CrowFly | It's a Bird USPTO! It's a Fintech Buffalo Business First! No, It's a "Financial Institution" Google

by Structured Settlement Watchdog

I guess crows don't like to be pigeonholed.

Can a company that has no licenses be considered a financial institution?  CrowFly LLC advertises on Google My Business that it is a Financial Institution.  Is CrowFly LLC a financial institution?  

CrowFly financial institution?  Retrieved 4-9-2022

According to the Code of Federal Regulations 31 CFR 1010.100(t), a financial institution defined as:

Each agent, agency, branch, or office within the United States of any person doing business, whether or not on a regular basis or as an organized business concern, in one or more of the capacities listed below:

(1) A bank (except bank credit card systems);

(2) A broker or dealer in securities;

(3) A money services business as defined in paragraph (ff) of this section

(4) A telegraph company;

(5)

(i) Casino. A casino or gambling casino that: Is duly licensed or authorized to do business as such in the United States, whether under the laws of a State or of a Territory or Insular Possession of the United States, or under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act or other Federal, State, or tribal law or arrangement affecting Indian lands (including, without limitation, a casino operating on the assumption or under the view that no such authorization is required for casino operation on Indian lands); and has gross annual gaming revenue in excess of $1 million. The term includes the principal headquarters and every domestic branch or place of business of the casino.

(ii) For purposes of this paragraph (t)(5), “gross annual gaming revenue” means the gross gaming revenue received by a casino, during either the previous business year or the current business year of the casino. A casino or gambling casino which is a casino for purposes of this chapter solely because its gross annual gaming revenue exceeds $1,000,000 during its current business year, shall not be considered a casino for purposes of this chapter prior to the time in its current business year that its gross annual gaming revenue exceeds $1,000,000.

(iii) Any reference in this chapter, other than in this paragraph (t)(5) and in paragraph (t)(6) of this section, to a casino shall also include a reference to a card club, unless the provision in question contains specific language varying its application to card clubs or excluding card clubs from its application;

(6)

(i) Card club. A card club, gaming club, card room, gaming room, or similar gaming establishment that is duly licensed or authorized to do business as such in the United States, whether under the laws of a State, of a Territory or Insular Possession of the United States, or of a political subdivision of any of the foregoing, or under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act or other Federal, State, or tribal law or arrangement affecting Indian lands (including, without limitation, an establishment operating on the assumption or under the view that no such authorization is required for operation on Indian lands for an establishment of such type), and that has gross annual gaming revenue in excess of $1,000,000. The term includes the principal headquarters and every domestic branch or place of business of the establishment. The term “casino,” as used in this chapter shall include a reference to “card club” to the extent provided in paragraph (t)(5)(iii) of this section.

(ii) For purposes of this paragraph (t)(6), “gross annual gaming revenue” means the gross revenue derived from or generated by customer gaming activity (whether in the form of per-game or per-table fees, however computed, rentals, or otherwise) and received by an establishment, during either the establishment's previous business year or its current business year. A card club that is a financial institution for purposes of this chapter solely because its gross annual revenue exceeds $1,000,000 during its current business year, shall not be considered a financial institution for purposes of this chapter prior to the time in its current business year when its gross annual revenue exceeds $1,000,000;

(7) A person subject to supervision by any state or Federal bank supervisory authority;

(8) A futures commission merchant;

(9) An introducing broker in commodities; or

(10) A mutual fund.

(ff) Money services business. A person wherever located doing business, whether or not on a regular basis or as an organized or licensed business concern, wholly or in substantial part within the United States, in one or more of the capacities listed in paragraphs (ff)(1) through (ff)(7) of this section. This includes but is not limited to maintenance of any agent, agency, branch, or office within the United States.

(1) Dealer in foreign exchange. A person that accepts the currency, or other monetary instruments, funds, or other instruments denominated in the currency, of one or more countries in exchange for the currency, or other monetary instruments, funds, or other instruments denominated in the currency, of one or more other countries in an amount greater than $1,000 for any other person on any day in one or more transactions, whether or not for same-day delivery.

(2) Check casher -

(i) In general. A person that accepts checks (as defined in the Uniform Commercial Code), or monetary instruments (as defined at § 1010.100(dd)(1)(ii), (iii), (iv), and (v)) in return for currency or a combination of currency and other monetary instruments or other instruments, in an amount greater than $1,000 for any person on any day in one or more transactions.

(ii) Facts and circumstances; Limitations. Whether a person is a check casher as described in this section is a matter of facts and circumstances. The term “check casher” shall not include:

(A) A person that sells prepaid access in exchange for a check (as defined in the Uniform Commercial Code), monetary instrument or other instrument;

(B) A person that solely accepts monetary instruments as payment for goods or services other than check cashing services;

(C) A person that engages in check cashing for the verified maker of the check who is a customer otherwise buying goods and services;

(D) A person that redeems its own checks; or

(E) A person that only holds a customer's check as collateral for repayment by the customer of a loan.

