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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

Illinois regulator proposes implementation of Predatory Loan Prevention Act

State Issues State Legislation State Regulators Predatory Lending Interest Rate Consumer Finance

State Issues

Last month, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) published proposed regulations in the state register to implement the Illinois Predatory Loan Prevention Act (Act). As previously covered by InfoBytes, the Act was signed into law in March and prohibits lenders from charging more than 36 percent APR on all non-commercial consumer loans under $40,000, including closed-end and open-end credit, retail installment sales contracts, and motor vehicle retail installment sales contracts. Violations of the Act constitute a violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, and carry a potential fine up to $10,000. Additionally, any loan with an APR exceeding 36 percent will be considered null and void “and no person or entity shall have any right to collect, attempt to collect, receive, or retain any principal, fee, interest, or charges related to the loan.”

The IDFPR’s notice of proposed rules provides definitions and loan terms, including (i) general conditions; (ii) limits on the cost of a loan; (iii) how to calculate and compute the APR for the purposes of the Act; (iv) how to determine bona fide fees charged on credit card accounts, including outlining ineligible items, providing standards for assessing whether a bona fide fee is reasonable, and specifying bona fide fee safe harbors and “[i]ndicia of reasonableness for a participation fee”; and (iii) the effect of charging fees on bona fide fees.

Additionally, the IDFPR proposes several amendments related to rate cap disclosure notices. These specify that (i) all loan applications must include a separate rate cap disclosure signed by the consumer (disclosures must be provided in English and in the language in which the loan was negotiated); (ii) lenders must “prominently display” a rate cap disclosure in both English and Spanish in any physical location and on all websites, mobile device applications, or any other electronic mediums owned or maintained by the lender; and (iii) lenders must disclose the rate cap in any written loan solicitations or advertisements.