![]()
CHAPTER 41. CONSUMER DISCOUNT COMPANIES Sec.
41.1. Definitions.
41.2. Advertising.
41.3. Contracts with consumers.
41.3a. Calculation of default chargesstatement of policy.
41.4. Accounting records.
41.5. Treatment of collateral.
41.6. General.Authority The provisions of this Chapter 41 issued under section 12 of the Consumer Discount Company Act (7 P. S. § 6212), unless otherwise noted.
Source The provisions of this Chapter 41 adopted March 3, 1978, effective March 4, 1978, 8 Pa.B. 483; amended June 20, 1986, effective June 21, 1986, 16 Pa.B. 2211, unless otherwise noted. Immediately preceding text appear at serial pages (37038) to (37042), (33909) to (33910), (37044) to (37045), (47316) to (47318) and (37048) to (37050), unless otherwise noted.
§ 41.1. Definitions.
The following words and terms, when used in this part, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
ActThe Consumer Discount Company Act (7 P. S. § § 62016219).
AdministratorThe Secretary of Banking of the Commonwealth or his appointed representative.
AffiliateA person that directly, or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with a licensee.
BureauThe Bureau of Consumer Credit Agencies of the Department.
ConsumerEither the maker on a note, the acceptor of a bill of exchange, the defendant on a judgment, the mortgagor on a mortgage, the lessee on a lease, the bailee on a bailment, the purchaser on a conditional sales contract, or the person obligated to pay any other contract.
ContractEither a promissory or judgment note, bill of exchange, judgment, mortgage, conditional sales contract, lease or bailment by which the lessee or bailee has the option of becoming or is bound to become the owner of real or personal property upon full compliance with the terms of the agreement, or another form of negotiable or nonnegotiable instrument evidencing an agree-ment to pay a sum certain in money at a fixed or determinable time, either by a single payment or by stated installments.
Debt instrumentAn evidence of indebtedness issued by a licensee or its affiliates.
DepartmentThe Department of Banking of the Commonwealth.
Home improvement contractA contract executed under the Home Improvement Finance Act (73 P. S. § § 500-101500-602).
Installment sale contractA contract executed under the Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act (69 P. S. § § 601637) or the Goods and Services Installment Sales Act (69 P. S. § § 11012303).
Licensed officeA branch office of a licensee.
LicenseeA corporation holding a license issued under the provisions of the act and including a corporation whose license has expired or whose license has been cancelled, surrendered or revoked.
MakerA person who signs his name to a note and directly receives a loan of money; the term may not include a signatory secondarily liable on the note, including but not limited to, an endorser, guarantor or surety.
Cross References The provisions of this § 41.3 amended January 2, 1998, effective January 3, 1998, 28 Pa.B. 14; amended June 12, 1998, effective July 6, 1998, 28 Pa.B. 2687. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (237513) to (237514), (239251) to (239255) and (237519).
Notes of Decisions Interest Rate
The provisions of 10 Pa. Code § 41.3(p) (relating to contracts with consumers), insofar as it allows for a different interest rate for loans in excess of $5,000, is consistent with the underlying statute and does not offend the public policy on which the underlying statute was based. Beneficial Consumer Discount Co. v. Whitesell, 404 A.2d 794 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1979).
Cross References The provisions of this § 41.3a adopted August 31, 1990, effective September 1, 1990, 20 Pa.B. 4627; amended April 24, 1998, effective April 25, 1998, 28 Pa.B. 1956. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (237519) to (237521).
Cross References This section cited in 10 Pa. Code § 41.3 (relating to contracts with consumers).
§ 41.4. Accounting records.
(a) Accounting records shall be maintained in English and shall be retained for a period of 2 years after the date of final payment of or the final entry on a contract. Licensees shall make books and records available to the Administrator for examination, with or without prior notice, on weekdays at some time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., except holidays normally observed by local, national or religious custom. The accounting records of a licensee will be considered satisfactory if they are maintained in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles. Licensees purchasing installment sale contracts shall maintain separate general ledger controls for motor vehicle sales finance contracts and other sales finance and home improvement contracts purchased. At least the following controls shall be maintained:
(1) Direct loans.
(2) Motor vehicle sales finance contracts.
(3) Other sales finance and home improvement contracts.
(b) Licensees operating licensed offices other than their home office are permitted to maintain the general ledger of each licensed office at their home office providing each licensed office is furnished with a statement showing assets, liabilities and the income and expenses of that licensed office. These statements shall be filed in licensed offices within 30 days of the close of each accounting cycle and shall be retained in each licensed office and be available to the Administrator for a period of 2 years immediately preceding the date of each examination. The Administrator, however, reserves the right to demand that the general ledger maintained at the home office under these conditions be made available upon proper notice to the licensee. Except for licensed office general ledgers, other books, records and papers may be maintained in a licensed office of the licensee and shall be made available to the Administrator for examination at any time without prior notice. When notes or other instruments evidencing loan contracts are deposited with a financial institution in connection with a commercial loan or line of credit, access thereto shall be provided for the Administrator when the institution holding these notes or other instruments is situated in close proximity to the office of the licensee. When the institution holding these documents is not so situated, the licensee shall obtain from the institution a certified current list of documents held showing the date of the contract, the original amount of the contract, the name of the consumer and the number of the contract.
