Payday and Predatory Loans Moratorium Act of 2020

Bill: 116-hr-6544
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5]
Introduced: 2020-04-17
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Consumer credit

Debt collection

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Interest, dividends, interest rates

Motor vehicles
Latest action: action_date: 2020-04-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-04-17
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Payday and Predatory Loans Moratorium Act of 2020 </b></p> <p>This bill prohibits for one year efforts by a lender to collect on certain debts owed by a borrower affected by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Specifically, lenders are prohibited from collection efforts against such a borrower with respect to (1) a loan with a nominal interest rate of 36% or more, and (2) a loan which the lender did not determine was affordable while allowing the borrower to meet basic living expenses and major financial obligations.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6544 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 17, 2020 Mr. Meeks introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services A BILL To establish a moratorium on collection efforts made by certain lenders against borrowers affected by coronavirus.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Payday and Predatory Loans Moratorium Act of 2020 . 2. Moratorium on collection efforts for certain borrowers affected by coronavirus (a) Moratorium During the one-year period beginning on the date on which a borrower notifies a covered lender of the borrower being affected by coronavirus, the covered lender may not carry out any collection efforts against the borrower with respect to a loan described in subsection (b). (b) Loan described A loan described in this subsection is any of the following loans: (1) A loan with nominal interest rates of 36 percent or more. (2) A loan by a covered lender described in subsection (c)(3)(B) that does not, or did not at the time of issuing the loan, determine whether the borrower can afford, while still meeting the basic living expenses and major financial obligations of the borrower— (A) with respect to payday and auto title loans that are due in one lump sum within one month of the date of such issuance, the full payment of the total loan amount, plus fees and finance charges; or (B) with respect to longer-term loans with a balloon payment, the payments for the month with the highest total payments on the loan. (c) Definitions (1) Affected by coronavirus The term affected by coronavirus means, with respect to a borrower, any of the following circumstances: (A) The household income of the borrower is reduced by reason of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19). (B) The borrower becomes unemployed by reason of such disease. (C) The borrower, or a member of the household of the borrower, is hospitalized by reason of such disease. (D) The borrower resides or is employed in an area covered by an emergency declared by the Federal Government or a State or local government as a result of such disease. (2) Collection efforts The term collection efforts means any of the following actions, or attempted actions, made by a covered lender (or a collection agency acting on behalf of the covered lender) in order to collect amounts owed to the lender by a borrower: (A) Contacting the borrower by telephone, including by text message. (B) Contacting the employer of the borrower. (C) Cashing post-dated checks of the borrower or making a direct withdrawal from a bank account of the borrower. (D) Entering into an agreement with a collections agency to collect such amounts. (E) Reporting to a credit reporting agency any missed payments related to such amounts. (F) Any other effort not described in subparagraphs (A) through (E) to enforce the collection of the amounts or the making of payments related to such amounts. (3) Covered lender The term covered lender means any of the following: (A) A payday lender. (B) A lender who is not a depository institution (as defined under section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act ( 12 U.S.C. 1813 )) or a Federal or State credit union (as such terms are defined under section 101 of the Federal Credit Union Act ( 12 U.S.C. 1752 )).