To amend sections 1701.831, 1707.01, 1707.08, 1707.09, 1707.11, 1707.23, 1707.40, 1707.41, 1707.42, 1707.43, 1707.44, and 2913.02 and to enact sections 1707.131 and 1707.231 of the Revised Code to modify the Corporation Law regarding special meetings of shareholders in connection with tender offer, control share acquisition bids; to modify the Securities Law with respect to securities to which it applies, requirements for registration of securities, the designation of the Secretary of State to receive service of process, the application of remedies under the Securities Law, the Attorney General's enforcement authority on behalf of persons injured by a violation, the statutes of limitations governing an action for specified violations, and the prohibitions against certain misleading actions; and to increase the criminal penalty for certain theft offenses and create a new criminal aggravated theft offense.

Section 1. That sections 1701.831, 1707.01, 1707.08, 1707.09, 1707.11, 1707.23, 1707.40, 1707.41, 1707.42, 1707.43, 1707.44, and 2913.02 be amended and sections 1707.131 and 1707.231 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 1701.831.  (A) Unless the articles or the regulations of the issuing public corporation provide that this section does not apply to control share acquisitions of shares of such corporation, any control share acquisition of an issuing public corporation shall be made only with the prior authorization of the shareholders of such corporation in accordance with this section.

(B) Any person who proposes to make a control share acquisition shall deliver an acquiring person statement to the issuing public corporation at the issuing public corporation's principal executive offices. Such acquiring person statement shall set forth all of the following:

(1) The identity of the acquiring person;

(2) A statement that the acquiring person statement is given pursuant to this section;

(3) The number of shares of the issuing public corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the acquiring person;

(4) The range of voting power, described in division (Z)(1)(a), (b), or (c) of section 1701.01 of the Revised Code, under which the proposed control share acquisition would, if consummated, fall;

(5) A description in reasonable detail of the terms of the proposed control share acquisition;

(6) Representations of the acquiring person, together with a statement in reasonable detail of the facts upon which they are based, that the proposed control share acquisition, if consummated, will not be contrary to law, and that the acquiring person has the financial capacity to make the proposed control share acquisition.

(C)(1) Within ten days after receipt of an acquiring person statement that complies with division (B) of this section, the directors of the issuing public corporation shall call a special meeting of shareholders of the issuing public corporation for the purpose of voting on the proposed control share acquisition. Unless Subject to division (C)(2) of this section, unless the acquiring person agrees in writing to another date, such special meeting of shareholders shall be held within fifty days after receipt by the issuing public corporation of the acquiring person statement. If the acquiring person so requests in writing at the time of delivery of the acquiring person statement, such special meetings shall be held no sooner than thirty days after receipt by the issuing public corporation of the acquiring person statement. Such Subject to division (C)(2) of this section, such special meeting of shareholders shall be held no later than any other special meeting of shareholders that is called, after receipt by the issuing public corporation of the acquiring person statement, in compliance with this section or section 1701.76, 1701.78, 1701.79, or 1701.83, or 1701.831 of the Revised Code.

(2) If, in connection with a tender offer, an acquiring person increases or decreases the percentage of the class of securities being sought, the consideration offered, or the security dealer's soliciting fee, and the acquiring person is required to hold open the tender offer for at least ten business days from the date that the notice of such change is first published, sent, or given to shareholders pursuant to securities and exchange commission rule 14e-1(b), 17 C.F.R. 240.14e-1(b) promulgated pursuant to section 14(e) of the "Securities Exchange Act of 1934," 82 Stat. 455, 15 U.S.C. 78n(e), then the directors of the issuing public corporation may reschedule the special meeting of shareholders required by division (C)(1) of this section to a date that is not later than the date established by the acquiring person as the closing date of the changed tender offer.

(D) Notice of the special meeting of shareholders shall be given as promptly as reasonably practicable by the issuing public corporation to all shareholders of record as of the record date set for such meeting, whether or not entitled to vote thereat at the meeting. Such The notice shall include or be accompanied by both of the following:

(1) A copy of the acquiring person statement delivered to the issuing public corporation pursuant to this section;

(2) A statement by the issuing public corporation, authorized by its directors, of its position or recommendation, or that it is taking no position or making no recommendation, with respect to the proposed control share acquisition.

(E) The acquiring person may make the proposed control share acquisition if both of the following occur:

(1) The shareholders of the issuing public corporation who hold shares as of the record date of such corporation entitling them to vote in the election of directors authorize the acquisition at the special meeting held for that purpose at which a quorum is present by an affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of such corporation in the election of directors represented at the meeting in person or by proxy, and a majority of the portion of the voting power excluding the voting power of interested shares represented at the meeting in person or by proxy. A quorum shall be deemed to be present at the special meeting if at least a majority of the voting power of the issuing public corporation in the election of directors is represented at the meeting in person or by proxy.

(2) The acquisition is consummated, in accordance with the terms so authorized, no later than three hundred sixty days following shareholder authorization of the control share acquisition.

(F) Except as expressly provided in this section, nothing in this section shall be construed to affect or impair any right, remedy, obligation, duty, power, or authority of any acquiring person, any issuing public corporation, the directors of any acquiring person or issuing public corporation, or any other person under the laws of this or any other state or of the United States.

(G) If any application of any provision of this section is for any reason held to be illegal or invalid, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect any legal and valid provision or application of this section, and the parts and applications of this section are severable.

Sec. 1707.01.  As used in this chapter:

(A) Whenever the context requires it, "division" or "division of securities" may be read as "director of commerce" or as "commissioner of securities."

(B) "Security" means any certificate or instrument, or any oral, written, or electronic agreement, understanding, or opportunity, that represents title to or interest in, or is secured by any lien or charge upon, the capital, assets, profits, property, or credit of any person or of any public or governmental body, subdivision, or agency. It includes shares of stock, certificates for shares of stock, membership interests in limited liability companies, voting-trust certificates, warrants and options to purchase securities, subscription rights, interim receipts, interim certificates, promissory notes, all forms of commercial paper, evidences of indebtedness, bonds, debentures, land trust certificates, fee certificates, leasehold certificates, syndicate certificates, endowment certificates, certificates or written instruments in or under profit-sharing or participation agreements or in or under oil, gas, or mining leases, or certificates or written instruments of any interest in or under the same, receipts evidencing preorganization or reorganization subscriptions, preorganization certificates, reorganization certificates, certificates evidencing an interest in any trust or pretended trust, any investment contract, any life settlement interest, any instrument evidencing a promise or an agreement to pay money, warehouse receipts for intoxicating liquor, and the currency of any government other than those of the United States and Canada, but sections 1707.01 to 1707.45 of the Revised Code do not apply to the sale of real estate.

(C)(1) "Sale" has the full meaning of "sale" as applied by or accepted in courts of law or equity, and includes every disposition, or attempt to dispose, of a security or of an interest in a security. "Sale" also includes a contract to sell, an exchange, an attempt to sell, an option of sale, a solicitation of a sale, a solicitation of an offer to buy, a subscription, or an offer to sell, directly or indirectly, by agent, circular, pamphlet, advertisement, or otherwise.

(2) "Sell" means any act by which a sale is made.

