AN ACT to protect consumers regarding covered loans and to increase the commissioner's disciplinary authority over licensees under the mortgage lending act.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1. G.S. 24‑1.1E(a)(5) reads as rewritten:
"(5)	"Points and fees" is defined as provided in this subdivision.
a.	The term includes all of the following:
1.	All items required to be disclosed under sections 226.4(a) and 226.4(b) of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as amended from time to time, except interest or the time‑price differential.
2.	All charges for items listed under section 226.4(c)(7) of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as amended from time to time, but only if the lender receives direct or indirect compensation in connection with the charge or the charge is paid to an affiliate of the lender; otherwise, the charges are not included within the meaning of the phrase "points and fees".
3.	To the extent not otherwise included in sub‑subdivision a.1. or a.2. of this subdivision, all compensation paid from any source to a mortgage broker, including compensation paid to a mortgage broker in a table‑funded transaction. A bona fide sale of a loan in the secondary mortgage market shall not be considered a table‑funded transaction, and a table‑funded transaction shall not be considered a secondary market transaction.
4.	The maximum prepayment fees and penalties which may be charged or collected under the terms of the loan documents.
b.	Notwithstanding the remaining provisions of this subdivision, the term does not include (i) taxes, filing fees, recording and other charges and fees paid or to be paid to public officials for determining the existence of or for perfecting, releasing, or satisfying a security interest; and (ii) fees paid to a person other than a lender or an affiliate of the lender or to the mortgage broker or an affiliate of the mortgage broker for the following: fees for tax payment services; fees for flood certification; fees for pest infestation and flood determinations; appraisal fees; fees for inspections performed prior to closing; credit reports; surveys; attorneys' fees (if the borrower has the right to select the attorney from an approved list or otherwise); notary fees; escrow charges, so long as not otherwise included under sub‑subdivision a. of this subdivision; title insurance premiums; and premiums for insurance against loss or damage to property, including hazard insurance and flood insurance premiums, provided that the conditions in section 226.4(d)(2) of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations are met.
c.	For open‑end credit plans, the term includes those points and fees described in sub‑subdivisions a.1. through a.3. of this subdivision that are charged at or before loan closing, plus (i) the minimum additional fees the borrower would be required to pay to draw down an amount equal to the total loan amount, and (ii) the maximum prepayment fees and penalties which may be charged or collected under the terms of the loan documents."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 24‑1.1E(a) is amended by adding the following new subdivisions to read:
"(4a)	"Mortgage broker" is as defined in G.S. 53‑243.01(14).
…
(5a)	A "table‑funded transaction" is a loan transaction closed by a mortgage broker in the mortgage broker's own name with funds advanced by a person other than the mortgage broker in which the loan is assigned contemporaneously or within one business day of the funding of the loan to the person that advanced the funds."
SECTION 3. G.S. 24‑1.1E is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(g)	A mortgage broker who brokers a high‑cost home loan that violates any provisions of subsection (b) or (c) of this section shall be jointly and severally liable with the lender."
SECTION 4. Article 1 of Chapter 24 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 24‑1.1F.  Rate spread home loans.
"(a)	Definitions.–The following definitions apply for purposes of this section:
(1)	Annual percentage rate. – The annual percentage rate for the loan calculated according to the provisions of the federal Truth‑in‑Lending Act (15 U.S.C. § 1601, et seq.) and the regulations promulgated thereunder by the Federal Reserve Board, as that Act and regulations are amended from time to time.
(2)	Closed‑end loan. – A loan other than an open‑end credit plan as defined in this section.
(3)	Home loan. – A loan that has all of the following characteristics:
a.	The loan is not an equity line of credit as defined in G.S. 24‑9(a)(2), a construction loan as defined in G.S. 24‑10(c), or a reverse mortgage transaction.
b.	The borrower is a natural person.
c.	The debt is incurred by the borrower primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.
d.	The principal amount of the loan does not exceed the conforming loan size limit for a single‑family dwelling as established from time to time for Fannie Mae.
e.	The loan is secured by (i) a security interest in a manufactured home, as defined in G.S. 143‑147(7), in the State which is or will be occupied by the borrower as the borrower's principal dwelling, (ii) a mortgage or deed of trust on real property in the State upon which there is located an existing structure designed principally for occupancy of from one to four families that is or will be occupied by the borrower as the borrower's principal dwelling, or (iii) a mortgage or deed of trust on real property in the State upon which there is to be constructed using the loan proceeds a structure or structures designed principally for occupancy of from one to four families which, when completed, will be occupied by the borrower as the borrower's principal dwelling.
f.	A purpose of the loan is to (i) purchase the dwelling, (ii) construct, repair, rehabilitate, remodel, or improve the dwelling or the real property on which it is located, (iii) satisfy and replace an existing obligation secured by the same real property, or (iv) consolidate existing consumer debts into a new home loan. 
