2005 Minnesota Statutes

     168.705 Vehicle conditional sales installment contract; 
  examination, special investigation, cost assessment. 

    (a) For the purpose of discovering violations of sections 
 168.66 to 168.77 or securing information lawfully required by 
 the administrator hereunder, the administrator may, at any time, 
 either personally or by a person or persons duly designated by 
 the administrator, investigate the conditional sales contracts 
 and business related to the conditional sales contracts and 
 examine the books, accounts, records, and files used therein, of 
 every licensee, assignee of the licensee, and of every person 
 who shall be engaged in the business of a sales finance company, 
 including the retail seller and assignee of the retail seller, 
 whether the person shall act as principal or agent, or under or 
 without the authority of sections 168.66 to 168.77.  For that 
 purpose, the administrator and the administrator's duly 
 designated representative shall have free access to the offices 
 and places of business, books, accounts, papers, records, files, 
 safes, and vaults of all these persons.  The administrator and 
 all persons duly designated by the administrator shall have 
 authority to require the attendance of and to examine, under 
 oath, all persons whomsoever whose testimony the administrator 
 may require relative to the conditional sales contract or the 
 business or to the subject matter of any examination, 
 investigation, or hearing. 

    (b) The administrator may make an examination of the 
 affairs, business, office, and records of licensees, and of 
 other persons subject to examination under this section, as 
 often as considered necessary.  The administrator may assess a 
 fee covering the necessary costs of an examination or special 
 investigation under this section, section 168.69, or reports 
 filed under section 168.706.  The fee is payable to the 
 administrator on the administrator's request for payment.  The 
 administrator may maintain an action for the recovery of the 
 costs in any court of competent jurisdiction. 

    HIST: 1971 c 398 s 1; 1981 c 220 s 16; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 349 
 art 2 s 9; 1996 c 414 art 1 s 32