5-a. A bank or trust company may make loans secured by mobile home chattel paper evidencing a monetary obligation incurred to finance the purchase of a mobile home located at the time of such purchase, or to be located within ninety days, at a semipermanent site within the state or in a contiguous state and to be maintained as a residence of the borrower, the borrower's spouse, child, grandchild, parent or grandparent.
- (1) For this subdivision:
- (i) "mobile home chattel paper" means written evidence of both a monetary obligation and a security interest of first priority in a mobile home and any equipment installed or to be installed therein; and
- (ii) "mobile home" or "manufactured home" means a structure, transportable in one or more sections, which in the traveling mode, is eight body feet or more in width or forty body feet or more in length, or when erected on site, is three hundred twenty or more square feet, and which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and electrical systems contained therein.
- (2) If the loan is for the purpose of financing the purchase of a new mobile home,
- (i) it shall mature not later than two hundred forty months after the date thereof, and
- (ii) the amount advanced shall not exceed one hundred per cent of the sum of (a) the manufacturer's invoice price of such mobile home (including any installed equipment), excluding freight, plus (b) the invoice price of the manufacturer of any new equipment installed or to be installed by the dealer, excluding freight.
- (3) If the loan is for the purpose of financing the purchase of a used mobile home,
- (i) it shall mature not later than two hundred forty months after the date of the loan, and
- (ii) the amount advanced shall not exceed one hundred per cent of the purchase price of the used mobile home actually paid or the wholesale value of such mobile home (including any installed equipment) as established in the dealer's market, whichever is the lower.
- (4) The loan shall be payable in equal or substantially equal monthly installments calculated from the date of the loan. Interest, which may be taken in advance, may be charged thereon, computed from the date of the loan to the date of the last installment payable thereunder, if the loan has a maturity (i) not exceeding thirty-seven months, at a rate not to exceed six dollars per annum discount per one hundred dollars of the face amount or ten dollars if the interest so computed is less than that amount, or (ii) exceeding thirty-seven months, at a rate not to exceed five dollars per annum discount per one hundred dollars of the face amount or ten dollars, if the interest so computed is less than that amount; provided that the interest which may be charged, if it exceeds ten dollars, shall not exceed one per cent per month on the unpaid principal balance.
- (5) The authorized interest shall include all charges incident to investigating and making any loan. No fee, commission, expense, or other charge shall be permitted except that the bank or trust company may contract to charge the borrower (i) the fees payable to a public officer to perfect any lien or other security interest taken to secure the loan, or the premium, not in excess of such fee, payable for any insurance in lieu of such filing; (ii) in case of default, and in accordance with the instrument evidencing the obligation, either a fine in an amount not to exceed five per cent on any installment which has become due and remained unpaid for a period in excess of ten days, but no such fine shall exceed five dollars and only one fine shall be collected on any such installment regardless of the duration of the default, and provided further that should the aggregate of such fines collected in connection with any loan exceed two per cent of such loan or twenty-five dollars the bank or trust company shall refund such excess within sixty days after the loan is paid in full, or, subject to an allowance of unearned interest attributable to the amount in default, interest on each amount past due at a rate not in excess of one per cent per month during the period of delinquency; (iii) the actual expenditures, including reasonable attorney's fees for necessary court process, and (iv) in case the bank or trust company insures a borrower under a credit unemployment insurance policy, group life, health, accident, or health and accident insurance policy, or requires insurance on the property securing such loan, an amount not in excess of the premiums lawfully chargeable. No bank or trust company shall require a borrower to place any sum on deposit, or to make deposits in lieu of regular periodic installment payments, or to do or refrain from doing any other act which would entail additional expense or sacrifice, as a condition of a mobile home loan, as the superintendent may from time to time approve. No refund or excess fines shall be required if it amounts to less than one dollar.
- (6) A borrower may prepay the loan in full or, with the consent of the bank or trust company, may refinance the loan. In such event, the bank or trust company shall refund: (1) the unearned portion of the interest to the borrower the amount of which portion shall be determined according to a generally accepted actuarial method; provided that if the interest previously deducted (i) was less than ten dollars, no refund shall be required; or (ii) exceeded ten dollars and the earned interest is less than that amount, the bank or trust company may retain such an additional amount as will bring the earned interest to ten dollars and refund the remainder, and provided further, that unless the loan is refinanced, no refund shall be required if it amounts to less than one dollar; and (2) if a charge was made to the borrower for premiums for insuring the borrower under a credit unemployment insurance policy, group life insurance policy, or under a group health, group accident or group health and accident insurance policy, the excess of the charge to the borrower therefor over the premiums paid or payable by the bank, if such premiums were paid or payable by the bank or trust company periodically, or the refund for such insurance premium received or receivable by the bank or trust company, if such premium was paid or payable in a lump sum by the bank or trust company. No such refund need be made if it amounts to less than one dollar. In the event (i) the maturity of the loan is accelerated due to the default of the borrower or otherwise and judgment is obtained, or (ii) repayment is made pursuant to any such insurance policy, the borrower or his legal representative, as the case may be, shall be entitled to the same refund as if the loan had been prepaid in full on the date of acceleration or repayment.
- (7) As a condition of any loan made pursuant hereto, the borrower shall certify that the mobile home, for the purchase of which the loan is made, is intended to be maintained in the state or in a contiguous state as a residence of the borrower, the borrower's spouse, child, grandchild, parent or grandparent. If the mobile home shall not be so maintained on the ninetieth day next succeeding the date of the loan or if it is relocated so as to no longer be located in the state or a contiguous state at any time before the first anniversary of the loan, the loan and all authorized charges shall become immediately due and payable subject only to the refund provisions of paragraph six and the borrower may, if the contract so provides, be required to pay as an additional authorized charge, a penalty in an amount not to exceed two per cent of the face amount of the loan.