(3) The use of advertisements, circulars, or pamphlets in connection with the sale of securities in this state exclusively to the purchasers specified in division (D) of section 1707.03 of the Revised Code is not a sale when the advertisements, circulars, and pamphlets describing and offering those securities bear a readily legible legend in substance as follows: "This offer is made on behalf of dealers licensed under sections 1707.01 to 1707.45 of the Revised Code, and is confined in this state exclusively to institutional investors and licensed dealers."

(4) The offering of securities by any person in conjunction with a licensed dealer by use of advertisement, circular, or pamphlet is not a sale if that person does not otherwise attempt to sell securities in this state.

(5) Any security given with, or as a bonus on account of, any purchase of securities is conclusively presumed to constitute a part of the subject of that purchase and has been "sold."

(6) "Sale" by an owner, pledgee, or mortgagee, or by a person acting in a representative capacity, includes sale on behalf of such party by an agent, including a licensed dealer or salesperson.

(D) "Person," except as otherwise provided in this chapter, means a natural person, firm, partnership, limited partnership, partnership association, syndicate, joint-stock company, unincorporated association, trust or trustee except where the trust was created or the trustee designated by law or judicial authority or by a will, and a corporation or limited liability company organized under the laws of any state, any foreign government, or any political subdivision of a state or foreign government.

(E)(1) "Dealer," except as otherwise provided in this chapter, means every person, other than a salesperson, who engages or professes to engage, in this state, for either all or part of the person's time, directly or indirectly, either in the business of the sale of securities for the person's own account, or in the business of the purchase or sale of securities for the account of others in the reasonable expectation of receiving a commission, fee, or other remuneration as a result of engaging in the purchase and sale of securities. "Dealer" does not mean any of the following:

(a) Any issuer, including any officer, director, employee, or trustee of, or member or manager of, or partner in, or any general partner of, any issuer, that sells, offers for sale, or does any act in furtherance of the sale of a security that represents an economic interest in that issuer, provided no commission, fee, or other similar remuneration is paid to or received by the issuer for the sale;

(b) Any licensed attorney, public accountant, or firm of such attorneys or accountants, whose activities are incidental to the practice of the attorney's, accountant's, or firm's profession;

(c) Any person that, for the account of others, engages in the purchase or sale of securities that are issued and outstanding before such purchase and sale, if a majority or more of the equity interest of an issuer is sold in that transaction, and if, in the case of a corporation, the securities sold in that transaction represent a majority or more of the voting power of the corporation in the election of directors;

(d) Any person that brings an issuer together with a potential investor and whose compensation is not directly or indirectly based on the sale of any securities by the issuer to the investor;

(e) Any bank;

(f) Any person that the division of securities by rule exempts from the definition of "dealer" under division (E)(1) of this section.

(2) "Licensed dealer" means a dealer licensed under this chapter.

(F)(1) "Salesman" or "salesperson" means every natural person, other than a dealer, who is employed, authorized, or appointed by a dealer to sell securities within this state.

(2) The general partners of a partnership, and the executive officers of a corporation or unincorporated association, licensed as a dealer are not salespersons within the meaning of this definition, nor are such clerical or other employees of an issuer or dealer as are employed for work to which the sale of securities is secondary and incidental; but the division of securities may require a license from any such partner, executive officer, or employee if it determines that protection of the public necessitates the licensing.

(3) "Licensed salesperson" means a salesperson licensed under this chapter.

(G) "Issuer" means every person who has issued, proposes to issue, or issues any security.

(H) "Director" means each director or trustee of a corporation, each trustee of a trust, each general partner of a partnership, except a partnership association, each manager of a partnership association, and any person vested with managerial or directory power over an issuer not having a board of directors or trustees.

(I) "Incorporator" means any incorporator of a corporation and any organizer of, or any person participating, other than in a representative or professional capacity, in the organization of an unincorporated issuer.

(J) "Fraud," "fraudulent," "fraudulent acts," "fraudulent practices," or "fraudulent transactions" means anything recognized on or after July 22, 1929, as such in courts of law or equity; any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud or to obtain money or property by means of any false pretense, representation, or promise; any fictitious or pretended purchase or sale of securities; and any act, practice, transaction, or course of business relating to the purchase or sale of securities that is fraudulent or that has operated or would operate as a fraud upon the seller or purchaser.

(K) Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever any classification or computation is based upon "par value," as applied to securities without par value, the average of the aggregate consideration received or to be received by the issuer for each class of those securities shall be used as the basis for that classification or computation.

(L)(1) "Intangible property" means patents, copyrights, secret processes, formulas, services, good will, promotion and organization fees and expenses, trademarks, trade brands, trade names, licenses, franchises, any other assets treated as intangible according to generally accepted accounting principles, and securities, accounts receivable, or contract rights having no readily determinable value.

(2) "Tangible property" means all property other than intangible property and includes securities, accounts receivable, and contract rights, when the securities, accounts receivable, or contract rights have a readily determinable value.

(M) "Public utilities" means those utilities defined in sections 4905.02, 4905.03, 4907.02, and 4907.03 of the Revised Code; in the case of a foreign corporation, it means those utilities defined as public utilities by the laws of its domicile; and in the case of any other foreign issuer, it means those utilities defined as public utilities by the laws of the situs of its principal place of business. The term always includes railroads whether or not they are so defined as public utilities.

(N) "State" means any state of the United States, any territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any province of Canada.

(O) "Bank" means any bank, trust company, savings and loan association, savings bank, or credit union that is incorporated or organized under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States, Canada, or any province of Canada and that is subject to regulation or supervision by that country, state, or province.

(P) "Include," when used in a definition, does not exclude other things or persons otherwise within the meaning of the term defined.

(Q)(1) "Registration by description" means that the requirements of section 1707.08 of the Revised Code have been complied with.

(2) "Registration by qualification" means that the requirements of sections 1707.09 and 1707.11 of the Revised Code have been complied with.

(3) "Registration by coordination" means that there has been compliance with section 1707.091 of the Revised Code. Reference in this chapter to registration by qualification also shall be deemed to include registration by coordination unless the context otherwise indicates.

(R) "Intoxicating liquor" includes all liquids and compounds that contain more than three and two-tenths per cent of alcohol by weight and are fit for use for beverage purposes.

(S) "Institutional investor" means any corporation, bank, insurance company, pension fund or pension fund trust, employees' profit-sharing fund or employees' profit-sharing trust, any association engaged, as a substantial part of its business or operations, in purchasing or holding securities, or any trust in respect of which a bank is trustee or cotrustee. "Institutional investor" does not include any business entity formed for the primary purpose of evading sections 1707.01 to 1707.45 of the Revised Code.

(T) "Securities Act of 1933," 48 Stat. 74, 15 U.S.C. 77a, "Securities Exchange Act of 1934," 48 Stat. 881, 15 U.S.C. 78a, "Internal Revenue Code of 1986," 100 Stat. 2085, 26 U.S.C. 1, "Investment Advisers Act of 1940," 54 Stat. 847, 15 U.S.C. 80b, and "Investment Company Act of 1940," 54 Stat. 789, 15 U.S.C. 80a mean the federal statutes of those names as amended before or after March 18, 1999.

