(a) Definitions--As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection:"Credit device"--any card, check, identification code or other means of identification contemplated by the agreement governing a plan.
"Leasehold"--the interest, which is security for a loan, of a lessee of real estate under a lease which on the date of the loan has an unexpired term extending at least five years beyond the maturity of the loan, or contains a right of renewal, which may be exercised by the institution, extending at least five years beyond the maturity of the loan.
"Loan"--a cash advance or loan to be paid to or for the account of the customer.
"Plan" or "open-end credit plan"--a plan contemplating the extension of credit under an account governed by an agreement between an institution and a customer pursuant to which:
(i) the institution permits the customer and, if the agreement governing the plan so provides, persons acting on behalf of or with authorization from the customer from time to time to make purchases or to obtain loans or both by use of a credit device,(ii) the amounts of purchases made and loans obtained are charged to the customer's account under the plan,(iii) the customer is required to pay the institution the amounts of all purchases and loans charged to the customer's account under the plan but has the privilege of paying the amounts outstanding from time to time in full or in installments, and(iv) interest may be charged and collected by the institution from time to time on the outstanding unpaid indebtedness under the plan."Purchases"--payments for property of whatever nature, real or personal, tangible or intangible, and payments for services, licenses, taxes, official fees, fines, private or governmental obligations or any other thing of value.
"Truth in Lending"--the Truth in Lending Act (Public Law 90-321, 15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.) and regulations promulgated thereunder as in effect from time to time. The terms "finance charge," "annual percentage rate," "credit card," "open-end credit" and "closed-end credit" have the same coverage and meanings as the definitions of those terms under Truth in Lending.
(b) General rule-- (i)An institution may, subject to any applicable restriction under other provisions of this act, lend money , extend credit and discount or purchase evidences of indebtedness and agreements for the payment of money at such interest, finance charge, rate or terms authorized under this section or at any interest, finance charge, rate or terms permitted for any other financial institution or any other lender regulated by any Federal or State supervisory authority on the specified class of loan.(ii) This section shall govern all direct and indirect extensions of credit by an institution for personal, family, household, business or agricultural purposes to an individual, a partnership, a limited liability company or an unincorporated association, whether as closed-end credit or open-end credit.(c) Disclosures--In connection with any loan or extension of credit, an institution shall make disclosures required by applicable Federal law, including the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-533, 88 Stat. 1724), the Truth in Lending Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Public Law 93-495, 15 U.S.C. § 1691 et seq.), in lieu of any disclosure requirement that may be imposed under Pennsylvania law.(d) Agreements for extension of credit--An institution may make a loan or extend credit pursuant to this section on the basis of a written agreement. An agreement shall be fully completed prior to signature by the customer. A completed copy of the agreement, including related statements, notices and documents, shall be given to the customer. An agreement shall provide, if applicable:(i) the amounts of the loan or available credit and the procedure or means by which it may be obtained,(ii) maturity provisions, installment payment requirements, prepayment privileges and rebates of unearned interest upon prepayment,(iii) either the amounts or rates of interest, which may be fixed or variable rates, or the basis for determining such amounts or rates, which basis in the case of variable rates must be an objectively determinable basis other than a basis determined solely by the institution,(iv) the method of determining balances of unpaid indebtedness to which periodic rates of interest are applicable which, in the case of an open-end credit plan, may, if the agreement governing the plan so provides, include the amount of any interest and other charges, including delinquency charges, which have accrued in the account,(v) charges that may be imposed in addition to interest, in such amounts as the agreement provides, or as established in the manner the agreement provides, such as, but not limited to, minimum charges, check charges and maintenance charges related to extensions of credit pursuant to overdraft check plans, a delinquency charge which may be assessed if the loan or extension of credit is in default for more than fifteen days and fees, extension charges and actual charges that may be incurred on default, including, but not limited to, court and other collection costs and reasonable attorney fees. The additional charges may include a daily, weekly, monthly, annual or other periodic charge for the privileges made available to the customer under an open-end credit plan, transaction charges for each separate purchase or loan under the plan and a minimum charge for each scheduled billing period under the plan, during any portion of which there is an outstanding unpaid indebtedness under the plan,(vi) collateral security and provisions relating to collateral security, except that there may not be any authorization for entry of judgment by confession nor any acceleration of a loan or repossession of collateral unless there is a default pursuant to the agreement, and(vii) insurance coverages and premiums for insurance coverages.Such agreements shall be valid and enforceable, and an institution may impose and collect the interest and other charges provided in the agreement.
