FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 131
91ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR BLAND.
Pre-filed December 1, 2000, and 1,000 copies ordered printed.
TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.
0080S.01I
AN ACT
To repeal sections 408.140 and 408.330, RSMo 2000, relating to penalties on late payments for certain credit transactions, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections relating to the same subject.
Section A. Sections 408.140 and 408.330, RSMo 2000, are repealed and two new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 408.140 and 408.330, to read as follows:
408.140. 1. No further or other charge or amount whatsoever shall be directly or indirectly charged, contracted for or received for interest, service charges or other fees as an incident to any such extension of credit except as provided and regulated by sections 367.100 to 367.200, RSMo, and except:
(1) On loans for thirty days or longer which are other than "open-end credit" as such term is defined in the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act and regulations thereunder, a fee, not to exceed five percent of the principal amount loaned not to exceed fifty dollars may be charged by the lender; however, no such fee shall be permitted on any extension, refinance, restructure or renewal of any such loan, unless any investigation is made on the application to extend, refinance, restructure or renew the loan;
(2) The lawful fees actually and necessarily paid out by the lender to any public officer for filing, recording, or releasing in any public office any instrument securing the loan, which fees may be collected when the loan is made or at any time thereafter; however, premiums for insurance in lieu of perfecting a security interest required by the lender may be charged if the premium does not exceed the fees which would otherwise be payable;
(3) If the contract so provides, a charge for late payment on each installment or minimum payment in default for a period of not less than fifteen days in an amount not to exceed [five] two percent of each installment due or the minimum payment due or [twenty-five] fifteen dollars, whichever is less; except that, a minimum charge of [ten] five dollars may be made. If the contract so provides, a charge for late payment on each twenty-five dollars or less installment in default for a period of not less than fifteen days shall not exceed [five] two dollars;
(4) Charges or premiums for insurance written in connection with any loan against loss of or damage to property or against liability arising out of ownership or use of property as provided in section 367.170, RSMo; however, notwithstanding any other provision of law, with the consent of the borrower, such insurance may cover property all or part of which is pledged as security for the loan, and charges or premiums for insurance providing life, health, accident, or involuntary unemployment coverage;
(5) Charges assessed by any institution for processing a refused instrument plus a handling fee of not more than [fifteen] five dollars;
(6) If the contract or promissory note, signed by the borrower, provides for attorney fees, and if it is necessary to bring suit, such attorney fees may not exceed fifteen percent of the amount due and payable under such contract or promissory note, together with any court costs assessed. The attorney fees shall only be applicable where the contract or promissory note is referred for collection to an attorney, and is not handled by a salaried employee of the holder of the contract;
(7) Provided the debtor agrees in writing, the lender may collect a fee in advance for allowing the debtor to defer up to three monthly loan payments, so long as the fee is no more than the lesser of fifty dollars or ten percent of the loan payments deferred, no extensions are made until the first loan payment is collected and no more than one deferral in a twelve-month period is agreed to and collected on any one loan. This section applies to nonprecomputed loans only and does not affect any other sections.
2. Other provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding, an open-end credit contract under which a credit card is issued by a company, financial institution, savings and loan or other credit issuing company whose credit card operations are located in Missouri may charge an annual fee, provided that no finance charge shall be assessed on new purchases other than cash advances if such purchases are paid for within twenty-five days of the date of the periodic statement therefor.
3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, in addition to charges allowed pursuant to section 408.100, an open-end credit contract provided by a company, financial institution, savings and loan or other credit issuing company which is regulated pursuant to this chapter may charge an annual fee not to exceed fifty dollars.
408.330. 1. If a retail time contract or a retail charge agreement so provides, the holder thereof may charge and collect:
(1) A premium for insurance in lieu of charges for perfecting a security interest required by the lender if the premium does not exceed the fees which would otherwise be payable;
(2) Charges assessed by any institution for processing a refused instrument plus a handling fee of not more than [fifteen] five dollars;
(3) A delinquency and collection charge on each installment in default for a period of not less than ten days in an amount not to exceed [ten] five dollars or [five] two dollars when the monthly installment is less than twenty-five dollars; or
(4) Interest on each delinquent payment thereunder at a rate which will not exceed the highest lawful contract rate. In addition to such delinquency charge, the contract may provide for the payment of attorney fees not exceeding fifteen percent of the amount due and payable under such contract where such contract is referred for collection to an attorney not a salaried employee of the holder of the contract and for court costs.
2. The parties to a retail time contract who have entered into more than one contract at substantially different times may agree to consolidate such contracts resulting in a single schedule of payments; provided, however, that the time charge on the new unpaid balance shall not exceed the maximum specified in section 408.300.