(U) "Securities and exchange commission" means the securities and exchange commission established by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

(V)(1) "Control bid" means the purchase of or offer to purchase any equity security of a subject company from a resident of this state if either of the following applies:

(a) After the purchase of that security, the offeror would be directly or indirectly the beneficial owner of more than ten per cent of any class of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the issuer.

(b) The offeror is the subject company, there is a pending control bid by a person other than the issuer, and the number of the issued and outstanding shares of the subject company would be reduced by more than ten per cent.

(2) For purposes of division (V)(1) of this section, "control bid" does not include any of the following:

(a) A bid made by a dealer for the dealer's own account in the ordinary course of business of buying and selling securities;

(b) An offer to acquire any equity security solely in exchange for any other security, or the acquisition of any equity security pursuant to an offer, for the sole account of the offeror, in good faith and not for the purpose of avoiding the provisions of this chapter, and not involving any public offering of the other security within the meaning of Section 4 of Title I of the "Securities Act of 1933," 48 Stat. 77, 15 U.S.C.A. 77d(2), as amended;

(c) Any other offer to acquire any equity security, or the acquisition of any equity security pursuant to an offer, for the sole account of the offeror, from not more than fifty persons, in good faith and not for the purpose of avoiding the provisions of this chapter.

(W) "Offeror" means a person who makes, or in any way participates or aids in making, a control bid and includes persons acting jointly or in concert, or who intend to exercise jointly or in concert any voting rights attached to the securities for which the control bid is made and also includes any subject company making a control bid for its own securities.

(X)(1) "Investment adviser" means any person who, for compensation, engages in the business of advising others, either directly or through publications or writings, as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities, or who, for compensation and as a part of regular business, issues or promulgates analyses or reports concerning securities.

(2) "Investment adviser" does not mean any of the following:

(a) Any attorney, accountant, engineer, or teacher, whose performance of investment advisory services described in division (X)(1) of this section is solely incidental to the practice of the attorney's, accountant's, engineer's, or teacher's profession;

(b) A publisher of any bona fide newspaper, news magazine, or business or financial publication of general and regular circulation;

(c) A person who acts solely as an investment adviser representative;

(d) A bank holding company, as defined in the "Bank Holding Company Act of 1956," 70 Stat. 133, 12 U.S.C. 1841, that is not an investment company;

(e) A bank, or any receiver, conservator, or other liquidating agent of a bank;

(f) Any licensed dealer or licensed salesperson whose performance of investment advisory services described in division (X)(1) of this section is solely incidental to the conduct of the dealer's or salesperson's business as a licensed dealer or licensed salesperson and who receives no special compensation for the services;

(g) Any person, the advice, analyses, or reports of which do not relate to securities other than securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States, or securities issued or guaranteed by corporations in which the United States has a direct or indirect interest, and that have been designated by the secretary of the treasury as exempt securities as defined in the "Securities Exchange Act of 1934," 48 Stat. 881, 15 U.S.C. 78c;

(h) Any person that is excluded from the definition of investment adviser pursuant to section 202(a)(11)(A) to (E) of the "Investment Advisers Act of 1940," 15 U.S.C. 80b-2(a)(11), or that has received an order from the securities and exchange commission under section 202(a)(11)(F) of the "Investment Advisers Act of 1940," 15 U.S.C. 80b-2(a)(11)(F), declaring that the person is not within the intent of section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

(i) Any other person that the division designates by rule, if the division finds that the designation is necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors or clients and consistent with the purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of this chapter.

(Y)(1) "Subject company" means an issuer that satisfies both of the following:

(a) Its principal place of business or its principal executive office is located in this state, or it owns or controls assets located within this state that have a fair market value of at least one million dollars.

(b) More than ten per cent of its beneficial or record equity security holders are resident in this state, more than ten per cent of its equity securities are owned beneficially or of record by residents in this state, or more than one thousand of its beneficial or record equity security holders are resident in this state.

(2) The division of securities may adopt rules to establish more specific application of the provisions set forth in division (Y)(1) of this section. Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in division (Y)(1) of this section and any rules adopted under this division, the division, by rule or in an adjudicatory proceeding, may make a determination that an issuer does not constitute a "subject company" under division (Y)(1) of this section if appropriate review of control bids involving the issuer is to be made by any regulatory authority of another jurisdiction.

(Z) "Beneficial owner" includes any person who directly or indirectly through any contract, arrangement, understanding, or relationship has or shares, or otherwise has or shares, the power to vote or direct the voting of a security or the power to dispose of, or direct the disposition of, the security. "Beneficial ownership" includes the right, exercisable within sixty days, to acquire any security through the exercise of any option, warrant, or right, the conversion of any convertible security, or otherwise. Any security subject to any such option, warrant, right, or conversion privilege held by any person shall be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of outstanding securities of the class owned by that person, but shall not be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of the class owned by any other person. A person shall be deemed the beneficial owner of any security beneficially owned by any relative or spouse or relative of the spouse residing in the home of that person, any trust or estate in which that person owns ten per cent or more of the total beneficial interest or serves as trustee or executor, any corporation or entity in which that person owns ten per cent or more of the equity, and any affiliate or associate of that person.

(AA) "Offeree" means the beneficial or record owner of any security that an offeror acquires or offers to acquire in connection with a control bid.

(BB) "Equity security" means any share or similar security, or any security convertible into any such security, or carrying any warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any such security, or any such warrant or right, or any other security that, for the protection of security holders, is treated as an equity security pursuant to rules of the division of securities.

(CC)(1) "Investment adviser representative" means a supervised person of an investment adviser, provided that the supervised person has more than five clients who are natural persons other than excepted persons defined in division (EE) of this section, and that more than ten per cent of the supervised person's clients are natural persons other than excepted persons defined in division (EE) of this section. "Investment adviser representative" does not mean any of the following:

(a) A supervised person that does not on a regular basis solicit, meet with, or otherwise communicate with clients of the investment adviser;

(b) A supervised person that provides only investment advisory services described in division (X)(1) of this section by means of written materials or oral statements that do not purport to meet the objectives or needs of specific individuals or accounts;

(c) Any other person that the division designates by rule, if the division finds that the designation is necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors or clients and is consistent with the provisions fairly intended by the policy and provisions of this chapter.

(2) For the purpose of the calculation of clients in division (CC)(1) of this section, a natural person and the following persons are deemed a single client: Any minor child of the natural person; any relative, spouse, or relative of the spouse of the natural person who has the same principal residence as the natural person; all accounts of which the natural person or the persons referred to in division (CC)(2) of this section are the only primary beneficiaries; and all trusts of which the natural person or persons referred to in division (CC)(2) of this section are the only primary beneficiaries. Persons who are not residents of the United States need not be included in the calculation of clients under division (CC)(1) of this section.

(3) If subsequent to March 18, 1999, amendments are enacted or adopted defining "investment adviser representative" for purposes of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or additional rules or regulations are promulgated by the securities and exchange commission regarding the definition of "investment adviser representative" for purposes of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the division of securities shall, by rule, adopt the substance of the amendments, rules, or regulations, unless the division finds that the amendments, rules, or regulations are not necessary for the protection of investors or in the public interest.