(4)	Mortgage broker. – A mortgage broker as defined in G.S. 53‑243.01(14).
(5)	Obligor. – Each borrower, co‑borrower, cosigner, or guarantor obligated to repay a rate spread home loan.
(6)	Open‑end credit plan. – Credit extended by a lender under a plan in which (i) the lender reasonably contemplates repeated transactions, (ii) the lender may charge interest or otherwise impose a finance charge from time to time on an outstanding unpaid balance, and (iii) the amount of credit that may be extended to the obligor during the term of the plan, up to any credit limit set by the lender, is generally made available to the extent that any outstanding balance is repaid. 
(7)	Rate spread home loan. – A home loan in which all the following apply: 
a.	The difference between the annual percentage rate for the loan and the yield on U.S. Treasury securities having comparable periods of maturity is either equal to or greater than (i) 3 percentage points (3%), if the loan is secured by a first lien mortgage or deed of trust, or (ii) 5 percentage points (5%), if the loan is secured by a subordinate lien mortgage or deed of trust. Without regard to whether the loan is subject to or reportable under the provisions of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (12 U.S.C. § 2801, et seq.) (HMDA), the difference between the annual percentage rate and the yield on Treasury securities having comparable periods of maturity shall be determined using the same procedures and calculation methods applicable to loans that are subject to the reporting requirements of HMDA, as those procedures and calculation methods are amended from time to time, provided that the yield on Treasury securities shall be determined as of the fifteenth day of the month prior to the application for the loan.
b.	The difference between the annual percentage rate for the loan and the conventional mortgage rate is either equal to or greater than (i) 1.75 percentage points (1.75%), if the loan is secured by a first lien mortgage or deed of trust, or (ii) 3.75 percentage points (3.75%), if the loan is secured by a subordinate lien mortgage or deed of trust. For purposes of this calculation, the "conventional mortgage rate" means the most recent daily contract interest rate on commitments for fixed‑rate first mortgages published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in its Statistical Release H.15, or any publication that may supersede it, during the week preceding the week in which the interest rate for the loan is set.
(b)	No prepayment fees or penalties shall be charged or collected on a rate spread home loan. 
(c)	No lender shall make a rate spread home loan unless the lender reasonably and in good faith believes at the time the loan is consummated that one or more of the obligors, when considered individually or collectively, has the ability to repay the loan according to its terms and to pay applicable real estate taxes and hazard insurance premiums. If a lender making a rate spread home loan knows that one or more mortgage loans secured by the same real property will be made contemporaneously to the same borrower with the rate spread home loan being made by that lender, the lender making the rate spread home loan must document the borrower's ability to repay the combined payments of all loans on the same real property.
(1)	A lender's analysis of an obligor's ability to repay a rate spread home loan according to the loan terms and to pay related real estate taxes and insurance premiums shall be based on a consideration of the obligor's credit history, current and expected income, current obligations, employment status, and other financial resources other than the obligor's equity in the real property that secures repayment of the rate spread home loan.
(2)	In determining an obligor's ability to repay a rate spread home loan, the lender shall take reasonable steps to verify the accuracy and completeness of information provided by or on behalf of the obligor using tax returns, payroll receipts, bank records, reasonable alternative methods, or reasonable third‑party verification. 
(3)	In determining an obligor's ability to repay a rate spread home loan according to its terms when the loan has an adjustable rate feature, the lender shall take into consideration any balance increase that may accrue from any negative amortization provision. The lender shall calculate the monthly payment amount for principal and interest by assuming (i) the loan proceeds are fully disbursed on the date of the loan closing, (ii) the loan is to be repaid in substantially equal monthly amortizing payments of principal and interest over the entire term of the loan, with no balloon payment, and (iii) the interest rate over the entire term of the loan is a fixed rate equal to the fully indexed interest rate at the time of the loan closing, without considering any initial discounted rate. The "fully indexed interest rate at the time of the loan closing" is the interest rate that would have applied at the time of the closing had the initial interest rate been determined by the application of the same interest rate formula, (for example, an interest rate index plus or minus a margin) that applies under the terms of the loan documents to subsequent interest rate adjustments, disregarding any limitations on the amount by which the interest rate may change at any one time.
