Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 422.303

  • 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
  • Following: when used by way of reference to any statute section, means the section next following that in which the reference is made. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Open-end credit: A credit agreement (typically a credit card) that allows a customer to borrow against a preapproved credit line when purchasing goods and services. The borrower is only billed for the amount that is actually borrowed plus any interest due. (Also called a charge account or revolving credit.) Source: OCC
  • Property: includes real and personal property. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; "year" alone means "year of our Lord". See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
   (1)    In a consumer credit sale other than one pursuant to an open-end credit plan or a credit sale in which the only finance charge is a prompt payment discount as described in s. 422.201 (8), the customer’s obligation to pay the total of payments shall be evidenced by a single instrument, which shall include, in addition to the other disclosures required by this subchapter, the signature of the seller, the signature of the customer, the date on which it was signed and a description of any property the customer transfers to the seller as a trade-in.
   (2)   The terms of such instrument evidencing a consumer credit sale shall be set forth in not less than 8-point standard type, or such similar type as is prescribed in rules adopted by the administrator, to the extent that larger type is not specifically required by chs. 421 to 427.
   (3)   Except as provided in sub. (4), every writing evidencing the customer’s obligation to pay under a consumer credit transaction other than one pursuant to an open-end credit plan or a motor vehicle consumer lease, shall contain immediately above or adjacent to the place for the signature of the customer, a clear, conspicuous, printed or typewritten notice in substantially the following language:
NOTICE TO CUSTOMER
(a) DO NOT SIGN THIS BEFORE YOU READ THE WRITING ON THE REVERSE SIDE, EVEN IF OTHERWISE ADVISED.
(b) DO NOT SIGN THIS IF IT CONTAINS ANY BLANK SPACES.
(c) YOU ARE ENTITLED TO AN EXACT COPY OF ANY AGREEMENT YOU SIGN.
(d) YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AT ANY TIME TO PAY IN ADVANCE THE UNPAID BALANCE DUE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT AND YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO A PARTIAL REFUND OF THE FINANCE CHARGE.
   (4)   The notice described in sub. (3) (a) is not required when no terms appear on the reverse side of the writing. The notice described in sub. (3) (d) is not required with respect to a consumer credit transaction secured by a first lien mortgage or equivalent security interest on real property, the original term of which is 10 years or more.
   (5)   The creditor shall retain a copy of such writing evidencing a consumer credit transaction, other than one pursuant to an open-end credit plan, and of any proposal for a consumer credit transaction which the merchant has required or requested the customer to sign and which the customer has signed during contract negotiations, for a period of one year after the last payment scheduled under the transaction, or one year after the transaction has been repaid in full, whichever is sooner. The creditor shall supply the customer with copies of such documents upon any demand of the customer made within such period; one copy shall be furnished at no charge; and subsequent copies shall be furnished on the condition that the customer pay the creditor’s reasonable costs of preparing and forwarding the copy. Copies supplied under this subsection are in addition to those copies required by s. 422.302.
   (6)   A violation of this section is subject to s. 425.304.