(DD) "Supervised person" means a natural person who is any of the following:

(1) A partner, officer, or director of an investment adviser, or other person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions with respect to an investment adviser;

(2) An employee of an investment adviser;

(3) A person who provides investment advisory services described in division (X)(1) of this section on behalf of the investment adviser and is subject to the supervision and control of the investment adviser.

(EE) "Excepted person" means a natural person to whom any of the following applies:

(1) Immediately after entering into the investment advisory contract with the investment adviser, the person has at least seven hundred fifty thousand dollars under the management of the investment adviser.

(2) The investment adviser reasonably believes either of the following at the time the investment advisory contract is entered into with the person:

(a) The person has a net worth, together with assets held jointly with a spouse, of more than one million five hundred thousand dollars.

(b) The person is a qualified purchaser as defined in division (FF) of this section.

(3) Immediately prior to entering into an investment advisory contract with the investment adviser, the person is either of the following:

(a) An executive officer, director, trustee, general partner, or person serving in a similar capacity, of the investment adviser;

(b) An employee of the investment adviser, other than an employee performing solely clerical, secretarial, or administrative functions or duties for the investment adviser, which employee, in connection with the employee's regular functions or duties, participates in the investment activities of the investment adviser, provided that, for at least twelve months, the employee has been performing such nonclerical, nonsecretarial, or nonadministrative functions or duties for or on behalf of the investment adviser or performing substantially similar functions or duties for or on behalf of another company.

If subsequent to March 18, 1999, amendments are enacted or adopted defining "excepted person" for purposes of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or additional rules or regulations are promulgated by the securities and exchange commission regarding the definition of "excepted person" for purposes of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the division of securities shall, by rule, adopt the substance of the amendments, rules, or regulations, unless the division finds that the amendments, rules, or regulations are not necessary for the protection of investors or in the public interest.

(FF)(1) "Qualified purchaser" means either of the following:

(a) A natural person who owns not less than five million dollars in investments as defined by rule by the division of securities;

(b) A natural person, acting for the person's own account or accounts of other qualified purchasers, who in the aggregate owns and invests on a discretionary basis, not less than twenty-five million dollars in investments as defined by rule by the division of securities.

(2) If subsequent to March 18, 1999, amendments are enacted or adopted defining "qualified purchaser" for purposes of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or additional rules or regulations are promulgated by the securities and exchange commission regarding the definition of "qualified purchaser" for purposes of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the division of securities shall, by rule, adopt the amendments, rules, or regulations, unless the division finds that the amendments, rules, or regulations are not necessary for the protection of investors or in the public interest.

(GG)(1) "Purchase" has the full meaning of "purchase" as applied by or accepted in courts of law or equity and includes every acquisition of, or attempt to acquire, a security or an interest in a security. "Purchase" also includes a contract to purchase, an exchange, an attempt to purchase, an option to purchase, a solicitation of a purchase, a solicitation of an offer to sell, a subscription, or an offer to purchase, directly or indirectly, by agent, circular, pamphlet, advertisement, or otherwise.

(2) "Purchase" means any act by which a purchase is made.

(3) Any security given with, or as a bonus on account of, any purchase of securities is conclusively presumed to constitute a part of the subject of that purchase.

(HH) "Life settlement interest" means the entire interest or any fractional interest in an insurance policy or certificate of insurance, or in an insurance benefit under such a policy or certificate, that is the subject of a life settlement contract.

For purposes of this division, "life settlement contract" means an agreement for the purchase, sale, assignment, transfer, devise, or bequest of any portion of the death benefit or ownership of any life insurance policy or contract, in return for consideration or any other thing of value that is less than the expected death benefit of the life insurance policy or contract. "Life settlement contract" includes a viatical settlement contract as defined in section 3916.01 of the Revised Code, but does not include any of the following:

(1) A loan by an insurer under the terms of a life insurance policy, including, but not limited to, a loan secured by the cash value of the policy;

(2) An agreement with a bank that takes an assignment of a life insurance policy as collateral for a loan;

(3) The provision of accelerated benefits as defined in section 3915.21 of the Revised Code;

(4) Any agreement between an insurer and a reinsurer;

(5) An agreement by an individual to purchase an existing life insurance policy or contract from the original owner of the policy or contract, if the individual does not enter into more than one life settlement contract per calendar year;

(6) The initial purchase of an insurance policy or certificate of insurance from its owner by a viatical settlement provider, as defined in section 3916.01 of the Revised Code, that is licensed under Chapter 3916. of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1707.08. (A) The transactions enumerated in section 1707.06 of the Revised Code may be consummated on compliance with this section and section 1707.11 of the Revised Code.

(B) A description, verified either by the oath of the person individual filing it or of any person individual having knowledge of the facts, shall be filed with the division of securities by the issuer, or by a majority of the incorporators of the issuer prior to election of officers if it is an incorporated issuer, or by a licensed dealer, which description shall be on forms prescribed by the division and shall set forth:

(A)(1) The name of the issuer;

(B)(2) A brief description of the securities;

(C)(3) The amount of the securities to be offered after the filing of the description for sale in this state and, if all the securities are not to be offered by the person filing the description, then the respective amounts to be offered by others, so far as those amounts are known, and the names and addresses of the other offerors;

(D)(4) A brief statement of the facts which show that the securities are the subject matter of a transaction enumerated in section 1707.06 of the Revised Code;

(E)(5) The price at which the securities are to be offered for sale.

Registration by description is completed when the description, together with a filing fee of fifty dollars, in the form of cash, check, or United States postal money order, is delivered, or mailed by certified mail with postage prepaid, to the division.

(C) The individual who executes the application for registration by description on behalf of the applicant shall state the individual's relationship to the applicant and certify all of the following:

(1) The individual has executed the application on behalf of the applicant.

(2) The individual is fully authorized to execute and file the application on behalf of the applicant.

(3) The individual is familiar with the applicant's application.

(4) To the best of the individual's knowledge, information, and belief, the statements made in the application are true, and the documents submitted with the application are true copies of the original documents.

(D) A registration by description is effective seven business days after the division receives the description on applicable forms, together with a filing fee of fifty dollars, if no proceeding is pending under section 1707.13 or 1707.131 of the Revised Code. However, the division may permit an earlier effective date by rule or by issuing a certificate of acknowledgment for the registration by description.

(E) In order to correct errors or omissions, a registration by description may be amended by the person who that originally filed it, by the filing, in the same manner as in the case of an original registration by description, of an amended registration by description or of an amendment of the original registration by description.

(F) When transactions in any securities enumerated in section 1707.06 of the Revised Code have been registered and the fees prescribed by this section have been paid, the transactions may be consummated so long as the registration remains in full force.

Sec. 1707.09. (A)(1) All securities, except those enumerated in section 1707.02 of the Revised Code and those that are the subject matter of a transaction permitted by section 1707.03, 1707.04, or 1707.06 of the Revised Code, shall be qualified in the manner provided by this section before being sold in this state.

(2) Applications for that qualification, on forms prescribed by the division of securities, shall be made in writing either by the issuer of the securities or by any licensed dealer desiring to sell them within this state and shall be signed by the applicant, sworn to by any person individual having knowledge of the facts stated in the application, and filed in the office of the division.