(4)	A lender's analysis of an obligor's ability to repay a rate spread loan may utilize reasonable commercially recognized underwriting standards and methodologies, including automated underwriting systems, provided the standards and methodologies comply with the provisions of this section.
(d)	The making of a rate spread home loan which violates subsection (b) or (c) of this section is hereby declared usurious in violation of the provisions of this Chapter. In addition, any prepayment penalty in violation of this section shall be unenforceable. However, an obligor shall not be entitled to recover twice for the same wrong. The Attorney General, the Commissioner of Banks, or any party to a rate spread home loan may enforce the provisions of this section. This section establishes specific consumer protections in rate spread home loans in addition to other consumer protections that may be otherwise available by law. A mortgage broker who brokers a rate spread home loan that violates the provisions of this section shall be jointly and severally liable with the lender.
(e)	The provisions of this section shall apply to any person who in bad faith attempts to avoid the application of this section by (i) dividing any loan transaction into separate parts for the purpose and with the intent of evading the provisions of this section, or (ii) any other such subterfuge. 
(f)	A lender in a rate spread home loan who, when acting in good faith, fails to comply with this section, will not be deemed to have violated this section if the lender establishes that either:
(1)	Within 90 days of the loan closing and prior to the institution of any action against the lender under this section, the borrower was notified of the compliance failure, the lender tendered appropriate restitution, the lender offered, at the borrower's option, either to (i) make the rate spread home loan comply with subsection (b) or (c), or (ii) change the terms of the loan in a manner beneficial to the borrower so that the loan will no longer be considered a rate spread home loan subject to the provisions of this section, and within a reasonable period of time following the borrower's election of remedies, the lender took appropriate action based on the borrower's choice; or
(2)	The compliance failure was not intentional and resulted from a bona fide error notwithstanding the maintenance of procedures reasonably adopted to avoid such errors, and within 120 days after the discovery of the compliance failure and prior to the institution of any action against the lender under this section or the lender's receipt of written notice of the compliance failure, the borrower was notified of the compliance failure, the lender tendered appropriate restitution, the lender offered, at the borrower's option, either to (i) make the rate spread home loan comply with subsection (b) or (c) of this section, or (ii) change the terms of the loan in a manner beneficial to the borrower so that the loan will no longer be considered a rate spread home loan subject to the provisions of this section, and within a reasonable period of time following the borrower's election of remedies, the lender took appropriate action based on the borrower's choice. Examples of a bona fide error include clerical, calculation, computer malfunction and programming, and printing errors. An error of legal judgment with respect to a person's obligations under this section is not a bona fide error.
(g)	The provisions of this section shall be severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence, or provision is declared to be invalid or is preempted by federal law or regulation, the validity of the remainder of this section shall not be affected thereby."
SECTION 5. G.S. 24‑10.2 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(h)	A mortgage broker who brokers a consumer home loan that violates the provisions of this section shall be jointly and severally liable with the lender."
SECTION 6.  G.S. 53‑243.04 reads as rewritten:
"§ 53‑243.04.  Rule‑making authority.
The Commissioner may adopt any rules that the Commissioner deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this Article, to provide for the protection of the borrowing public, to instruct mortgage lenders or brokers in interpreting this Article, and to implement and interpret the provisions of G.S. 24‑1.1E, 24‑1.1F, and 24‑10.2 as they apply to licensees under this Article."
SECTION 7. G.S. 53‑243.10 reads as rewritten:
"§ 53‑243.10.  Mortgage broker duties.
A mortgage broker, including any mortgage broker licensee and any person required to be licensed as a mortgage broker under this Article, shall, in addition to duties imposed by other statutes or at common law, shall do all of the following:
(1)	Safeguard and account for any money handled for the borrower.
(2)	Follow reasonable and lawful instructions from the borrower.
(3)	Act with reasonable skill, care, and diligence.
(4)	Make reasonable efforts to secure a loan that is reasonably advantageous to the borrower considering all the circumstances, including the rates, charges, and repayment terms of the loan.
(5)	Timely and clearly disclose to the borrower material information as specified by the Commission that may be expected to influence the borrower's decision and is reasonably accessible to the mortgage broker, including the total compensation the mortgage broker expects to receive from any and all sources in connection with each loan option presented to the borrower.
(6)	Notify before closing each lender of the particulars of each of the other lender's loans if the mortgage broker knows that more than one mortgage loan will be made by different lenders contemporaneously to a borrower secured by the same real property.
