(a) The Commissioner by order may deny, suspend, or revoke any registration if the Commissioner finds that the order is in the public interest and that the applicant or registrant or, in the case of a broker–dealer or investment adviser, any partner, officer, or director, any person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, or any person directly or indirectly controlling the broker–dealer or investment adviser:
(1) Has filed an application for registration which, as of its effective date or as of any date after filing in the case of an order denying effectiveness, was incomplete in any material respect or contained any statement which was, in light of the circumstances under which it was made, false or misleading with respect to any material fact;
(2) Has willfully violated or willfully failed to comply with any provisions of this title, a predecessor act, or any rule or order under this title or a predecessor act;
(3) Has been convicted, within the last 10 years, of a felony, or of an offense that:
(i) Involves the taking of a false oath, the making of a false report, bribery, perjury, burglary, or attempt or conspiracy to commit any of those offenses;
(ii) Arises out of the conduct of business as, or employment by or association with, a broker–dealer, municipal or government securities broker or dealer, investment adviser, bank, savings institution, trust company, credit union, savings and loan association, insurance company or insurance producer, fiduciary, investment company, accountant, or real estate agent or broker, or any entity or person required to be registered under the Commodity Exchange Act; or
(iii) Involves the larceny, theft, robbery, extortion, forgery, counterfeiting, fraudulent concealment, embezzlement, fraudulent conversion, or misappropriation of funds or securities, or an attempt or conspiracy to commit any of those offenses;
(4) Is permanently or temporarily enjoined by any court of competent jurisdiction from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practices involving any aspect of the securities or investment advisory or any other financial services business;
(5) Is the subject of an order of the Commissioner denying, suspending, or revoking registration as a broker–dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative;
(6) Is the subject of an order entered within the past five years by the securities administrator or any other financial services regulator of any state or by the Securities and Exchange Commission denying, suspending, or revoking registration as a broker–dealer, investment adviser, investment adviser representative, or agent or the substantial equivalent of those terms as defined in this title, or any other financial services license or registration, or is the subject of an order by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission denying, suspending, or revoking registration under the Commodity Exchange Act, or is suspended, expelled, or barred from a national securities exchange or national securities association registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 either by action of a national securities exchange or national securities association, the effect of which action has not been stayed by appeal or otherwise, or by order of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or is the subject of a United States post office fraud order, but:
(i) The Commissioner may not institute a revocation or suspension proceeding under this item (6) more than one year from the date of the order or action relied on; and
(ii) The Commissioner may not enter an order under this item (6) on the basis of an order under another state act unless that order was based on facts which would currently constitute a ground for an order under this section;
(7) Has engaged in dishonest or unethical practices in the securities or investment advisory or any other financial services business;
(8) Is insolvent, either in the sense that the person’s liabilities exceed assets or in the sense that the person cannot meet obligations as they mature, but the Commissioner may not enter an order against a broker–dealer or investment adviser under this item (8) without a finding of insolvency as to the broker–dealer or investment adviser;
(9) Is not qualified on the basis of factors such as training, experience, and knowledge of the securities or investment advisory or any other financial services business, except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of this section;
(10) Has failed reasonably to supervise the broker–dealer’s agents, if the person is a broker–dealer, or the investment adviser’s representatives, if the person is an investment adviser;
(11) Has failed to pay the proper fee, but the Commissioner may enter only a denial order under this item (11), and the Commissioner shall vacate the order when the deficiency is corrected;
(12) Is subject to a request from the Child Support Administration to suspend or revoke a registration based on failure to pay support obligations;
(13) Refuses to allow the Commissioner to conduct or otherwise impedes the Commissioner in conducting an audit or inspection under § 11–411(f) of this subtitle or refuses access to a registrant’s office to conduct an audit or inspection under § 11–411(f) of this subtitle; or
(14) Is the subject of a cease and desist order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission or issued under the securities, commodities, investment, franchise, banking, finance, or insurance laws of a state.
(b) (1) In this subsection, “final administrative order” does not include an order that is stayed or subject to further review or appeal.
(2) If an applicant for initial registration discloses the existence of a final judicial or administrative order to the Commissioner before the effective date of the initial registration, the Commissioner may not institute a suspension or revocation proceeding based solely on the judicial or administrative order unless the proceeding is initiated within one year after the effective date of the applicant’s initial registration.
(c) The following provisions govern the application of subsection (a)(9) of this section:
(1) The Commissioner may not enter an order against a broker–dealer on the basis of the lack of qualification of any person other than that broker–dealer if the broker–dealer is an individual, or an agent of the broker–dealer;
(2) The Commissioner may not enter an order against an investment adviser on the basis of the lack of qualification of any person other than that investment adviser if the investment adviser is an individual, or an investment adviser representative of the investment adviser;
(3) The Commissioner may not enter an order solely on the basis of lack of experience if the applicant or registrant is qualified by training or knowledge or both;
(4) The Commissioner shall consider that an agent who will work under the supervision of a registered broker–dealer need not have the same qualifications as a broker–dealer and that an investment adviser representative who will work under the supervision of a registered investment adviser need not have the same qualifications as an investment adviser;
(5) The Commissioner shall consider that an investment adviser is not necessarily qualified solely on the basis of experience as a broker–dealer or agent. When the Commissioner finds that an applicant for initial or renewal registration as a broker–dealer is not qualified as an investment adviser, the Commissioner by order may condition the applicant’s registration as a broker–dealer upon the broker–dealer not transacting business in this State as an investment adviser; and
(6) The Commissioner by rule may provide for an examination, which may be written, oral, or both, to be taken by any class of or all applicants. The Commissioner by rule or order may waive the examination requirement as to a person or class of persons if the Commissioner determines that the examination is not necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors.