Title 12 › Chapter CHAPTER 13— - NATIONAL HOUSING › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VI— - WAR HOUSING INSURANCE › § 1743
The Secretary may insure certain mortgages, including construction advances, if they meet the rules below. The borrower (mortgagor) must be approved by the Secretary. The Secretary can require the borrower to follow limits on rents, sales, charges, capital structure, rate of return, and how it operates. The Secretary may buy up to $100 of stock or interest in the borrower to make those rules work. That purchase is paid from the General Insurance Fund and must be redeemed at par when the Secretary’s obligations end. The Secretary must give priority to World War II veterans and their immediate families and to hardship cases, under the Secretary’s rules. The mortgage principal cannot be more than $5,000,000. It also cannot be more than 90 percent of the Secretary’s estimate of the current cost to finish the property, including land, on-site utilities, architects’ fees, taxes and construction interest, and other approved costs. The mortgage must not exceed the cost of the completed physical improvements (excluding off-site utilities, streets, and organization or legal expenses). The mortgage also may not exceed 90 percent of the Secretary’s estimate of replacement cost based on costs as of December 31, 1947, for similar quality properties in the area. For dwelling parts, the limit is $8,100 per family unit. If the borrower misses a payment and the default lasts 30 days, the lender (mortgagee) can get insurance benefits by assigning to the Secretary the mortgage rights, claims, insurance policies, any unpaid loan balance, deposits held for the borrower, and related records, under rules the Secretary sets. After assignment the lender stops paying insurance premiums and the Secretary gives debentures and a certificate of claim equal to the mortgage’s value. The mortgage value adds the unpaid principal at default and certain expenses the lender paid, minus a 1 percent deduction of the unpaid principal, amounts received after default, and net income from the property (the 1 percent deduction does not apply if the lender forecloses and conveys good title to the Secretary). The Secretary keeps any leftover amounts from the certificate and may issue debentures dated and bearing interest from the default date. Other cross-referenced rules also apply, and the Secretary may insure mortgages made when selling properties he acquired without regard to other limits.
Full Legal Text
Banks and Banking — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
12 U.S.C. § 1743
Title 12 — Banks and Banking
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73