(e) Computation of interest--A fixed rate of interest included in a finance charge shall be computed either on a simple interest basis by a generally accepted actuarial method, including a method permitted for determination of an annual percentage rate under Truth in Lending or, as to an extension of credit with an initial maturity of not more than sixty months, which is made within two years after the effective date of this subsection, on an add-on or discount basis. The maximum amount that may be charged on the basis of a variable rate of interest shall be computed in accordance with or with reference to a schedule or formula at the times and for the periods provided in the agreement. The periodic rate of interest, as so varied, will be applicable to all outstanding unpaid indebtedness under the agreement from the effective date of the variation if so provided in the agreement.(f)Changes in terms--An institution may change the terms of the agreement if:(i) the agreement so provides,(ii) there is compliance with applicable notice requirements of Truth in Lending prior to the effective date of the change,(iii) the notice states that a customer for whose account a change in terms does not become effective may pay all outstanding amounts pursuant to the agreement as in effect prior to the notice, and(iv) in the case of an increase in a fixed rate of interest or other charges payable by the customer under an open-end credit plan, the customer incurs additional indebtedness after the effective date of the change of terms.If the agreement governing the plan so provides, a change of terms pursuant to this subsection may, on and after the date it becomes effective as to an account, apply to all then outstanding unpaid indebtedness. A change in the amount of interest imposed in accordance with or with reference to a schedule or formula for a variable rate of interest shall not be deemed to be a change in terms, but a change in such schedule or formula shall be deemed to be a change in terms. No change may be made in a fixed rate of interest or other charges payable with respect to the outstanding balance of indebtedness or in the amount or due dates of required installment payments on closed-end credit unless there is written consent of the customer at the time of the change except for an extension of any due date or an option granted by the institution to the customer to omit payments and except as may be otherwise provided in an agreement for an extension of credit which is not for personal, family or household purposes.
(g) Prepayment--(i) A borrower or buyer may prepay an extension of credit in full at any time.(ii)If interest has been precomputed, then, in the event of prepayment of an extension of credit, the institution shall refund to the customer the unearned portion of the precomputed interest. The refund shall be in an amount not less than the amount of the unearned precomputed interest calculated in accordance with a generally accepted actuarial method, including a method permitted for determination of an annual percentage rate under Truth in Lending, except that the amount of the unearned interest on an extension of credit with an initial maturity of not more than sixty months which is made within two years after the effective date of this section for which interest is computed on an add-on or discount basis as permitted by subsection (e) may be calculated in accordance with the "sum of the balances" method and except that the customer shall not be entitled to a refund which results in a net minimum charge of less than an amount equal to the interest that would accrue in the first month the extension of credit was scheduled to be outstanding. The institution shall not be required to refund the unearned portion of the interest if such amount is less than one dollar ($1).(iii) The amount of a refund under the "sum of the balances" method is determined by multiplying the precomputed interest by a fraction, the numerator of which is the sum of the balances, including interest, of the extension of credit scheduled to be outstanding after deducting the first of the payments scheduled to be made on or after the date of prepayment and the denominator of which is the sum of all the unpaid balances, including interest, of the extension of credit scheduled to be outstanding from its inception to and including the maturity of the final installment. Intervals between scheduled payments must be regular periods of one month or less except that the interval between the inception of an extension of credit and the due date of the first scheduled payment may be: (A) one month and fifteen days when the regular payment interval is a month,(B) one month when the regular payment interval is less than a month but more than a week, or(C) eleven days when the regular payment interval is a week or less.(h) Insurance--The agreement may provide for life, health, accident, loss-of-income or other permissible insurance related to an extension of credit under a group or individual policy subject to the option of the customer to furnish required insurance through an authorized insurer of the customer's choice as provided in section 11 of the act of September 2, 1961 (P.L.1232, No.540), known as the "Model Act for the Regulation of Credit Life Insurance and Credit Accident and Health Insurance," and, if premiums for the insurance are paid to the institution, provisions shall be made for rebates of unearned premiums, if any, upon prepayment. An institution may require that insurance be maintained, from an insurer acceptable to the institution, against loss or damage to property which is collateral security for the extension of credit and against liability arising out of the ownership or use of such property. An institution may grant an extension of credit to finance the premiums for the insurance.(i) Extensions of credit through intermediaries--An extension of credit to finance a sale of a motor vehicle, other than through an open-end credit plan, may be made by an institution through a seller licensed as an installment seller under the act of June 28, 1947 (P.L.1110, No.476), known as the "Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act," as an intermediary if:(i)the agreement governing the extension of credit conspicuously provides that the extension of credit is made by the institution to the buyer and is subject to the provisions of this section, and(ii) either the institution has made a commitment to make the extension of credit or the agreement is subject to acceptance by the institution within two business days after the date of the agreement and the institution upon such acceptance sends written notice to the buyer. The terms and conditions under which the seller acts as an intermediary between the institution and the buyer shall be determined by written agreement between the institution and the seller.An extension of credit made through an intermediary pursuant to this section shall be subject to this act and other acts governing transactions between banks and their customers and shall not be subject to the provisions or requirements of any other regulatory statute, rule or regulation. Neither a seller who acts as an intermediary for an institution with respect to an extension of credit nor an institution that makes an extension of credit through a seller as an intermediary shall be deemed to be in violation of licensing or other requirements of any other regulatory statute, rule or regulation that would be applicable to extensions of credits by such a seller or contractor to its customers.
