A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to update the rate spread and High‑cost home loans statutes, and to make a conforming change to the emergency Program to Reduce Home Foreclosures Act.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 24‑1.1E(a)(5) reads as rewritten:
"§ 24‑1.1E  Restrictions and limitations on high‑cost home loans.
(a)	Definitions. – The following definitions apply for the purposes of this section:
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(5)	"Points and fees" is defined as provided in this subdivision.
a.	The term includes all of the following:
1.	All items paid by a borrower at or before closing and that are 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 paid by a borrower at or before closing and that are 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, 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. 24‑1.1F reads as rewritten:
"§ 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)	Average prime offer rate. – An annual percentage rate published by the Federal Reserve Board and that is derived from average interest rates, points, and other loan pricing terms currently offered to consumers by a representative sample of creditors for mortgage transactions that have low‑risk pricing characteristics.
							(4)	(Effective until January 1, 2009) Mortgage broker. – A mortgage broker as defined in G.S. 53‑243.01(14).
(4)	(Effective January 1, 2009) Mortgage broker. – A mortgage broker as defined in G.S. 53‑243.01.
		(7)	Rate spread home loan. – A  loan in which all the following apply:
		
a.	The loan is not (i) an equity line of credit as defined in G.S. 24‑9, (ii) a construction loan as defined in G.S. 24‑10, (iii) a reverse mortgage transaction, or (iv) a bridge loan with a term of 12 months or less, such as a loan to purchase a new dwelling where the borrower plans to sell a current dwelling within 12 months.
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 by Fannie Mae.
e.	The loan is secured by (i) a security interest in a manufactured home, as defined in G.S. 143‑145, 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.	The loan's annual percentage rate exceeds each of the following:
1.	The average prime offer rate for a comparable transaction as of the date the interest rate for the loan is set by (i) one and one‑half percentage points (1.5%) or more, if the loan is secured by a first lien mortgage or deed of trust or (ii) three and one‑half percentage points (3.5%) or more, if the loan is secured by a subordinate lien mortgage or deed of trust.
2.	The conventional mortgage rate by (i) one and three‑quarters percentage points (1.75%) or more, if the loan is secured by a first lien mortgage or deed of trust, or (ii) three and three‑quarters percentage points (3.75%) or more, 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.
3.	The yield on U.S. Treasury securities having comparable periods of maturity by (i) three percentage points (3%) or more, if the loan is secured by a first lien mortgage or deed of trust, or (ii) five percentage points (5%) or more, 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)	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 to a borrower based on the value of the borrower's collateral without due regard to the borrower's repayment ability as of consummation, including the borrower's current and reasonably expected income, employment, assets other than the collateral, current obligations, and mortgage‑related obligations. Without regard to whether the loan is a "higher‑priced mortgage loan" as defined in section 226.35 of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the methodology and standards for the determination of a borrower's repayment ability set forth in section 226.34(a)(4) of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations and the related Federal Reserve Board's Official Staff Commentary on Regulation Z, as the regulation and commentary may be amended from time to time, shall be applied to determine a lender's compliance with this requirement.
(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,  a borrower 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 3.  G.S. 45‑101 reads as rewritten:
"§ 45‑101.  (For expiration date, see note) Definitions.
The following definitions apply throughout this Article:
(1)	Act as a mortgage servicer. – To engage, whether for compensation or gain from another or on its own behalf, in the business of receiving any scheduled periodic payments from a borrower pursuant to the terms of any mortgage loan, including amounts for escrow accounts, and making the payments of principal and interest and such other payments with respect to the amounts received from the borrower as may be required pursuant to the mortgage loan, the mortgage servicing loan documents, or servicing contract.
(1a)	Annual percentage rate. – Defined in G.S. 24‑1.1F.
(1b)	Home loan. – A loan that has all of the following characteristics:
a.	The loan is not (i) an equity line of credit as defined in G.S. 24‑9, (ii) a construction loan as defined in G.S. 24‑10, (iii) a reverse mortgage transaction, or (iv) a bridge loan with a term of 12 months or less, such as a loan to purchase a new dwelling where the borrower plans to sell a current dwelling within 12 months.
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 by Fannie Mae.
e.	The loan is secured by (i) a security interest in a manufactured home, as defined in G.S. 143‑145, 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.
(2)	Mortgage lender. – A person engaged in the business of making mortgage loans for compensation or gain.
(3)	Mortgage servicer. – A person who directly or indirectly acts as a mortgage servicer as that term is defined in subdivision (1) of this section or who otherwise meets the definition of the term 'servicer' in the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, 12 U.S.C. § 2605(i), with respect to mortgage loans.
(3a)	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) three percentage points (3%), if the loan is secured by a first lien mortgage or deed of trust, or (ii) five 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) one and three‑fourths percentage points (1.75%), if the loan is secured by a first lien mortgage or deed of trust, or (ii) three and three‑fourths 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.
(4)	Subprime loan. – A loan, originated on or after January 1, 2005, but before December 31, 2007, that  meets the definition of a rate spread home loan under  this Article. A mortgage servicer may rely on a chart reflecting the appropriate interest rate triggers for rate spread home loans for each day of the period covered by this Article provided by the Commissioner of Banks for the purposes of determining if a loan is a subprime loan covered by this Article. The Commissioner shall provide the chart at least 60 days prior to the effective date of this act."
SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2009.