Title 15 › Chapter CHAPTER 41— - CONSUMER CREDIT PROTECTION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - CONSUMER CREDIT COST DISCLOSURE › Part Part B— - Credit Transactions › § 1639c
Lenders must check and document that a borrower can afford a home loan before they make it. They must verify income, assets, credit history, job status, debts, and other money sources (not including the home’s equity). Lenders must use reliable papers like W–2s, tax returns, pay stubs, bank records, IRS tax transcripts, or fast third‑party checks. They must calculate payments as if the loan will fully amortize over its term and count taxes, insurance, and assessments. Some streamlined federal refinances can skip full income checks if rules are met (borrower is not 30+ days late, principal doesn’t increase except allowed fees, total points and fees ≤3% of the new loan, rate is lower unless switching AR to fixed, no balloon payment, and the loan fully amortizes). Lenders must warn and get counseling in certain negative‑amortization or first‑time non‑qualified cases. Lenders cannot finance most credit insurance or require arbitration for disputes. They must tell borrowers about state anti‑deficiency protections and explain partial‑payment policies before closing. Qualified mortgage (QM): a loan that meets set underwriting, fee, payment, and term limits so a lender can presume the ability‑to‑repay rules were met. Fully indexed rate: the index at loan time plus the margin that applies after any introductory rate. Loans that are not QMs cannot have prepayment penalties. QMs may have limited prepayment penalties: year 1 up to 3% of balance, year 2 up to 2%, year 3 up to 1%, and none after 3 years. The consumer protections and agency rulemaking described above have additional details and limited exceptions for small lenders and certain government programs.
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Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
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Reference
Citation
15 U.S.C. § 1639c
Title 15 — Commerce and Trade
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73