§1615 — Title 15 Commerce and Trade | U.S. Code

Summary

Lenders must quickly give back any interest a borrower didn’t owe when a consumer pays off a loan early. No refund is needed if the total would be less than $1. This rule covers any early payoff no matter why it happens, including refinancing, combining loans, changing the loan, or speeding up the payment. For precomputed loans longer than 61 months made after September 30, 1993, the refund must use a method that is at least as good for the borrower as the actuarial method. If a borrower asks for the payoff amount, the lender has 5 days to send a statement showing how much to pay and any refund amount. A written request must get a written reply. Each borrower can get one such statement free each year. Lenders may charge a reasonable fee for extra statements if they tell the borrower the cost first. Definitions: actuarial method — a way to apply each payment first to interest then to the loan balance; consumer — the borrower (see section 1602 for the official meaning); creditor — the lender and anyone who later takes over the loan.

Title 15, §1615

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)If a consumer prepays in full the financed amount under any consumer credit transaction, the creditor shall promptly refund any unearned portion of the interest charge to the consumer.

(2)No refund shall be required under paragraph (1) with respect to the prepayment of any consumer credit transaction if the total amount of the refund would be less than $1.

(3)This subsection shall apply with respect to any prepayment of a consumer credit transaction described in paragraph (1) without regard to the manner or the reason for the prepayment, including—

(A)any prepayment made in connection with the refinancing, consolidation, or restructuring of the transaction; and

(B)any prepayment made as a result of the acceleration of the obligation to repay the amount due with respect to the transaction.

(b)For the purpose of calculating any refund of interest required under subsection (a) for any precomputed consumer credit transaction of a term exceeding 61 months which is consummated after September 30, 1993, the creditor shall compute the refund based on a method which is at least as favorable to the consumer as the actuarial method.

(c)(1)Before the end of the 5-day period beginning on the date an oral or written request is received by a creditor from a consumer for the disclosure of the amount due on any precomputed consumer credit account, the creditor or assignee shall provide the consumer with a statement of—

(A)the amount necessary to prepay the account in full; and

(B)if the amount disclosed pursuant to subparagraph (A) includes an amount which is required to be refunded under this section with respect to such prepayment, the amount of such refund.

(2)If the customer’s request is in writing, the statement under paragraph (1) shall be in writing.

(3)A consumer shall be entitled to obtain 1 statement under paragraph (1) each year without charge.

(4)Any creditor may impose a reasonable fee to cover the cost of providing any statement under paragraph (1) to any consumer in addition to the 1 free annual statement required under paragraph (3) if the amount of the charge for such additional statement is disclosed to the consumer before furnishing such statement.

(d)For the purpose of this section—

(1)The term “actuarial method” means the method of allocating payments made on a debt between the amount financed and the finance charge pursuant to which a payment is applied first to the accumulated finance charge and any remainder is subtracted from, or any deficiency is added to, the unpaid balance of the amount financed.

(2)The terms “consumer” and “creditor” have the meanings given to such terms in section 1602 of this title.

(3)The term “creditor”—

(A)has the meaning given to such term in section 1602 of this title; and

(B)includes any assignee of any creditor with respect to credit extended in connection with any consumer credit transaction and any subsequent assignee with respect to such credit.

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, and not as part of the Consumer Credit Protection Act which comprises this chapter.

§1615 Prohibition on Use of “rule of 78’s” in Connection with Mortgage Refinancings and Other Consumer Loans

Summary

Title 15, §1615

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

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