(1) A seller licensed under this act may charge the buyer a finance charge on any installment sale contract covering the retail sale of a motor vehicle in this state. The finance charge shall not exceed the rate permitted by the credit reform act, 1995 PA 162, MCL 445.1851 to 445.1864.
  (2) The seller shall compute the finance charge on the principal amount financed as determined under section 13(2)(f).

Terms Used In Michigan Laws 492.118

  • Annual percentage rate: The cost of credit at a yearly rate. It is calculated in a standard way, taking the average compound interest rate over the term of the loan so borrowers can compare loans. Lenders are required by law to disclose a card account's APR. Source: FDIC
  • buyer: means a person that buys, hires, or leases a motor vehicle for personal, family, or household use, and not for commercial, business, or agricultural use, under an installment sale contract or a legal successor in interest to that person. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • contract: means an agreement for the retail sale of a motor vehicle, or that has a similar purpose or effect, under which part or all of the price is payable in 2 or more scheduled payments subsequent to the making of the agreement or under which the obligor undertakes to make 2 or more scheduled payments or deposits that can be used to pay part or all of the purchase price, whether or not the seller has retained a security interest in the motor vehicle or has taken collateral security for the buyer's obligation, and any extension, deferment, renewal, or other revision of that agreement. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Finance charge: The total cost of credit a customer must pay on a consumer loan, including interest. The Truth in Lending Act requires disclosure of the finance charge. Source: OCC
  • Finance charge: means that term as defined in section 106 of the truth in lending act, 15 USC 1605. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • Minimum finance charge: The minimum, or fixed, finance charge that will be imposed during a billing cycle. A minimum finance charge usually applies only when a finance charge is imposed, that is, when you carry over a balance. Source: Federal Reserve
  • month: means a calendar month; the word "year" a calendar year; and the word "year" alone shall be equivalent to the words "year of our Lord". See Michigan Laws 8.3j
  • Motor vehicle: means a self-propelled device by which a person or property may be transported upon a public highway or, subject to subparagraph (iv), a recreational vehicle. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • Principal amount financed: means the unpaid cash price balance after deducting the down payment, adding the cost of any insurance premiums required or obtained as security for or by reason of the sale of a motor vehicle under an installment sale contract, and adding other costs necessary or incidental to the sale of the motor vehicle under the contract that the seller contracts to pay on behalf of the buyer and for the amount of which the seller agrees to extend credit to the buyer and for which the buyer contracts voluntarily. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
  • Retail sale: means a sale of a motor vehicle for use by a buyer or for the benefit or satisfaction that the buyer may derive from the use of the motor vehicle by another. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • seller: means a person engaged in the business of selling, offering for sale, hiring, or leasing motor vehicles under installment sale contracts or a legal successor in interest to that person. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
  • Truth in Lending Act: The Truth in Lending Act is a federal law that requires lenders to provide standardized information so that borrowers can compare loan terms. In general, lenders must provide information on Source: OCC
  (3) The seller shall compute the finance charge at the annual rates permitted by subsection (1) on installment sale contracts that are payable by installment payments, extending for a period of 1 year. On installment sale contracts providing for installment payments extending for a period that is less than or greater than 1 year, the seller shall compute the finance charge proportionately. If an installment sale contract provides for payment other than in equal successive weekly, semimonthly, or monthly installments, the finance charge may be at a rate that will provide the same annual percentage rate as is permitted on monthly payment contracts considering the schedule of payments in the contract. The seller shall disclose the annual percentage rate of the installment sales contract in accordance with disclosure requirements of the truth in lending act, title I of the consumer credit protection act, Public Law 90-321, 15 U.S.C. § 1601 to 1608, 1610 to 1613, 1615, 1631 to 1635, 1637 to 1648, and 1661 to 1667e, and the regulations promulgated under the truth in lending act.
  (4) The seller may compute the finance charge on the basis of a full month for a fractional month period in excess of 10 days.
  (5) A seller may charge a minimum finance charge of $15.00 on an installment sale contract in which the finance charge, when computed at the rates indicated, results in a total charge of less than $15.00.