Subchapter III. Closed End Credit
TITLE 5
Banking
Other Businesses Under Jurisdiction of State Banking Department
CHAPTER 22. LICENSED LENDERS
Subchapter III. Closed End Credit
§ 2227. Definitions.
As used in this subchapter:
(1) "Business day" means, with respect to recission under § 2235A of this title, all calendar days except Sundays and legal public holidays.
(2) "Closed end credit" means the extension of credit by a licensee to a borrower pursuant to an arrangement or agreement which is not a revolving credit plan as defined in subchapter II of this chapter.
(3) "Conspicuously displayed" means highlighted through the use of capitalization, bold print, underlining or some combination thereof.
(4) "Loan" means any single extension of closed end credit.
(5) "Right of recission" means, with respect to any short-term consumer loan, the right to return any amount borrowed, in full, on or before the close of business of the business day following the day on which such sum has been disbursed or advanced without the incursion of any fee or other charges.
(6) "Rollover" means, with respect to any short-term consumer loan, the extension of an outstanding and unpaid indebtedness beyond the stated repayment period solely on the basis of the payment of a fee without approval of a new loan application.
(7) "Short-term consumer loan" means a loan of $500 or less made to an individual borrower that charges interest and/or fees for which the stated repayment period is less than 60 days and is not secured by title to a motor vehicle.
(8) "Workout agreement" means an agreement between an individual borrower and a licensee for the repayment of an outstanding and unpaid indebtedness which requires a net reduction of not less than 10% of such indebtedness per payment period.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 398, § 3.;
§ 2228. Extension of credit.
(a) Any licensee may, subject to any limitations on lending authority contained in its charter or otherwise imposed by law and subject to the other provisions of this subchapter, offer and extend closed end credit to a borrower and, in connection therewith, may charge and collect the interest and other charges permitted by this subchapter and may take such security as collateral in connection therewith as may be acceptable to the licensee. Loans to any 1 borrower may not exceed 20% of the paid-in capital stock and surplus of such lender.
(b) All licensees will maintain records or other comparable evidence of their activity taken to reach a decision on a loan. If a commitment between a licensee and an applicant is not met (regardless of whether a similar loan at a higher rate is closed or not) and the delay is the licensee's fault, or the licensee cannot demonstrate through its records or other comparable evidence that it took reasonably diligent steps to meet its deadline, such action or inaction taken by the licensee may be deemed to be an unsafe and unsound operating practice. In such a case, the Commissioner shall take appropriate action which may include, but is not limited to, an order to refund certain fees paid by the applicant to the licensee.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1; 68 Del. Laws, c. 105, § 24.;
§ 2229. Interest.
A licensee may charge and collect interest in respect of a loan at such daily, weekly, monthly, annual or other periodic percentage rate or rates as the agreement governing the loan provides or as established in the manner provided in such agreement and may calculate such interest by way of simple interest or such other method as the agreement governing the loan provides. If the interest is precomputed it may be calculated on the assumption that all scheduled payments will be made when due. For purposes hereof, a year may but need not be a calendar year and may be such period of from 360 to 366 days, including or disregarding leap year, as the licensee may determine.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1.;
§ 2230. Variable rates.
If the agreement governing the loan so provides, the periodic percentage rate or rates of interest charged and collected in respect of the loan may, if the interest is not precomputed and taken in advance, vary in accordance with a schedule or formula. Such periodic percentage rate or rates may vary from time to time as the rate determined in accordance with such schedule or formula varies and such periodic percentage rate or rates, as so varied, may be made applicable to all or any part of outstanding unpaid amounts of such loan on and after the effective date of such variation. This section shall not be construed to limit the authority of a licensee to charge and collect interest in respect of a loan in the manner and at the rate or rates authorized in any other section of this subchapter. Without limitation, a permissible schedule or formula hereunder may include provisions in the agreement governing the loan for a change in the periodic percentage rate or rates of interest applicable to all or any part of outstanding unpaid amounts whether by variation of the then applicable periodic percentage rate or rates of interest, variation of an index or margin or otherwise, contingent upon the happening of any event or circumstance specified in the loan agreement, which event or circumstance may include the failure of the borrower to perform in accordance with the terms of the loan agreement.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1; 68 Del. Laws, c. 303, § 41.;
§ 2231. Additional charges.
