(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Adjustable-rate residential mortgage loan” means any loan or credit sale which is primarily for personal, family, or household purposes which bears interest at a rate subject to change during the term of the loan, whether predetermined or otherwise, and which is made upon the security of real property containing not less than one nor more than four dwelling units.

Terms Used In California Civil Code 1921

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. Source: OCC
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • property: includes property real and personal. See California Civil Code 14
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.

(2) “Lender” means any person, association, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, or other business entity making, in any 12-month period, more than 10 loans or credit sales upon the security of residential real property containing not less than one nor more than four dwelling units.

(b) Any lender offering adjustable-rate residential mortgage loans shall provide to prospective borrowers a copy of the most recent available publication of the Federal Reserve Board that is designed to provide the public with descriptive information concerning adjustable-rate mortgages (currently entitled “Consumer Handbook on Adjustable Rate Mortgages”), either upon the prospective borrower’s request or at the same time the lender first provides written information, other than direct-mail advertising, concerning any adjustable-rate residential mortgage loan or credit sale to the prospective borrower, whichever is earlier. Any lender who fails to comply with the requirements of this section may be enjoined by any court of competent jurisdiction and shall be liable for actual damages, the costs of the action, and reasonable attorney’s fees as determined by the court. The court may make those orders as may be necessary to prevent future violations of this section.

(c) A lender that makes adjustable-rate mortgage loan disclosures pursuant to either Part 29 of Chapter I of, or Part 563 of Chapter V of, Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations, may comply with this section by providing the descriptive information required by subdivision (b) at the same time and under the same circumstances that it makes disclosures in accordance with those federal regulations. Such a lender shall also display and make the descriptive information available to the public in an area of the lender’s office that is open to the public.

(Amended by Stats. 1987, Ch. 56, Sec. 19.)