(7)	Ensure that any services offered to any applicant shall be available and offered to all similarly situated applicants on an equal basis.
(8)	In transactions where the broker has the ability to make credit decisions, use reasonable means to provide borrower with prompt credit decisions on its loan applications and, where the credit is denied, to comply fully with the notification requirements applicable state and federal law.
(9)	Ensure that its advertising materials are designed to make customers and potential customers aware that one mortgage broker does not discriminate on any prohibited basis.
(10)	Provide applicants to whom credit has been denied opportunities to correct or explain adverse or inadequate information, or to provide additional information." 
SECTION 8. G.S. 53‑243.11 reads as rewritten:
"§ 53‑243.11. Prohibited activities.
In addition to the activities prohibited under other provisions of this Article, it shall be unlawful for any person in the course of any mortgage loan transaction:
(1)	To misrepresent or conceal the material facts or make false promises likely to influence, persuade, or induce an applicant for a mortgage loan or a mortgagor to take a mortgage loan, or to pursue a course of misrepresentation through agents or otherwise.
(2)	To refuse improperly to issue a satisfaction of a mortgage.
(3)	To fail to account for or to deliver to any person any funds, documents, or other thing of value obtained in connection with a mortgage loan, including money provided by a borrower for a real estate appraisal or a credit report, which the mortgage banker, broker, or loan officer is not entitled to retain under the circumstances.
(4)	To pay, receive, or collect in whole or in part any commission, fee, or other compensation for brokering a mortgage loan in violation of this Article, including a mortgage loan brokered by any unlicensed person other than an exempt person.
(5)	To charge or collect any fee or rate of interest or to make or broker any mortgage loan with terms or conditions or in a manner contrary to the provisions of Chapter 24 of the General Statutes.
(6)	To advertise mortgage loans, including rates, margins, discounts, points, fees, commissions, or other material information, including material limitations on the loans, unless the person is able to make the mortgage loans available to a reasonable number of qualified applicants.
(7)	To fail to disburse funds in accordance with a written commitment or agreement to make a mortgage loan.
(8)	To engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business that is not in good faith or fair dealing or that constitutes a fraud upon any person, in connection with the brokering or making of, or purchase or sale of, any mortgage loan.
(9)	To fail promptly to pay when due reasonable fees to a licensed appraiser for appraisal services that are:
a.	Requested from the appraiser in writing by the mortgage broker or mortgage banker or an employee of the mortgage broker or mortgage banker; and
b.	Performed by the appraiser in connection with the origination or closing of a mortgage loan for a customer or the mortgage broker or mortgage banker.
(10)	To broker a mortgage loan that contains a prepayment penalty if the principal amount of the loan is one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) or less or if the loan is a rate spread home loan as defined in G.S. 24‑1.1F.
(11)	To improperly influence or attempt to improperly influence the development, reporting, result, or review of a real estate appraisal sought in connection with a mortgage loan. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to prohibit a mortgage broker or mortgage banker from asking the appraiser to do one or more of the following:
a.	Consider additional appropriate property information.
b.	Provide further detail, substantiation, or explanation for the appraiser's value conclusion.
c.	Correct errors in the appraisal report.
(12)	To fail to comply with the mortgage loan servicing transfer, escrow account administration, or borrower inquiry response requirements imposed by sections 6 and 10 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), 12 U.S.C. § 2605 and § 2609, and regulations adopted there under by the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(13)	To broker a rate spread adjustable rate mortgage loan without disclosing to the borrower the terms and costs associated with a fixed rate loan from the same lender at the lowest annual percentage rate for which the borrower qualifies.
(14)	To fail to comply with applicable federal laws and regulations related to mortgage lending.
(15)	To engage in unfair, misleading, or deceptive advertising related to a solicitation for a mortgage loan."
SECTION 9.  G.S. 53‑243.12 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(m)	Subject to the provisions of G.S. 53‑243.03, the Commissioner may, by order, prohibit licensees under this Article from engaging in acts and practices in connection with mortgage loans that the Commissioner finds to be unfair, deceptive, designed to evade the laws of this State, or that are not in the best interest of the borrowing public."

SECTION 10.  This act becomes effective January 1, 2008. Section 1 of this act applies to consumer home loans entered into on or after that date.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 2nd day of August, 2007.

	s/	 Beverly E. Perdue
	 President of the Senate

	s/	 Joe Hackney
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Michael F. Easley
	 Governor

Approved 11:48 a.m. this 16th day of August, 2007