(3) Issuer or seller of traveler's checks or money orders. A person that

(i) Issues traveler's checks or money orders that are sold in an amount greater than $1,000 to any person on any day in one or more transactions; or

(ii) Sells traveler's checks or money orders in an amount greater than $1,000 to any person on any day in one or more transactions.

(4) Provider of prepaid access -

(i) In general. A provider of prepaid access is the participant within a prepaid program that agrees to serve as the principal conduit for access to information from its fellow program participants. The participants in each prepaid access program must determine a single participant within the prepaid program to serve as the provider of prepaid access.

(ii) Considerations for provider determination. In the absence of registration as the provider of prepaid access for a prepaid program by one of the participants in a prepaid access program, the provider of prepaid access is the person with principal oversight and control over the prepaid program. Which person exercises “principal oversight and control” is a matter of facts and circumstances. Activities that indicate “principal oversight and control” include:

(A) Organizing the prepaid program;

(B) Setting the terms and conditions of the prepaid program and determining that the terms have not been exceeded;

(C) Determining the other businesses that will participate in the prepaid program, which may include the issuing bank, the payment processor, or the distributor;

(D) Controlling or directing the appropriate party to initiate, freeze, or terminate prepaid access; and

(E) Engaging in activity that demonstrates oversight and control of the prepaid program.

(iii) Prepaid program. A prepaid program is an arrangement under which one or more persons acting together provide(s) prepaid access. However, an arrangement is not a prepaid program if:

(A) It provides closed loop prepaid access to funds not to exceed $2,000 maximum value that can be associated with a prepaid access device or vehicle on any day;

(B) It provides prepaid access solely to funds provided by a Federal, State, local, Territory and Insular Possession, or Tribal government agency;

(C) It provides prepaid access solely to funds from pre-tax flexible spending arrangements for health care and dependent care expenses, or from Health Reimbursement Arrangements (as defined in 26 U.S.C. 105(b) and 125) for health care expenses; or

(D)

(1) It provides prepaid access solely to:

(i) Employment benefits, incentives, wages or salaries; or

(ii) Funds not to exceed $1,000 maximum value and from which no more than $1,000 maximum value can be initially or subsequently loaded, used, or withdrawn on any day through a device or vehicle; and

(2) It does not permit:

(i) Funds or value to be transmitted internationally;

(ii) Transfers between or among users of prepaid access within a prepaid program; or

(iii) Loading additional funds or the value of funds from non-depository sources.

(5) Money transmitter -

(i) In general.

(A) A person that provides money transmission services. The term “money transmission services” means the acceptance of currency, funds, or other value that substitutes for currency from one person and the transmission of currency, funds, or other value that substitutes for currency to another location or person by any means. “Any means” includes, but is not limited to, through a financial agency or institution; a Federal Reserve Bank or other facility of one or more Federal Reserve Banks, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or both; an electronic funds transfer network; or an informal value transfer system; or

(B) Any other person engaged in the transfer of funds.

(ii) Facts and circumstances; Limitations. Whether a person is a money transmitter as described in this section is a matter of facts and circumstances. The term “money transmitter” shall not include a person that only:

(A) Provides the delivery, communication, or network access services used by a money transmitter to support money transmission services;

(B) Acts as a payment processor to facilitate the purchase of, or payment of a bill for, a good or service through a clearance and settlement system by agreement with the creditor or seller;

(C) Operates a clearance and settlement system or otherwise acts as an intermediary solely between BSA regulated institutions. This includes but is not limited to the Fedwire system, electronic funds transfer networks, certain registered clearing agencies regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and derivatives clearing organizations, or other clearinghouse arrangements established by a financial agency or institution;

(D) Physically transports currency, other monetary instruments, other commercial paper, or other value that substitutes for currency as a person primarily engaged in such business, such as an armored car, from one person to the same person at another location or to an account belonging to the same person at a financial institution, provided that the person engaged in physical transportation has no more than a custodial interest in the currency, other monetary instruments, other commercial paper, or other value at any point during the transportation;

(E) Provides prepaid access; or

(F) Accepts and transmits funds only integral to the sale of goods or the provision of services, other than money transmission services, by the person who is accepting and transmitting the funds.

(6) U.S. Postal Service. The United States Postal Service, except with respect to the sale of postage or philatelic products.

(7) Seller of prepaid access. Any person that receives funds or the value of funds in exchange for an initial loading or subsequent loading of prepaid access if that person:

(i) Sells prepaid access offered under a prepaid program that can be used before verification of customer identification under § 1022.210(d)(1)(iv); or

(ii) Sells prepaid access (including closed loop prepaid access) to funds that exceed $10,000 to any person during any one day, and has not implemented policies and procedures reasonably adapted to prevent such a sale.

(8) Limitation. For the purposes of this section, the term “money services business” shall not include:

(i) A bank or foreign bank;

(ii) A person registered with, and functionally regulated or examined by, the SEC or the CFTC, or a foreign financial agency that engages in financial activities that, if conducted in the United States, would require the foreign financial agency to be registered with the SEC or CFTC; or

(iii) A natural person who engages in an activity identified in paragraphs (ff)(1) through (ff)(5) of this section on an infrequent basis and not for gain or profit.