(3) The individual who executes the application for qualification of securities on behalf of the applicant shall state the individual's relationship to the applicant and certify that: the individual has executed the application on behalf of the applicant; the individual is fully authorized to execute and file the application on behalf of the applicant; the individual is familiar with the applicant's application; and to the best of the individual's knowledge, information, and belief, the statements made in the application are true, and the documents submitted with the application are true copies of the original documents.

(B) The division shall require the applicant for qualification of securities to submit to it the following information:

(A)(1) The names and addresses of the directors or trustees and of the officers of the issuer, if the issuer is a corporation or an unincorporated association; of all the members of the issuer, if the issuer is a limited liability company in which management is reserved to its members; of all the managers of the issuer, if the issuer is a limited liability company in which management is not reserved to its members; of all partners, if the issuer is a general or limited partnership or a partnership association; and the name and address of the issuer, if the issuer is an individual;

(B)(2) The address of the issuer's principal place of business and principal office in this state, if any;

(C)(3) The purposes and general character of the business actually being transacted, or to be transacted, by the issuer, and the purpose of issuing the securities named in the application;

(D)(4) A statement of the capitalization of the issuer; a balance sheet made up as of the most recent practicable date, showing the amount and general character of its assets and liabilities; a description of the security for the qualification of which application is being made; and copies of all circulars, prospectuses, advertisements, or other descriptions of the securities, that are then prepared by or for the issuer, or by or for the applicant if the applicant is not the issuer, or by or for both, to be used for distribution or publication in this state;

(E)(5) A statement of the amount of the issuer's income, expenses, and fixed charges during the last fiscal year or, if the issuer has been in actual business less than one year, for the time that the issuer has been in actual business;

(F)(6) A statement showing the price at which the security is to be offered for sale;

(G)(7) A statement showing the considerations received or to be received by the issuer of the securities purchased or to be purchased from the issuer and an itemized statement of all expenses of financing to be paid from those considerations so as to show the aggregate net amount actually received or to be received by the issuer;

(H)(8) All other information, including an opinion of counsel as to the validity of the securities that are the subject matter of the application, that the division considers necessary to enable it to ascertain whether the securities are entitled to qualification;

(I)(9) If the issuer is a corporation, there shall be filed with the application a certified copy of its articles of incorporation with all amendments to the articles, if the articles or amendments are not already on file in the office of the secretary of state; if the issuer is a limited liability company, there shall be filed with the application a certified copy of its articles of organization with all amendments to the articles, if the articles or amendments are not already on file in the office of the secretary of state; if the issuer is a trust or trustee, there shall be filed with the application a copy of all instruments by which the trust was created; and if the issuer is a partnership or an unincorporated association, or any other form of organization, there shall be filed with the application a copy of its articles of partnership or association and of all other papers pertaining to its organization, if the articles or other papers are not already on file in the office of the secretary of state;

(J)(10) If the application is made with respect to securities to be sold or distributed by or on behalf of the issuer, or by or on behalf of an underwriter, as defined in division (N) of section 1707.03 of the Revised Code, a statement showing that the issuer has received, or will receive at or prior to the delivery of those securities, not less than eighty-five per cent of the aggregate price at which all those securities are sold by or on behalf of the issuer, without deduction for any additional commission, directly or indirectly, and without liability to pay any additional sum as commission;

(K)(11) If the division so permits with respect to a security, an applicant may file with the division, in lieu of the division's prescribed forms, a copy of the registration statement relating to the security, with all amendments to that statement, previously filed with the securities and exchange commission of the United States under the "Securities Act of 1933," as amended, together with all additional data, information, and documents that the division requires.

(C) If the division finds that it is not necessary in the public interest and for the protection of investors to require all the information specified in divisions (A) to (J)(B)(1) to (10) of this section, it may permit the filing of applications for qualification that contain the information that it considers necessary and appropriate in the public interest and for the protection of investors;, but this provision applies only in the case of applications for qualification of securities previously issued and outstanding that may not be made the subject matter of transactions exempt under division (M) of section 1707.03 of the Revised Code by reason of the fact that those securities within one year were purchased outside this state or within one year were transported into this state.

(D) All the statements, exhibits, and documents required by the division under this section, except properly certified public documents, shall be verified by the oath of the applicant for qualification, of the issuer, or of any person individual having knowledge of the facts, and in the manner and form that may be required by the division. Failure or refusal to comply with the requests of the division shall be sufficient reason for a refusal by the division to register securities.

(E) If it appears to the division that substantially the only consideration to be paid for any of the securities to be qualified is to be intangible property of doubtful value, the division may require that the securities be delivered in escrow to a bank in this state under the terms that the division may reasonably prescribe or require to prevent a deceitful misrepresentation or sale of the securities,; that the securities be subordinated in favor of those sold for sound value until they have a value bearing a reasonable relation to the value of those sold for sound value,; or that a legend of warning specifying the considerations paid or to be paid for the securities be stamped or printed on all advertisements, circulars, pamphlets, or subscription blanks used in connection with the sale of any securities of the same issuer,; or it may impose a combination of any two or more of these requirements.

(F) At the time of filing the information prescribed in this section, the applicant shall pay to the division a filing fee of one hundred dollars.

(G)(1) The division, at any time, as a prerequisite to qualification, may make an examination of the issuer of securities sought to be qualified. The applicant for qualification of any securities may be required by the division to advance sufficient funds to pay all or any part of the actual expenses of that examination, an itemized statement of which shall be furnished the applicant. If

(2) If the division finds that the business of the issuer is not fraudulently conducted, that the proposed offer or disposal of securities is not on grossly unfair terms, that the plan of issuance and sale of the securities referred to in the proposed offer or disposal would not defraud or deceive, or tend to defraud or deceive, purchasers, and that division (J)(B)(10) of this section applies and has been complied with, the division shall notify the applicant of its findings;, and, upon payment of a registration fee of one-tenth of one per cent of the aggregate price at which the securities are to be sold to the public in this state, which fee, however, shall in no case be less than one hundred or more than one thousand dollars, the division shall register the qualification of the securities.

(H) An application for qualification of securities may be amended by the person filing it at any time prior to the division's action on it either in registering the securities for qualification or in refusing to do so. Subsequent to any such action by the division, the person who filed the application may file with the consent of the division one or more amendments to it that shall become effective upon the making by the division of the findings enumerated in the next preceding paragraph division (G) of this section,; the giving of notice of those findings to the applicant by the division,; and the payment by the applicant of the additional fee that would have been payable had the application, as it previously became effective, contained the amendment.

(I) When any securities have been qualified and the fees for the qualification have been paid as provided in this section, any licensed dealer subsequently may sell the securities under the qualification, so long as the qualification remains in full force, and any dealer of that nature who that desires may file with the division a written notice of intention to sell the securities or any designated portion of them. For that filing, no fee need be paid.

Sec. 1707.11.  (A) Each person that is not organized under the laws of this state, that is not licensed under section 1703.03 of the Revised Code, or that does not have its principal place of business in this state, shall submit to the division of securities an irrevocable consent to service of process, as described in division (B) of this section, in connection with any of the following:

(1) Filings to claim any of the exemptions enumerated in division (Q), (W), (X), or (Y) of section 1707.03 of the Revised Code;

(2) Applications for registration by description, qualification, or coordination;

(3) Notice filings pursuant to section 1707.092 of the Revised Code.