(c) Each individual account ledger shall contain a complete and detailed record of all items pertaining to the account. Interest or discount and service charges shall be shown separately. This ledger shall reflect the date of the contract, the date of each payment, the balance remaining due after each payment, the contractual delinquency status, the default charges, the extension charges, and whether the loan was closed by payment in full, by renewal or by sale of collateral or was charged off as a loss. The individual account ledger shall show detailed records of dates and amounts of special items that may have been paid by or charged to the consumer. When collateral is repossessed other than by due process of law, the date of repossession and the name and address of the person making the repossession shall appear on the individual account ledger. The date of the sale of the collateral, the selling price, the name and address of the purchaser and the date and amount of an insurance refund or of a surplus from the sale of the collateral that shall be paid to the consumer shall be set forth on the individual account records. When individual ledger cards are not available, the information required in this subsection shall be included in records produced by a data processing system.
(d) A licensee shall maintain in a separate file or record an accurate chronological account of law suits, foreclosures and sales of real property, personal property or both real and personal property.
§ 41.5. Treatment of collateral.
(a) When a loan contract is in default and a licensee proceeds by due process of law to issue execution against a consumer, the consumer may be charged with attorneys fees, court costs and the actual and reasonable expenses of repossessing, storing and selling the property.
(b) When a loan contract is in default and a licensee obtains possession of the security in a manner other than by writ of execution, the licensee shall immediately notify the consumer by registered or certified mail, directed to the last known address of the consumer, that the collateral will be sold at public or private sale and that the consumer may redeem his property upon payment of the contract in full at a licensed office of the licensee or, at the option of the licensee, may reinstate the contract upon payment of the past due payments and default charges, within 15 days of the date of mailing of the notice. The notice shall set forth the itemized amount necessary to redeem the collateral. Upon compliance with this subsection, the licensee may require the consumer to pay the actual costs incurred by the licensee in obtaining possession of the security. The Administrator reserves the right to determine the propriety of an item of cost charged to the consumer.
(c) When a consumers property is sold at public or private sale because of default, the licensee shall return to the consumer the amount realized from the sale in excess of the total of the balance due, including accrued default charges and the actual costs incurred. The Administrator reserves the right to fix a fair value of a property sold in determining the excess due to a consumer when the property is not sold in a commercially reasonable manner, and the Administrator reserves the right to determine the propriety of an item of cost charged to the consumer.
(d) Whenever a consumers property is sold or disposed of by public or private sale, a licensee shall, within 15 days of the date of sale, give notice to the consumer, by registered or certified mail directed to the last known address, of a deficiency claimed and a complete accounting of the costs of sale and of the proceeds of sale. This notice shall set forth the net balance remaining due. A licensee shall forfeit the right to a deficiency for failure to give the consumer the notices required in this section within the required time.
§ 41.6. General.
(a) A prospective licensee shall notify the Administrator of a contemplated purchase of contracts from a licensee and furnish the name and address of the licensee from whom the contracts will be purchased, the total number of contracts to be purchased, and the total outstanding principal balances thereof. Failure to comply with this subsection may preclude a prospective licensee from obtaining a license. A licensee shall obtain prior approval of the Administrator for the purchase of contracts from another licensee and for the sale of contracts to another licensee. Requests for approval of purchase or sale of contracts shall state the name and address of the licensee from whom the contracts are to be purchased or to whom they are to be sold, the total number of contracts and the total outstanding principal balances thereof. A licensee may not sell or otherwise dispose of contracts to a person or corporation not holding a license under the act, unless prior written approval is obtained from the Administrator. The privilege of collecting the charges authorized by the act may not be transferred to an unlicensed purchaser. This subsection shall not apply to:
(1) The purchase or transfer of loan contracts between licensees under the same management and control.
(2) The occasional sale or transfer of a loan contract to an out-of-State affiliate to effect the collection thereof, or for the convenience of a consumer.
(3) The transfer of a loan contract by a licensee to any maker or person secondarily liable on the contract.
(b) A license issued by the Administrator under the provisions of the act may not be transferred to another corporation from the corporation whose name appears in the application upon which the license was issued.
(c) A change in officers, office managers or directors of a licensee shall be reported promptly to the Administrator.
(d) No other type of business may be operated at the licensed place of business except that which may be conducted in accordance with the provisions of section 13Q of the act (7 P. S. § 6213Q.).
(e) Section 12 of the act (7 P. S. § 6212) provides that the Administrator shall be satisfied that the experience of the office manager warrants the conclusion that the business will be honestly transacted in accordance with the intent and purpose of the act. The individual designated as office manager shall be the person actively in charge of the operation of the consumer discount company business on a full-time basis.
No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.
This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.