WOOD RIVER, Ill. (Legal Newsline) - A travel service company announced on Tuesday that it has settled with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan for allegedly violating the state's unfair competition and advertising laws.

The Attorney General's Office filed a civil complaint against YTB International Inc. in May 2009.

In a company news release, YTB said it reached the settlement "without admitting or denying any allegations in the complaint."

According to YTB, it complied with the Attorney General's Office for all requests of information and agreed to enter into a final judgment and consent decree by the court "without trial or adjudication of any issue of fact or law."

As part of the settlement, the company also agreed to make a civil restitution payment of $150,000.

The Attorney General's Office will determine eligibility for restitution, according to the company. However, YTB said it always has been company policy to issue refunds immediately upon requests that fall under the appropriate refund guidelines.

"We're pleased to have this matter behind us and be able to move forward, focusing on the future," J. Scott Tomer, chairman of YTB, said in a statement.

YTB, which is based in Wood River, Ill., provides e-commerce business solutions for individual consumers and home-based independent representatives in the United States, Bermuda, the Bahamas and Canada. The company operates through two subsidiaries: ZamZuu, Inc. (formerly YTB Marketing Inc. and YourTravelBiz.com Inc.) and YTB Travel Network Inc.

The company was recognized as the 29th largest seller of travel in the U.S. in Travel Weekly's 2010 Power List, based on 2009 annual retail value of travel services booked.

From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by e-mail at jessica@legalnewsline.com.