(B) The irrevocable written consent shall be executed and acknowledged by an individual duly authorized to give the consent and shall do all of the following:

(1) Designate the secretary of state as agent for service of process or pleadings;

(2) State that actions growing out of the sale of such securities, the giving of investment advice, or fraud committed by a person on whose behalf the consent is submitted may be commenced against the person, in the proper court of any county in this state in which a cause of action may arise or in which the plaintiff in the action may reside, by serving on the secretary of state any proper process or pleading authorized by the laws of this state;

(3) Stipulate that service of process or pleading on the secretary of state shall be taken in all courts to be as valid and binding as if service had been made upon the person on whose behalf the consent is submitted.

(C) Notwithstanding any application, form, or other material filed with or submitted to the division that purports to appoint as agent for service of process a person other than the secretary of state, the application, form, or other material shall be considered to appoint the secretary of state as agent for service of process.

(D) Service of any process or pleadings may be made on the secretary of state by duplicate copies, of which one shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state, and the other immediately forwarded by the secretary of state by certified mail to the principal place of business of the person on whose behalf the consent is submitted or to the last known address as shown on the filing made with the division. However, failure to mail such copy does not invalidate the service.

(D)(E) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, or of any rule adopted by the division of securities under this chapter, that requires the submission of a consent to service of process, the division may provide by rule for the electronic filing or submission of a consent to service of process.

Sec. 1707.131. (A) For purposes of this section, "five per cent shareholder" means a beneficial owner of five per cent or more of the issuer's outstanding securities.

(B) The division of securities shall refuse any registration by description, by qualification, or by coordination if the issuer is in the development stage and either has no specific business plan or purpose or has indicated that its business is to engage in a merger or acquisition with an unidentified company or companies, or other entities or persons.

(C) The division may refuse any registration by description, by qualification, or by coordination if either of the following applies:

(1) The issuer does not disclose in the final offering circular, prospectus, or form U-7 of the North American securities administrators association that any future transaction with an officer, director, five per cent shareholder, manager, trustee, or general partner will be on terms no less favorable to the issuer than could be obtained from an independent third party.

(2) The issuer does not disclose both of the following in the final offering circular, prospectus, or form U-7 of the North American securities administrators association:

(a) Any outstanding loan from the issuer to an officer, director, five per cent shareholder, manager, trustee, or general partner is required to be repaid within six months of the offering, except for a loan or extension of credit made by a bank.

(b) Any future loan from the issuer to an officer, director, five per cent shareholder, manager, trustee, or general partner will be for a bona fide business purpose and approved by a majority of the disinterested directors, managers, trustees, or general partners, or will be a type of transaction involving a director or executive officer of the issuer that is permitted by section 13(k) of the "Securities Exchange Act of 1934," 116 Stat. 787, 15 U.S.C.A. 78m, as amended.

Sec. 1707.23.  Whenever it appears to the division of securities, from its files, upon complaint, or otherwise, that any person has engaged in, is engaged in, or is about to engage in any practice declared to be illegal or prohibited by this chapter or rules adopted under this chapter by the division, or defined as fraudulent in this chapter or rules adopted under this chapter by the division, or any other deceptive scheme or practice in connection with the sale of securities, or acting as an investment adviser or investment adviser representative, or when the division believes it to be in the best interests of the public and necessary for the protection of investors, the division may do any of the following:

(A) Require any person to file with it, on such forms as it prescribes, an original or additional statement or report in writing, under oath or otherwise, as to any facts or circumstances concerning the issuance, sale, or offer for sale of securities within this state by the person, as to the person's acts or practices as an investment adviser or investment adviser representative within this state, and as to other information as it deems material or relevant thereto;

(B) Examine any investment adviser, investment adviser representative, or any seller, dealer, salesperson, or issuer of any securities, and any of their agents, employees, partners, officers, directors, members, or shareholders, wherever located, under oath; and examine records, books, documents, accounts, and papers as the division deems material or relevant to the inquiry;

(C) Require the attendance of witnesses, and the production of books, records, and papers, as are required either by the division or by any party to a hearing before the division, and for that purpose issue a subpoena for any witness, or a subpoena duces tecum to compel the production of any books, records, or papers. The subpoena shall be served by personal service or by certified mail, return receipt requested. If the subpoena is returned because of inability to deliver, or if no return is received within thirty days of the date of mailing, the subpoena may be served by ordinary mail. If no return of ordinary mail is received within thirty days after the date of mailing, service shall be deemed to have been made. If the subpoena is returned because of inability to deliver, the division may designate a person or persons to effect either personal or residence service upon the witness. The person designated to effect personal or residence service under this division may be the sheriff of the county in which the witness resides or may be found or any other duly designated person. The fees and mileage of the person serving the subpoena shall be the same as those allowed by the courts of common pleas in criminal cases, and shall be paid from the funds of the division. Fees and mileage for the witness shall be the same as those allowed for witnesses by the courts of common pleas in criminal cases, and shall be paid from the funds of the division upon request of the witness following the hearing.

(D) Proceed under section 1707.19 of the Revised Code to refuse a license applied for by a dealer, salesperson, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative or to suspend the license of any licensed dealer, licensed salesperson, licensed investment adviser, or licensed investment adviser representative and ultimately, if the division determines, revoke such license under that section;

(E) Initiate criminal proceedings under section 1707.042 or 1707.44 of the Revised Code or rules adopted under those sections by the division by laying before the prosecuting attorney of the proper county any evidence of criminality which comes to its knowledge; and in the event of the neglect or refusal of the prosecuting attorney to prosecute such violations, or at the request of the prosecuting attorney, the division shall submit the evidence to the attorney general, who may proceed in the prosecution with all the rights, privileges, and powers conferred by law on prosecuting attorneys, including the power to appear before grand juries and to interrogate witnesses before such grand juries.

(F) Require any dealers immediately to furnish to the division copies of prospectuses, circulars, or advertisements respecting securities that they publish or generally distribute, or require any investment advisers immediately to furnish to the division copies of brochures, advertisements, publications, analyses, reports, or other writings that they publish or distribute;

(G) Require any dealers to mail to the division, prior to sale, notices of intention to sell, in respect to all securities which are not exempt under section 1707.02 of the Revised Code, or which are sold in transactions not exempt under section 1707.03 or 1707.04 of the Revised Code;

(H) Issue and cause to be served by certified mail upon all persons affected an order requiring the person or persons to cease and desist from the acts or practices appearing to the division to constitute violations of this chapter or rules adopted under this chapter by the division. The order shall state specifically the section or sections of this chapter or the rule or rules adopted under this chapter by the division that appear to the division to have been violated and the facts constituting the violation. If after the issuance of the order it appears to the division that any person or persons affected by the order have engaged in any act or practice from which the person or persons shall have been required, by the order, to cease and desist, the director of commerce may apply to the court of common pleas of any county for, and upon proof of the validity of the order of the division, the delivery of the order to the person or persons affected, and of the illegality and the continuation of the acts or practices that are the subject of the order, the court may grant an injunction implementing the order of the division.