(j) Right of rescission--A person whose ownership interest in that person's principal dwelling is subject to a lien or security interest as collateral security for an extension of credit subject to this section shall have a right of rescission for the same types of transactions on the same terms and conditions and for the same time periods as those provided for the right of rescission under Truth in Lending.(k) Statement of account--Upon the written request of the customer, an institution shall provide, within ninety days after the end of each calendar year, a statement of the customer's account showing payments made during that year, the amount applied to interest and the balance of the account at the end of that year.(l) Waiver of provisions--No provision of this section which confers rights on the customer or any other person may be waived or modified except to the extent and in the circumstances in which Truth in Lending permits a consumer to waive or modify the right of rescission.(m)Balloon payments--No agreement for a loan or extension of credit under this section containing terms of which principal is repayable in installments may provide for a final payment which is more than double the regularly scheduled payment exclusive of overdue or extended payments, except in the case of automobile financing transactions and real estate loans.(n) Real estate loans--(i) An institution may, subject to the requirements of this section, make or acquire a loan secured by a lien on real estate, including a lease-hold, located in any state or the District of Columbia, in a dependency or insular possession of the United States or in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for a term not to exceed forty years and in an amount not to exceed ninety percent of the value of the loan except that if the amount of the loan does not exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or is made in reliance upon a private mortgage insurance or guarantee acceptable to the department regardless of the amount of the loan, then one hundred percent of the value of the loan, unless otherwise subject to the supervisory loan-to-value limits established by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 12 CFR Pt. 365, Subpt. A, Appendix A (relating to interagency guidelines for real estate lending policies).(ii) The requirements for a loan subject to this subsection shall be:(A) the loan shall be evidenced by a bond, note or other obligation, and the lien securing the loan shall be obtained by a mortgage, deed of trust or judgment,(B) the value of the real estate shall be determined by a real estate appraiser qualified in the state where the real estate is located who shall inspect the real estate and state its value to the best of the appraiser's judgment in a written report signed by the appraiser that must be preserved in the records of the institution,(C) insurance, as evidenced by a policy or binder or a copy of either, against loss from fire on all buildings on the real estate which are included in the appraised value, issued by insurers acceptable to the institution and authorized to do business where the real estate is located and in form and amount satisfactory to the institution, shall be maintained during the term of the loan by or at the expense of the borrower, except that the institution may at its own expense maintain such insurance covering only its interest as lender,(D) the borrower shall pay all expenses in connection with the loan for title insurance, searches and certificates, appraisal fees and fees for preparation and recording of documents, and(E) an institution may make a single delinquency charge for each payment in arrears for a period of more than fifteen days other than by reason of acceleration or by reason of a delinquency on a prior payment.(iii) The restrictions and requirements of this subsection shall not apply to:(A) a loan guaranteed at least to the extent of twenty percent of the loan, or for which a written commitment for the guarantee has been issued, by the Veterans Administration pursuant to 38 U.S.C. (relating to veterans' benefits),(B) a loan insured, or for which a written commitment to insure has been issued, pursuant to national housing legislation,(C) a loan insured, or for which a written commitment to insure has been issued, by the Farmers Home Administration pursuant to the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (Public Law 87-128, 75 Stat. 307),(D) a loan made pursuant to the Small Business Act (Public Law 85-536, 15 U.S.C. § 631 et seq.),(E) an investment security acquired pursuant to section 307,(F) a loan in connection with which the institution takes a real estate lien as security in the exercise of banking prudence but as to which it is relying for repayment on: (1) the general credit of the obligor or of an installment buyer or of a lessee of the real estate,(2) collateral other than the real estate lien,(3) a guaranty, or an agreement to take over or purchase the loan in the event of default, by a financially responsible person other than a person engaged in the business of guaranteeing real estate loans, or(4) an agreement by a financially responsible person to take over or purchase the loan, or to provide funds for payment of the loan, within a period of five years from the date of the loan and there is a certificate of reliance setting forth the applicable facts, or(G) a residential mortgage loan secured by real estate located in a low-income to moderate-income area.(iv) The restriction of this subsection on the location of real estate shall not apply in the case of a loan acquired from a corporation or association of which the institution owns more than fifty percent of the outstanding shares of capital under section 311(d)(ii)(C), if such loan:(A) is secured by a first lien on improved real estate, including farm land,(B) satisfies all requirements of this section other than the restriction on location of real estate, and(C)is serviced by the corporation or association from which it is acquired.Amended by P.L. 1336 2012 No. 170, § 10, eff. 12/23/2012.1965, Nov. 30, P.L. 847, No. 356, § 303.