In addition to or in lieu of interest at a periodic percentage rate or rates permitted by §§ 2229 and 2230 of this title, the licensee may charge and collect, in respect of a loan:
(1) Reasonable fees for services rendered or for reimbursement of expenses incurred in good faith by the licensee or its agents in connection with such loan, including, without limitation, commitment fees, official fees and taxes, premiums or other charges for any guarantee or insurance protecting the licensee against the borrower's default or other credit loss, or costs incurred by reason of examination of title, inspection, recording and other formal acts necessary or appropriate to the security of the loan, filing fees, attorney's fees and travel expenses;
(2) If the agreement governing a loan so provides, a licensee may impose, as interest, a late or delinquency charge upon any outstanding unpaid installment payments or portions thereof under the loan agreement which are in default; provided, however, that no more than 1 such delinquency charge may be imposed in respect of any single such installment payment or portion thereof regardless of the period during which it remains in default; and provided further that no such delinquency charge may exceed 5% of the amount of any such installment or portion thereof in default. Nothing contained in this subdivision shall limit, restrict or otherwise affect the right of a licensee under and pursuant to § 2230 of this title to change the periodic percentage rate or rates of interest applicable to the loan agreement between the licensee and a borrower upon the occurrence of a delinquency or default or other failure of the borrower to perform in accordance with the terms of the loan agreement;
(3) Such other charges as the Commissioner shall include in an itemized schedule of the maximum amounts which may be charged to an applicant for a loan for costs, fees, services, points, premiums and all other reasonable expenses which may be incurred by such applicant in connection with a loan. The maximum amounts permitted by said schedule may vary with the amount of the loan and shall bear a reasonable relationship to such loan, the services required and the complexity of the transaction. No licensee shall demand, collect or receive from any applicant for a loan, directly or indirectly, any other charges, or any greater amounts for any authorized charges than those permitted by said schedule or this subchapter. Every licensee shall furnish to every applicant for a loan a copy of said schedule at the time when such application is made.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1; 68 Del. Laws, c. 303, § 42; 70 Del. Laws, c. 327, § 46.;
§ 2232. Deferred installments.
A licensee may at any time or from time to time permit a borrower to defer installment payments of a loan and may, in connection with such deferral, charge and collect deferral charges and may also require payment by such borrower of the additional cost to the licensee of premiums for continuing in force, until the end of such period of deferral, any insurance coverage provided in connection with the loan pursuant to § 2231 of this title.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1.;
§ 2233. Insurance.
(a) A licensee may request but not require a borrower to be insured in respect of a loan under a life, health, accident, health and accident or other permissible insurance policy, whether group or individual, and in the event that a loan to a borrower is secured by an interest in real or personal property, the licensee may require the borrower to obtain insurance, from an insurer acceptable to the licensee, against loss of or damage to such property or against the liability arising out of the ownership or use of the property and may finance the premiums for such insurance.
(b) The offer and placement of insurance under this section shall be subject in all respects to the applicable provisions of Title 18.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1.;
§ 2234. Prepayment.
(a) A borrower may prepay a loan in full at any time.
(b) If interest charged pursuant to § 2229 of this title in respect to a loan has been precomputed and taken in advance, then, in the event of prepayment of the entire indebtedness, the licensee shall refund to such borrower the unearned portion of the precomputed interest charge. This refund shall be in an amount not less than the amount which would be refunded if the unearned precomputed interest charge were calculated in accordance with the actuarial method, except that the borrower shall not be entitled to a refund which is less than $5. The unearned portion of the precomputed interest charge is, at the option of the licensee, either:
(1) That portion of the precomputed interest charge which is allocable to all originally scheduled or, if deferred, all deferred payment periods, or portions thereof, ending subsequent to the date of prepayment. The unearned precomputed interest charge is the total of that which would have been earned for each such period, or portion thereof, had the loan not been precomputed, by applying to unpaid balances of principal, according to the actuarial method, an annual percentage rate based on the precomputed interest charges, assuming that all payments were made as scheduled, or as deferred, if deferred. The licensee, at its option, may round this annual percentage rate to the nearest one quarter of 1 percent; or
(2) The total precomputed interest charge less the earned precomputed interest charge. The earned precomputed interest charge shall be determined by applying an annual percentage rate based on the total precomputed interest charge, under the actuarial method, to the unpaid balances for the actual time those balances were unpaid up to the date of prepayment.
(c) As used in subsection (b) of this section:
(1) "Actuarial method" means the method of allocating payments made on a loan between the outstanding balance of the loan and interest pursuant to which a payment is applied first to the accumulated interest and any remainder is subtracted from the outstanding balance of the loan.
(2) "Precomputed interest charge" means interest as computed by the add-on, discount or other similar method.
(3) "Payment period" means the time period within which periodic installment payments of a loan are due as provided in the agreement governing the loan.