(I) Issue and initiate contempt proceedings in this state regarding subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum at the request of the securities administrator of another state, if it appears to the division that the activities for which the information is sought would violate this chapter if the activities had occurred in this state.

(J) The remedies provided by this section are cumulative and concurrent with any other remedy provided in this chapter, and the exercise of one remedy does not preclude or require the exercise of any other remedy.

Sec. 1707.231. (A) If the attorney general, by referral from the division of securities, or as a result of complaints or otherwise, has reasonable cause to believe that a person has violated sections 1707.01 to 1707.45 of the Revised Code, the attorney general may bring a class action under Civil Rule 23, as amended, seeking an order granting restitution to persons damaged by a violation of sections 1707.01 to 1707.45 of the Revised Code.

(B) The attorney general's exercise of authority pursuant to this section does not require or preclude the exercise of any other authority or remedy in accordance with this chapter.

Sec. 1707.40.  Sections Except as provided in section 1707.231 of the Revised Code, sections 1707.01 to 1707.45 of the Revised Code create no new civil liabilities, and do not limit or restrict common law liabilities for deception or fraud other than as specified in sections 1707.042, 1707.043, 1707.41, 1707.42, and 1707.43 of the Revised Code, and there is no civil liability for noncompliance with orders, requirements, rules, or regulations made by the division of securities under sections 1707.19, 1707.20, 1707.201, and 1707.23 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1707.41. (A) In addition to the other liabilities imposed by law, any person who that, by a written or printed circular, prospectus, or advertisement, offers any security for sale, or receives the profits accruing from such sale, is liable, to any person who that purchased such the security relying on such the circular, prospectus, or advertisement, for the loss or damage sustained by such the relying person by reason of the falsity of any material statement contained therein or for the omission therefrom of material facts, unless such the offeror or person who that receives the profits establishes that he the offeror or person had no knowledge of the publication thereof prior to the transaction complained of, or had just and reasonable grounds to believe such the statement to be true or the omitted facts to be not material. Whenever

(B)(1) Whenever a corporation is so liable as described in division (A) of this section, each director of the corporation is likewise liable unless he the director shows that he the director had no knowledge of the publication complained of, or had just and reasonable grounds to believe the statement therein to be true or the omission of facts to be not material. Any such

(2) Any director, upon the payment by him the director of a judgment so obtained against him the director, shall be subrograted to the rights of the plaintiff against such the corporation, and shall have the right of contribution for the payment of such the judgment against such of his the director's fellow directors as would be individually liable under this section. Lack

(C) For purposes of this section, lack of reasonable diligence in ascertaining the fact of such a publication or the falsity of any statement contained in it or of the omission of such a material fact shall be deemed knowledge of such the publication and of the falsity of any untrue statement in it or of the omission of material facts.

(D) No action brought against any director, based upon the liability imposed by this section, shall be brought unless it is brought within two years after the plaintiff knew, or had reason to know, of the facts by reason of which the actions of the person or the director were unlawful, or within four five years after the purchase of the securities, whichever is the shorter period, or, in the case of an action to enforce a right of contribution under this section, it the action is brought within two years after the payment of the judgment for which contribution is sought.

Sec. 1707.42.  (A) Whoever, with intent to secure financial gain to self, advises and procures any person to purchase any security, and receives any commission or reward for the advice or services without disclosing to the purchaser the fact of the person's agency or interest in such sales, shall be liable to the purchaser for the amount of the purchaser's damage thereby, upon tender of the security to, and suit brought against, the adviser, by the purchaser. No suit shall be brought more than one year subsequent to the purchase.

(B) Whoever acts as an investment adviser or investment adviser representative in violation of Chapter 1707. of the Revised Code shall be liable for damages resulting from the violation in an action at law in a court of competent jurisdiction. Damages may include consideration paid for the advice, any loss due to the advice, and all court costs, less the amount of any income received from the advice. No person may bring an action under this division more than four five years after the rendering of investment advice or two years after discovery of facts constituting the violation, whichever is the shorter period.

Sec. 1707.43.  Every (A) Subject to divisions (B) and (C) of this section, every sale or contract for sale made in violation of Chapter 1707. of the Revised Code, is voidable at the election of the purchaser. The person making such sale or contract for sale, and every person who that has participated in or aided the seller in any way in making such sale or contract for sale, are jointly and severally liable to such the purchaser, in an action at law in any court of competent jurisdiction, upon tender to the seller in person or in open court of the securities sold or of the contract made, for the full amount paid by such the purchaser and for all taxable court costs, unless the court determines that the violation did not materially affect the protection contemplated by the violated provision.

(B) No action for the recovery of the purchase price as provided for in this section, and no other action for any recovery based upon or arising out of a sale or contract for sale made in violation of Chapter 1707. of the Revised Code, shall be brought more than two years after the plaintiff knew, or had reason to know, of the facts by reason of which the actions of the person or director were unlawful, or more than four five years from the date of such sale or contract for sale, whichever is the shorter period.

(C) No purchaser is entitled to the benefit of this section who has failed to accept, within thirty days from the date of such offer, an offer in writing made after two weeks from the date of such the sale or contract of sale, by the seller or by any person who that has participated in or aided the seller in any way in making such the sale or contract of sale, to take back the security in question and to refund the full amount paid by such the purchaser.

Sec. 1707.44.  (A)(1) No person shall engage in any act or practice that violates division (A), (B), or (C) of section 1707.14 of the Revised Code, and no salesperson shall sell securities in this state without being licensed pursuant to section 1707.16 of the Revised Code.

(2) No person shall engage in any act or practice that violates division (A) of section 1707.141 or section 1707.161 of the Revised Code.

(B) No person shall knowingly make or cause to be made any false representation concerning a material and relevant fact, in any oral statement or in any prospectus, circular, description, application, or written statement, for any of the following purposes:

(1) Registering securities or transactions, or exempting securities or transactions from registration, under this chapter;

(2) Securing the qualification of any securities under this chapter;

(3) Procuring the licensing of any dealer, salesperson, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative under this chapter;

(4) Selling any securities in this state;

(5) Advising for compensation, as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities;

(6) Submitting a notice filing to the division under division (X) of section 1707.03 or section 1707.092 or 1707.141 of the Revised Code.

(C) No person shall knowingly sell, cause to be sold, offer for sale, or cause to be offered for sale, any security which comes under any of the following descriptions:

(1) Is not exempt under section 1707.02 of the Revised Code, nor the subject matter of one of the transactions exempted in section 1707.03, 1707.04, or 1707.34 of the Revised Code, has not been registered by coordination or qualification, and is not the subject matter of a transaction that has been registered by description;

(2) The prescribed fees for registering by description, by coordination, or by qualification have not been paid in respect to such security;

(3) Such The person has been notified by the division, or has knowledge of the notice, that the right to buy, sell, or deal in such security has been suspended or revoked, or that the registration by description, by coordination, or by qualification under which it may be sold has been suspended or revoked;

(4) The offer or sale is accompanied by a statement that the security offered or sold has been or is to be in any manner indorsed by the division.

