Title 12 › Chapter CHAPTER 13— - NATIONAL HOUSING › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER X— - NATIONAL DEFENSE HOUSING INSURANCE › § 1750c
If a lender (the mortgagee) forecloses or otherwise takes a house after the borrower (the mortgagor) defaults and follows the Secretary’s rules and time limits, the lender can get the mortgage insurance benefits. To get them, the lender must quickly give clear title to the Secretary and assign to the Secretary any claims from the mortgage or foreclosure (except those the Secretary agreed to release). Once the transfer and assignment happen, the lender stops paying insurance premiums and gets government debentures (long-term IOUs) equal to the mortgage’s value and a certificate of claim paid under other rules. The mortgage’s value is the unpaid principal at the start of foreclosure or acquisition plus certain payments the lender made (taxes, assessments, insurance, insurance premiums), minus amounts later received on the loan and rent income (after reasonable expenses). If foreclosure happened before the borrower had paid an amount equal to 10% of the property’s appraised value, some foreclosure costs the lender paid may be added to the debentures, subject to limits (either up to 2% of the unpaid principal but not over $75, or up to two-thirds of the actual cost, whichever is larger). For debentures issued on or after September 2, 1964, and with the lender’s consent, up to one-third more of actual approved foreclosure and conveyance costs may be included, but total added cannot exceed what was actually paid. Mortgages affected by the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act may get extra compensation for losses from postponing foreclosure during military service and for three months after. The Secretary may release a borrower from loan liability or remove parts of property from the mortgage lien. Debentures will be in $50 multiples, signed for the General Insurance Fund, negotiable, and dated as of foreclosure (or, for claims filed on or after September 2, 1964, as of default or a later date the Secretary sets). Interest is fixed when the mortgage was insured, cannot exceed 3% per year, pays on January 1 and July 1, and debentures mature in 20 years. Small differences up to $350 between the value owed and debentures issued can be paid in cash from the General Insurance Fund. Debentures are tax-exempt except for surtaxes, estate, inheritance, or gift taxes, are guaranteed by the United States, and the Treasury must pay holders if the Fund cannot. The Secretary can manage, repair, insure, rent, sell, or otherwise handle properties received, pursue assigned claims, and delegate conveyance powers to officers. Lenders and borrowers get no property rights or special duties from the Secretary’s handling or selling of such property or claims.
Full Legal Text
Banks and Banking — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
12 U.S.C. § 1750c
Title 12 — Banks and Banking
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73