Consent Order Regarding The LCF Group, Inc. d/b/a LCF d/b/a Reliant Funding

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IN THE MATTER OF: *
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THE LCF GROUP, INC. * d/b/a LCF * CONSENT ORDER d/b/a RELIANT FUNDING * NMLS # 2477452 * * (“Respondent”) * *

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WHEREAS, the Banking Commissioner (“Commissioner”) is charged with the administration of
Part XVI of Chapter 669, Sections 36a-861 to 36a-872, inclusive, of the Connecticut General Statutes,
“Commercial Financing”, as amended;
WHEREAS, Respondent is a New York corporation with an office located at 3000 Marcus Ave., Suite 2w15, Lake Success, New York; WHEREAS, commercial financing providers were required to register with the Commissioner pursuant to Section 36a-870 of the Connecticut General Statutes, in effect at such time, on or before October 1, 2024; WHEREAS, on June 2, 2025, Respondent applied for a commercial financing provider registration in Connecticut on the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry (“NMLS”), which was approved on June 12, 2025; WHEREAS, Respondent represents that it made good faith efforts to comply with the commercial financing registration requirement upon becoming aware of it, and, promptly upon notice from the Department on May 28, 2025, submitted its registration application on NMLS;

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  WHEREAS, the Commissioner, through the Consumer Credit Division of the Department of Banking (“Department”), conducted an investigation pursuant to Section 36a-17(a) of the Connecticut General Statutes into the activities of Respondent to determine if it had violated, was violating or was about to violate the provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes within the jurisdiction of the Commissioner (“Investigation”); WHEREAS, as a result of such Investigation, the Commissioner alleges that, between October 1, 2024 and June 12, 2025, Respondent entered into seventy-four (74) commercial financing agreements without the required registration, in violation of Section 36a-870 of the Connecticut General Statutes, in effect at such time; WHEREAS, the Commissioner believes that such allegation would support initiation of enforcement proceedings against Respondent, including, without limitation, proceedings to issue an order to cease and desist against Respondent pursuant to Section 36a-872(b) of the 2026 Supplement to the General Statutes and Section 36a-52(a) of the Connecticut General Statutes and to impose a civil penalty of up to One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) per violation upon Respondent pursuant to Section 36a-872(a) of the Connecticut General Statutes in effect till July 1, 2025, Section 36a-872(b) of the 2026 Supplement to the General Statutes and Section 36a-50(a) of the Connecticut General Statutes; WHEREAS, initiation of such enforcement proceedings would constitute a “contested case” within the meaning of Section 4-166(4) of the Connecticut General Statutes. Section 4-177(c) of the Connecticut General Statutes and Section 36a-1-55(a) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies provide that a contested case may be resolved by consent order, unless precluded by law; WHEREAS, Respondent represents that, in connection with the passage of Commercial Financing laws as provided in Sections 36a-861 to 36a-872, inclusive, of the Connecticut General Statutes, Respondent implemented the disclosure requirements of Sections 36a-863 to 36a-867, inclusive, of the Connecticut General Statutes into its commercial financing agreements to ensure compliance with the statutory requirements;

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  WHEREAS, Respondent promptly cooperated with the Department’s Investigation and produced the requested commercial financing agreement transaction records in Connecticut; WHEREAS, the allegation referenced herein constitute statements of the Commissioner’s position only, this Consent Order does not contain any findings of fact or conclusions of law, and nothing in this Consent Order shall be construed as an adjudication of liability on the part of Respondent or any of its officers, directors, employees or affiliates; WHEREAS, the Investigation did not identify, and this Consent Order does not allege any harm in connection with Respondent’s commercial financing activities; WHEREAS, the Commissioner and Respondent acknowledge the possible consequences of formal administrative proceedings, and Respondent voluntarily agrees to consent to the entry of the sanctions imposed below without admitting or denying the allegation set forth herein, and solely for the purpose of obviating the need for formal administrative proceedings concerning the allegation set forth herein; WHEREAS, the Commissioner and Respondent now desire to resolve the matters set forth herein; WHEREAS, Respondent specifically assures the Commissioner that the violation alleged herein shall not occur in the future; WHEREAS, Respondent acknowledges that it has had the opportunity to consult with and be represented by independent counsel in negotiating and reviewing this Consent Order and executes this Consent Order freely; WHEREAS, Respondent acknowledges that this Consent Order is a public record and is a reportable event for purposes of the regulatory disclosure questions on NMLS, as applicable; AND WHEREAS, Respondent, through its execution of this Consent Order, voluntarily agrees to waive its procedural rights, including a right to a notice and an opportunity for a hearing as it pertains to the allegation set forth herein, and voluntarily waives its right to seek judicial review or otherwise challenge or contest the validity of this Consent Order.