- (8) No investment shall be made by a bank or trust company pursuant to this subdivision if the total amount invested by it pursuant to this subdivision exceeds, or by the making of such investment will exceed, an amount equal to fifteen per cent of the assets of the bank or trust company.
- (9) Subject to such limitations and conditions as the superintendent of financial services may prescribe by general regulation, a bank or trust company may make a loan pursuant to this subdivision which the federal housing administrator has insured or has made a commitment to insure and may receive and hold such debentures as are issued by the federal housing administrator in payment of such insurance, or which is guaranteed pursuant to the provisions of the act of congress entitled the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944." No law of this state prescribing or limiting the interest rate upon loans or advances of credit or prescribing a penalty for violation thereof or prescribing the nature, amount or form of security or requiring security upon which loans or advances of credit may be made or prescribing or limiting the period for which loans or advances of credit may be made or limiting the amount of any class of loans, advances of credit or purchases which may be made shall be deemed to apply to loans, advances of credit or purchases made or to loans acquired by purchase pursuant to this paragraph.
- 5-b. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this section, a bank or trust company may make loans for the purpose of defraying the cost of education of one or more students at a university or college, or at an elementary or secondary school providing education required of minors which may provide for (i) payment of origination fees, or guarantee fees in such amounts as the superintendent may from time to time approve; (ii) capitalization of interest, provided that the borrower has the option to avoid capitalization by paying such interest without penalty; and (iii) deferral and forbearance of payments under circumstances for which such deferral or forbearance could be granted for loans made pursuant to Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 USC 1070 et seq.).
- 6. The knowingly taking, receiving, reserving or charging a greater rate of interest than that authorized by this section as computed by this section, shall be held and adjudged a forfeiture of the entire interest which the note, bill of exchange or other evidence of debt carries with it, or which has been agreed to be paid thereon, and if a greater rate of interest has been paid, the person paying the same or his legal representative may recover from the bank or trust company twice the entire amount of the interest thus paid.
- 7. Upon an advance of money, whether or not repayable on demand, to an amount not less than five thousand dollars, made upon documents of title within article seven of the uniform commercial code or negotiable instruments within article three or article eight of the uniform commercial code pledged as collateral security for such repayment, any bank or trust company may receive or contract to receive and collect as compensation for making such advance any sum which may be agreed upon by the parties to such transaction; provided that such advance is (a) to or for any partner of a firm which is a member firm of a national securities exchange registered with the securities and exchange commission as a national securities exchange under the federal securities exchange act of 1934, as amended, to enable such partner to make a contribution of capital to such firm or to purchase stock of an affiliated corporation of such firm, provided that such partner is actively engaged in the business of such firm and devotes the major portion of his time thereto, or (b) to or for any person who is or will become a holder of stock of a corporation which is a member corporation of such a national securities exchange to enable such person to purchase stock of such corporation or to purchase stock of an affiliated corporation of such corporation, provided that such person is actively engaged in the business of such corporation and devotes the major portion of his time thereto.
8.
- (a) The superintendent shall have the power to prescribe by regulation (i) the maximum charge which may be imposed in this state by a bank or trust company in connection with a check or other written order drawn upon it on insufficient funds, irrespective of whether the instrument is paid, accepted, or returned by the bank, and (ii) the maximum charge which may be imposed in this state by a bank or trust company in connection with a check or other written order received by it for deposit or collection and subsequently dishonored and returned for any reason by the drawee.
- (b) No bank or trust company shall, in connection with the payment, acceptance or return of such check or order, impose any fee, fine, commission or other charge, however designated, in addition to the maximum charge established therefore by the superintendent of financial services pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision, except that nothing herein expressed shall prevent a bank or trust company from taking, receiving, reserving or charging interest, as authorized by law in connection with credit extended in connection with the payment of such check or order or from imposing any charge in accordance with a written agreement established in accordance with the provisions of subdivision five of this section. A bank or trust company may, as an accommodation to its customers, pay, accept, or return a check or order without charge, or at a lesser charge than the maximum charge established by the superintendent of financial services.
- (c) In prescribing a maximum charge pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the superintendent shall consider the following factors: (i) the cost of processing an overdraft or returned check or order, as the case may be, (ii) the charge necessary to deter overdrafts or returned checks or orders, as the case may be, and (iii) such other economic or cost factors that the superintendent shall deem to be appropriate. Prior to the superintendent's prescribing any such maximum charge, the superintendent shall issue a written determination as to such maximum charge, reciting the cost and other data upon which the determination is based.
- (d) The superintendent of financial services may promulgate such regulations as he or she deems necessary and proper to implement and define the provisions of this subdivision. The superintendent of financial services may prescribe maximum charges from time to time, but not more often than once in any six month period, and shall provide reasonable notice to the public of any change in such maximum charges, of the effective date of such change, which shall not be less than seven days following the adoption of such change by the superintendent of financial services, and of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to this subdivision.
- 9. A bank or trust company may, in the case of business or agricultural loans in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars or more, take, receive, reserve, and charge on any loan or discount made, or upon any note, bill of exchange, or other evidence of debt, interest at a rate of not more than five per centum in excess of the discount rate on ninety-day commercial paper in effect at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and such interest may be taken in advance, reckoning the days for which the note, bill, or other evidence of debt has to run.