Look Up the Seller Before You Pay: Check the Regulator, the Roster, and the As-Of Date

A seller's name on a contract is only a starting point, so confirm who regulates the contract, whether the state publishes a roster, and what date that roster carries before you sign.

Before you pay for a vehicle or home service contract, the seller's name tells you less than it seems to. The more useful questions are whether the contract is sold under a state rule, who administers that rule, and whether the state publishes a list of the sellers or obligors it recognizes. This guide explains how to answer those questions from the record rather than from the sales conversation. It is a general explainer, not legal advice.

States

Vehicle and home service contracts are regulated state by state, and the rules differ. Some states name a regulator and set terms for the contract itself. Others use a different program, or do not single out these contracts at all. Start with the statute or program name, then identify the agency that enforces it. Each state page on this site names the regulator and the statute, says whether the state publishes a roster, and restates the rules in plain words. The Florida page and the Georgia page use the same layout, so you can compare how each state is handled. A state page summarizes the record, so confirm the statute itself before you rely on any single line.

Rosters

A roster is a list the state publishes of the sellers or obligors it recognizes under its rules. Where a state publishes one, the list carries an as-of date, and that date matters as much as the names. A company that appeared on the list at one date may not appear on it later, and a name missing from an older copy proves nothing about the present. Find the roster on the state's own site, note the as-of date, and check the seller's exact legal name against it. Match the obligor, meaning the entity that stands behind the contract, not only the storefront or the person selling it. If a state does not publish a roster, write that down and rely on the regulator's rules and the contract itself.

A roster listing is a registration fact. It shows that a name appeared on the state's list on the stated date. It does not rate the contract, promise that claims will be paid, or predict how the seller will treat you after the sale.

Lists

Before you commit, gather these items:

The regulator's name and the statute or program cited on the contract or on the state page.
The roster entry for the seller and the obligor, with the as-of date copied down.
The full contract, not a brochure or summary, including its terms and its cancellation section.
A check that the obligor's name on the contract matches the name on the roster and the name on your payment receipt.

Questions

Ask the seller these questions in writing and keep the answers:

Which state rule governs this contract, and which agency enforces it?
Is the obligor named in the contract on the state roster, and what is the as-of date of the copy you checked?
Is the entity that will receive my payment the same entity named as obligor?
Will you give me the full contract before I pay?
Where does the cancellation section say to send notice, and is that the address you have given me?

If the answer to any of these is 'I will check and call you back,' treat that gap as open until the written record closes it.

Method

This guide does not claim to have read every state roster or every contract. Each state page on this site says which states this edition has not read, and those states should be checked directly on the state's own site. Nothing here describes what any particular seller's contract includes or leaves out. Those terms belong to the document in your hands. Read the full contract, compare its terms against the regulator's rules as summarized on the state page, and bring a copy to whoever advises you on the purchase.