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  CONSENT TO ENTRY OF SANCTIONS
  WHEREAS, Respondent, through its execution of this Consent Order, consents to the Commissioner’s entry of a Consent Order imposing the following sanctions:
  1. Respondent shall not engage in commercial financing activity in Connecticut without a
  registration, in violation of Section 36a-870 of the 2026 Supplement to the General Statutes
  2. No later than the date this Consent Order is executed by Respondent, it shall remit to the
  Department of Banking by electronic funds transfer, cashier’s check, certified check or money order made payable to “Treasurer, State of Connecticut”, the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) as a civil penalty; and
  3. No later than the date this Consent Order is executed by Respondent, it shall remit to the
  Department of Banking by electronic funds transfer, cashier’s check, certified check or money order made payable to “Treasurer, State of Connecticut”, the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) as back registration fees. CONSENT ORDER NOW THEREFORE, the Commissioner enters the following:
  1. The Sanctions set forth above be and are hereby entered;
  2. Upon issuance of this Consent Order by the Commissioner, this matter will be resolved and the
  Commissioner will not take any future enforcement action against Respondent based upon the allegation set forth herein; provided that issuance of this Consent Order is without prejudice to the right of the Commissioner to take enforcement action against Respondent based upon a violation of this Consent Order or the matters underlying its entry, if the Commissioner determines that compliance with the terms herein is not being observed or if any representation made by Respondent and reflected herein is subsequently discovered to be untrue;
  3. Subject to the foregoing, and so long as this Consent Order is promptly disclosed by
  Respondent and its control persons on NMLS, as applicable, nothing in the issuance of this Consent Order shall adversely affect the ability of Respondent to apply for or obtain renewal registrations under Part XVI of Chapter 669, Sections 36a-861 et seq., of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended, provided that all applicable legal requirements for any such registration are satisfied and the terms of this Consent Order are being followed;
  4. This Consent Order shall be binding upon Respondent and its successors and assigns; and
  5. This Consent Order shall become final when issued.
  /s/___________________________
  Issued at Hartford, Connecticut Jorge L. Perez this 9th day of September 2026. Banking Commissioner

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  I, Robert Kleiber___, state on behalf of The LCF Group, Inc. d/b/a LCF d/b/a Reliant Funding, that I have read the foregoing Consent Order; that I know and fully understand its contents; that I am authorized to execute this Consent Order on behalf of The LCF Group, Inc. d/b/a LCF d/b/a Reliant Funding; that The LCF Group, Inc. d/b/a LCF d/b/a Reliant Funding agrees freely and without threat or coercion of any kind to comply with the sanctions entered and terms and conditions ordered herein; and that The LCF Group, Inc. d/b/a LCF d/b/a Reliant Funding voluntarily agrees to enter into this Consent Order, expressly waiving the procedural rights set forth herein as to the matters described herein. By: /s/___________________________ Name: Robert Kleiber Title: CEO The LCF Group, Inc. d/b/a LCF d/b/a Reliant Funding State of: New York___ County of: Nassau_____ On this the 13th day of August__ 2026, before me, Adam J. Feldman, the undersigned officer, personally appeared Robert Kleiber___, who acknowledged himself/herself to be the CEO__ of The LCF Group, Inc. d/b/a LCF d/b/a Reliant Funding, a corporation, and that he/she as such __________ CEO , being authorized so to do, executed the foregoing instrument for the purposes therein contained, by signing the name of the corporation by himself/herself as _______ CEO . In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand. /s/___ Notary Public Date Commission Expires: Jan. 5, 2030