(D) No person who is an officer, director, or trustee of, or a dealer for, any issuer, and who knows such issuer to be insolvent in that the liabilities of the issuer exceed its assets, shall sell any securities of or for any such issuer, without disclosing the fact of the insolvency to the purchaser.

(E) No person with intent to aid in the sale of any securities on behalf of the issuer, shall knowingly make any representation not authorized by such issuer or at material variance with statements and documents filed with the division by such issuer.

(F) No person, with intent to deceive, shall sell, cause to be sold, offer for sale, or cause to be offered for sale, any securities of an insolvent issuer, with knowledge that such issuer is insolvent in that the liabilities of the issuer exceed its assets, taken at their fair market value.

(G) No person in purchasing or selling securities shall knowingly engage in any act or practice that is, in this chapter, declared illegal, defined as fraudulent, or prohibited.

(H) No licensed dealer shall refuse to buy from, sell to, or trade with any person because the person appears on a blacklist issued by, or is being boycotted by, any foreign corporate or governmental entity, nor sell any securities of or for any issuer who is known in relation to the issuance or sale of such the securities to have engaged in such practices.

(I) No dealer in securities, knowing that the dealer's liabilities exceed the reasonable value of the dealer's assets, shall accept money or securities, except in payment of or as security for an existing debt, from a customer who is ignorant of the dealer's insolvency, and thereby cause the customer to lose any part of the customer's securities or the value of those securities, by doing either of the following without the customer's consent:

(1) Pledging, selling, or otherwise disposing of such securities, when the dealer has no lien on or any special property in such securities;

(2) Pledging such securities for more than the amount due, or otherwise disposing of such securities for the dealer's own benefit, when the dealer has a lien or indebtedness on such securities.

It is an affirmative defense to a charge under this division that, at the time the securities involved were pledged, sold, or disposed of, the dealer had in the dealer's possession or control, and available for delivery, securities of the same kinds and in amounts sufficient to satisfy all customers entitled to the securities, upon demand and tender of any amount due on the securities.

(J) No person, with purpose to deceive, shall make, issue, publish, or cause to be made, issued, or published any statement or advertisement as to the value of securities, or as to alleged facts affecting the value of securities, or as to the financial condition of any issuer of securities, when the person knows that such statement or advertisement is false in any material respect.

(K) No person, with purpose to deceive, shall make, record, or publish or cause to be made, recorded, or published, a report of any transaction in securities which is false in any material respect.

(L) No dealer shall engage in any act that violates the provisions of section 15(c) or 15(g) of the "Securities Exchange Act of 1934," 48 Stat. 881, 15 U.S.C.A. 78o(c) or (g), or any rule or regulation promulgated by the securities and exchange commission thereunder. If, subsequent to October 11, 1994, additional amendments to section 15(c) or 15(g) are adopted, or additional rules or regulations are promulgated pursuant to such sections, the division of securities shall, by rule, adopt the amendments, rules, or regulations, unless the division finds that the amendments, rules, or regulations are not necessary for the protection of investors or in the public interest.

(M)(1) No investment adviser or investment adviser representative shall do any of the following:

(a) Employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud any person;

(b) Engage in any act, practice, or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person;

(c) In acting as principal for the investment adviser's or investment adviser representative's own account, knowingly sell any security to or purchase any security from a client, or in acting as salesperson for a person other than such client, knowingly effect any sale or purchase of any security for the account of such client, without disclosing to the client in writing before the completion of the transaction the capacity in which the investment adviser or investment adviser representative is acting and obtaining the consent of the client to the transaction. Division (M)(1)(c) of this section does not apply to any investment adviser registered with the securities and exchange commission under section 203 of the "Investment Advisers Act of 1940," 15 U.S.C. 80b-3, or to any transaction with a customer of a licensed dealer or salesperson if the licensed dealer or salesperson is not acting as an investment adviser or investment adviser representative in relation to the transaction.

(d) Engage in any act, practice, or course of business that is fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative. The division of securities may adopt rules reasonably designed to prevent such acts, practices, or courses of business as that are fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative.

(2) No investment adviser or investment adviser representative licensed or required to be licensed under this chapter shall take or have custody of any securities or funds of any person, except as provided in rules adopted by the division.

(3) In the solicitation of clients or prospective clients, no person shall make any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made not misleading in light of the circumstances under which the statements were made.

(N) No person knowingly shall influence, coerce, manipulate, or mislead any person engaged in the preparation, compilation, review, or audit of financial statements to be used in the purchase or sale of securities for the purpose of rendering the financial statements materially misleading.

Sec. 2913.02.  (A) No person, with purpose to deprive the owner of property or services, shall knowingly obtain or exert control over either the property or services in any of the following ways:

(1) Without the consent of the owner or person authorized to give consent;

(2) Beyond the scope of the express or implied consent of the owner or person authorized to give consent;

(3) By deception;

(4) By threat;

(5) By intimidation.

(B)(1) Whoever violates this section is guilty of theft.

(2) Except as otherwise provided in this division or division (B)(3), (4), (5), or (6) of this section, a violation of this section is petty theft, a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the value of the property or services stolen is five hundred dollars or more and is less than five thousand dollars or if the property stolen is any of the property listed in section 2913.71 of the Revised Code, a violation of this section is theft, a felony of the fifth degree. If the value of the property or services stolen is five thousand dollars or more and is less than one hundred thousand dollars, a violation of this section is grand theft, a felony of the fourth degree. If the value of the property or services stolen is one hundred thousand dollars or more, a violation of this section is aggravated theft, a felony of the third second degree. If the value of the property or services stolen is one million dollars or more, a violation of this section is aggravated theft of one million dollars or more, a felony of the first degree.

(3) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(4), (5), or (6) of this section, if the victim of the offense is an elderly person or disabled adult, a violation of this section is theft from an elderly person or disabled adult, and division (B)(3) of this section applies. Except as otherwise provided in this division, theft from an elderly person or disabled adult is a felony of the fifth degree. If the value of the property or services stolen is five hundred dollars or more and is less than five thousand dollars, theft from an elderly person or disabled adult is a felony of the fourth degree. If the value of the property or services stolen is five thousand dollars or more and is less than twenty-five thousand dollars, theft from an elderly person or disabled adult is a felony of the third degree. If the value of the property or services stolen is twenty-five thousand dollars or more, theft from an elderly person or disabled adult is a felony of the second first degree.

(4) If the property stolen is a firearm or dangerous ordnance, a violation of this section is grand theft, a felony of the fourth degree.

(5) If the property stolen is a motor vehicle, a violation of this section is grand theft of a motor vehicle, a felony of the fourth degree.

(6) If the property stolen is any dangerous drug, a violation of this section is theft of drugs, a felony of the fourth degree, or, if the offender previously has been convicted of a felony drug abuse offense, a felony of the third degree.

Section 2. That existing sections 1701.831, 1707.01, 1707.08, 1707.09, 1707.11, 1707.23, 1707.40, 1707.41, 1707.42, 1707.43, 1707.44, and 2913.02 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.

Section 3.  Section 1707.01 of the Revised Code is presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by both S.B. 32 and Sub. S.B. 108 of the 124th General Assembly. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the composite is the resulting version of the section in effect prior to the effective date of the section as presented in this act.