HOUSE BILL No. 5296

 

October 11, 2007, Introduced by Reps. Melton, Tobocman, Sak, Angerer, Simpson, Clack, Jackson, Miller, Byrnes, Accavitti, Johnson, Young, Kathleen Law, Hopgood, Brown, Valentine, Hammel, Robert Jones, Vagnozzi, Virgil Smith and Dean and referred to the Committee on Banking and Financial Services.

 

     A bill to amend 2002 PA 660, entitled

 

"Consumer mortgage protection act,"

 

by amending section 5 (MCL 445.1635) and by adding section 4a.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 4a. (1) A creditor shall not extend a rate spread home

 

loan or nontraditional mortgage to a borrower unless a reasonable

 

creditor would believe at the time the loan is closed that the

 

borrower is able to make the scheduled payments associated with the

 

loan. All of the following apply to a determination of a borrower's

 

ability to pay under this subsection:

 

     (a) The determination includes, but is not limited to,

 

consideration of the borrower's income, current obligations,

 

employment status, the debt to income ratio of the borrower's

 


monthly gross income, and whether the borrower has sufficient

 

residual income and other available financial resources other than

 

the borrower's equity in the principal dwelling that secures or

 

will secure the home loan.

 

     (b) All of the following calculation assumptions applicable to

 

the loan are used in evaluating the borrower's ability to repay:

 

     (i) For a nontraditional mortgage, other than a rate spread

 

home loan, the monthly payment amounts, based on, at a minimum, the

 

fully indexed rate, assuming a fully amortizing repayment schedule.

 

     (ii) For a rate spread home loan, the maximum monthly payments

 

that could be due under the terms of the home loan being offered

 

for the first 7 years of the loan term and the changes in payments

 

that would result from differences in the payments toward principal

 

of the loan.

 

     (iii) For a home loan product that permits negative

 

amortization, the repayment analysis is based on the initial loan

 

amount plus any balance increase that may accrue from the negative

 

amortization provision.

 

     (iv) The borrower's other expenses, including private mortgage

 

insurance premiums, property taxes and hazard insurance, and

 

scheduled payments for all other debt.

 

     (v) Verification of all sources of income by tax returns,

 

payroll receipts, bank records, or any reasonable alternative or

 

third-party verification.

 

     (2) A creditor shall not provide a rate spread home loan or a

 

nontraditional mortgage unless the creditor requires the escrow of

 

property taxes and hazard insurance.

 


     Sec. 5. A mortgage loan with a term of less than 5 years shall

 

not have a payment schedule with regular periodic payments that

 

when aggregated do not fully amortize the outstanding principal

 

balance. This section does not apply to loans with maturities of

 

less than 1 year, if the purpose of the loan is a "bridge" loan

 

connected with the acquisition or construction of a dwelling

 

intended to become the borrower's principal dwelling. In addition

 

to the other requirements of this act, a high-cost home loan is

 

subject to the following additional limitations and prohibited

 

practices:

 

     (a) A creditor shall not directly or indirectly finance any

 

points or fees in connection with a high-cost home loan.

 

     (b) A creditor shall not include in the loan documents for a

 

high-cost home loan or charge a borrower in a high-cost home loan

 

any prepayment fees or penalties.

 

     (c) A high-cost home loan shall not contain a scheduled

 

payment that is more than twice as large as the average of earlier

 

scheduled payments. This subdivision does not apply when the

 

payment schedule is adjusted to the seasonal or irregular income of

 

the borrower.

 

     (d) A high-cost home loan shall not include payment terms

 

under which the outstanding principal balance or accrued interest

 

will increase at any time over the course of the loan because the

 

regularly scheduled periodic payments do not cover the full amount

 

of interest due.

 

     (e) A high-cost home loan shall not contain a provision that

 

increases the interest rate after default. This subdivision does

 


not apply to interest rate changes in a variable rate loan

 

otherwise consistent with the provisions of the loan documents, if

 

the change in the interest rate is not triggered by the event of

 

default or the acceleration of the indebtedness.

 

     (f) A high-cost home loan shall not include terms under which

 

more than 2 periodic payments required under the loan are

 

consolidated and paid in advance from the loan proceeds provided to

 

the borrower.

 

     (g) A creditor shall not make a high-cost home loan without

 

first receiving certification from a counselor from an independent

 

nonprofit organization approved by the United States department of

 

housing and urban development, a state housing financing agency, or

 

the regulatory agency that has jurisdiction over the creditor, that

 

the borrower has received counseling on the advisability of the

 

loan transaction.

 

     (h) A creditor shall not pay a contractor under a home-

 

improvement contract from the proceeds of a high-cost home loan,

 

unless both of the following are met:

 

     (i) The creditor is presented with a signed and dated

 

certificate of home occupancy or certificate of final inspection,

 

as applicable, showing that the home improvements have been

 

completed.

 

     (ii) The instrument is payable to the borrower or jointly to

 

the borrower and the contractor or, at the election of the

 

borrower, through a third-party escrow agent in accordance with

 

terms established in a written agreement signed by the borrower,

 

the creditor, and the contractor before the disbursement.

 


     (i) A creditor shall not charge a borrower a fee or other

 

amount to modify, renew, extend, or amend a high-cost home loan or

 

to defer any payment due under the terms of a high-cost home loan.

 

     (j) A high-cost home loan document that creates a debt or an

 

interest in property to secure a debt shall include the following

 

notice, printed conspicuously on the face of the document:

 

     "Notice: This is a high-cost home loan subject to special

 

rules under state law. A purchaser or assignee of this high-cost

 

home loan may be liable for all claims and defenses of the borrower

 

with respect to the home loan.".

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless all of the following bills of the 94th Legislature are

 

enacted into law:

 

     (a) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5294(request no.

 

02456'07 *).

 

     (b) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5295(request no.

 

04909'07 *).

 

     (c) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5297(request no.

 

04911'07 *).

 

     (d) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5298(request no.

 

04912'07 *).

 

     (e) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5299(request no.

 

04913'07 *).

 

     (f) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5300(request no.

 

05435'07).

 

     (g) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5301(request no.

 

05436'07).

 


     (h) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5302(request no.

 

05437'07).

 

     (i) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5303(request no.

 

05438'07).