(e) Take or arrange for a creditor to take a security interest in any property of the consumer other than the proceeds of the consumer's tax refund to secure payment of a refund anticipation loan.

(f) Directly or indirectly, individually or in conjunction or cooperation with another person, engage in the collection of an outstanding or delinquent refund anticipation loan for any creditor or assignee, including soliciting the execution of, processing, receiving, or accepting an application or agreement for a refund anticipation loan or refund anticipation check that contains a provision permitting the creditor to repay, by offset or other means, an outstanding or delinquent refund anticipation loan for that creditor or any creditor from the proceeds of the consumer's tax refund.

(g) Facilitate any loan that is secured by or that the creditor arranges to be repaid directly from the proceeds of the consumer's State tax refund from the Illinois State treasury.

(Source: P.A. 97-849, eff. 1-1-13.)