(d) If a charge was made for premiums for insuring such borrower under an insurance policy pursuant to § 2233 of this title, then, in the event of prepayment, the licensee shall refund to such borrower the excess of the charge to such borrower therefor over the premiums paid or payable to the licensee, if such premiums were paid or payable to the licensee periodically, or the refund for such insurance premium received or receivable by the licensee, if such premium was paid or payable in a lump sum by the licensee, provided that no such refund shall be required if it amounts to less than $5.
(e) In connection with any prepayment of any loan by an individual borrower, the licensee may not impose any prepayment charge, except that in the case of a residential mortgage loan, the lender may charge and collect any prepayment penalty or charge specified in the agreement governing, or the bond, note or other evidence of, the loan.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1.;
§ 2235. Refinancing.
(a) A borrower may, with the consent of the licensee, refinance the entire outstanding and unpaid amount of a loan, and the licensee may charge and collect a refinancing charge in connection with any such refinancing.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the entire outstanding and unpaid amount of a loan shall be deemed to be:
(1) If the interest and charges in respect of the loan were not taken in advance, the total of the unpaid balance and the accrued and unpaid interest and charges on the date of refinancing; or
(2) If the interest and charges on the loan were precomputed and taken in advance, the amount which the borrower would have been required to pay upon the prepayment on the date of refinancing pursuant to § 2234 of this title governing refund upon prepayment.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1.;
§ 2235A. Short-term consumer loans.
(a) In addition to such other limitations and requirements as are imposed pursuant to other provisions of this subchapter, short-term consumer loans shall be subject to the following:
(1) No licensee shall make more than 4 rollovers of an existing short-term consumer loan. A licensee may, following not more than the maximum allowable number of rollovers, enter into a workout agreement with the borrower or take such other actions as are lawful to collect any outstanding and unpaid indebtedness.
(2) No licensee shall make a short-term consumer loan unless such loan is subject to a right of recission on the part of the individual borrower.
(3) No licensee shall pursue or threaten to pursue criminal action against an individual borrower in connection with the nonpayment of any amount due, including the unpaid return of any check or automated clearing house transaction.
(b) In addition to such other disclosure requirements as are imposed pursuant to other provisions of this subchapter, short-term consumer loans shall be subject to the following: No licensee shall make a short-term consumer loan unless the application for such loan, which application shall be written in both English and Spanish, contains a written disclosure, conspicuously displayed, that:
(1) The loan is designed as a short-term cash flow solution and not designed as a solution for longer term financial problems;
(2) Additional fees may accrue if the loan is rolled over; and
(3) Credit counseling services are available to consumers who are experiencing financial problems.
(c) Nothing in this section prohibits a licensee from refinancing the principal amount of a short-term consumer loan, subject to the limitations and requirements imposed herein.
(d) The Commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to exempt certain loans or classes of loans from the requirements of this section.
(e) Every short-term consumer loan provider must post in plain view, in an area easily accessible to their customers at the entrance to the office and on any website, a schedule of fees and rates applicable to their loans, and a prominent statement that: "A payday loan is not intended to meet long-term financial needs."
73 Del. Laws, c. 398, § 4; 77 Del. Laws, c. 164, § 5.;
§ 2236. Attorney's fees; costs.
In the event a borrower defaults under the terms of a loan, the licensee may, if the borrower's account is referred to an attorney (not a regularly salaried employee of the licensee) or to a third party for collection and if the agreement governing, or the bond, note or other evidence of, the loan so provides, charge and collect from the borrower a reasonable attorney's fee. In addition, following a borrower's default, the licensee may, if the agreement governing, or the bond, note or other evidence of, the loan so provides, recover from the borrower all court, alternative dispute resolution or other collection costs (including, without limitation, fees and charges of collection agencies) actually incurred by the licensee.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1; 72 Del. Laws, c. 15, § 36.;
§ 2237. Application of other State laws.
Any other law of this State limiting the rate or amount of interest, discount, points, finance charges, service charges or other charges which may be charged, taken, collected, received or reserved shall not apply to extensions of credit made in accordance with this subchapter.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1.;
§ 2238. Nonexclusivity; captions.
(a) The provisions of this subchapter are not exclusive and a licensee may at its option elect to extend credit either pursuant to this subchapter or as otherwise permitted by applicable law.
(b) Section headings and captions contained in this subchapter are inserted only as a matter of convenience and for reference and do not and shall not be construed to define, limit, extend or describe the scope of this subchapter or the meaning or intent of any section hereof.
66 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1.;