North Carolina

HB 773, the omnibus Studies Act of 2011, includes language that would have created a joint study commission on consumer finance loans under $3000 (see page 52). This would be the fourth study commission in 5 years. However, it appears that the studies bill cannot be approved until the short session starting in May 2012. The Senate made several changes...

HB 484 transfers the authority of the State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project (SHFPP), a very important program for NC homeowners at risk of foreclosure, from the NC Commissioner of Banks (NCCOB) to the NC Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA). Since the NCHFA was already administering a number of foreclosure prevention programs, most notably the NC Foreclosure Prevention Fund, this new law...

SB 1015, the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act, was passed in 2010. This legislation addressed a number of predatory real estate practices that took advantage of families having trouble paying their home loan or finding a decent loan to buy a home. These abuses included foreclosure rescue scams, as well as lease option and contract for deed agreements. HB 654...

HB 717 bill excludes certain mortgage insurance premiums from our NC definition of "points and fees" in high cost home loans, weakening our predatory mortgage lending protections. The NC Commissioner of Banks (NCCOB) persuaded the bill sponsors to allow NCCOB to investigate these issues further and recommend to the legislature what action, if any, should be taken. Since the bills...

HB 814 and its companion SB 559, Fair Compensation for Mortgage Broker/Lender would have rolled back mortgage lending protections in our state including: Weakening our predatory mortgage lending protections by raising the limits on allowable fees and discount points, Cutting broker bond requirements in half, a serious problem for borrowers who have been harmed by a broker, and Reducing the...

More Information: Summary of HB 810 Text of HB 810 Why Oppose HB 810? Background on Consumer Finance Loans in NC Who Opposes HB 810 ? How Did Your Representative Vote on HB 810 in 2011? House Bill 810, after barely passing the House in 2011, died in the Senate Rules Committee in 2012. And, for the first time in...

Why Did We Oppose HB 810? Read entire bill >> Read our summary of the bill >> What's happened with HB 810? >> Rates on small loans in NC are already too high. With families struggling, making these loans more expensive will be a disaster for NC consumers. 25 to 54% interest is enough. Consumer finance companies can already charge...

Read entire bill >> See our talking points >> What's happened with HB 810? >> The Consumer Finance Act lets non-bank lenders make small loans of $10,000 or less. The current law creates two tiers of lenders: "53-173" lenders who can make loans up to $3000 and "53-176" lenders who can make loans up to $10,000. If HB 810 had...

SB 1015 protects NC homeowners from a range of predatory practices. The law addresses three main issues: foreclosure rescue scams, abusive lease-option contracts, and abusive contract for deed/land installment sales. Foreclosure Rescue Scams The law cracks down on foreclosure rescue scams where the scammer takes title to the property without taking any responsibility for the mortgage. The law requires that...

SB 1216 has two major components. First, it continues the State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project (SHFPP) through May 31, 2013 and expands the program to cover all NC home loans not just subprime loans. Second, it modifies the points & fees trigger for determining if a mortgage is high-cost. State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project Continued & Expanded This law continues...