SB 582 Maryland Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Consumer Protection - Unsolicited Loans

SB 582 prohibits creditors from sending checks or negotiable instruments for loans to individuals who haven’t applied for or requested credit. It directly affects consumers who receive unsolicited loan offers and creditors who send them. The bill states that recipients aren’t liable for the check amount unless they actually cash it, and violators face misdemeanor penalties with fines up to $500. The law takes effect October 1, 2026, and amends Maryland’s Commercial Law (Section 14-1330).

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Feb 4, 2026 Signed Apr 28, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Third - Consumer Protection - Unsolicited Loans → Enrolled - Consumer Protection - Unsolicited Loans · 3 edits · Apr 28, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized and enrolled for the Governor's signature, adding standard legal formatting and proofreader signatures. The core policy text was significantly modified to tighten restrictions on unsolicited checks by changing the prohibited credit types from general 'credit' to specifically 'secured credit' and by narrowing the exemption for convenience checks to only those used for accessing an 'existing credit line' rather than any credit line.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed to apply only to offers of secured credit, whereas the previous version prohibited offers of any type of credit.

SCOPE

The prohibition on sending unsolicited checks now applies only to 'secured credit' offers, removing the ban on unsolicited offers for unsecured credit.

ELIGIBILITY

The exemption for convenience checks was narrowed to apply only when the check is used to access an 'existing credit line,' closing a potential loophole where new credit lines could be opened via unsolicited checks.

TECHNICAL

Standard enrolled bill formatting was added, including proofreader signatures and the Great Seal presentation language.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 24, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2026

How they voted

44–0

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 49

Mar 24, 2026

D Democratic36

33 Yea 3

91% Yea

R Republican13

11 Yea 2

84% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 28, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 316

executive

Apr 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Enrolled

upper

Apr 10, 2026

Introduced

Senate Concurs House Amendments

upper

Apr 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Apr 8, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

lower

Apr 8, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Economic Matters

lower

Mar 25, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (137-0-5)

house of delegates

Mar 24, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (44-0-5)

senate

Mar 20, 2026

Committee

Referred Economic Matters

lower

Mar 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Mar 17, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

upper

Mar 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance

upper

Feb 4, 2026

Committee

First Reading Finance

upper

3 primary · 0 co-sponsors