zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Credit Card Minimum Payment Warning Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to include among the mandatory disclosures at each billing cycle of open end consumer credit plans: (1) the words "Minimum Payment Warning: Making only the minimum payment will increase the amount of interest that you pay and the time it will take to repay your outstanding balance;" (2) the number of years and months it would take the consumer to pay the entire amount of the balance if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments; (3) the total cost to the consumer, as well as a breakdown in principal and interest payments, of paying that balance in full if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments, and if no further advances are made; (4) the monthly payment amount that would be required to eliminate the outstanding balance in 36 months if no further advances are made; and (5) a toll-free telephone number for information about accessing credit counseling and debt management services. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Trade Commission jointly to issue guidelines for creditors to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone number for such disclosures.

Date: 2007-04-20
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Stopping Mortgage Transactions which Operate to Promote Fraud, Risk, Abuse and Underdevelopment Act, or the STOP FRAUD Act - Amends federal criminal law to make it unlawful for any mortgage professional to: (1) defraud any natural person or financial institution regarding an offer of consumer credit secured by an interest either in real property or in personal property used as a principal dwelling; or (2) falsely obtain money or property from a natural person in connection with an extension of consumer credit secured by an interest in such property.Subjects violations of this Act to civil and criminal penalties.Directs the Attorney General to establish: (1) a system for authorized mortgage professionals to receive updates from federal law enforcement agencies on suspicious activity trends in the mortgage industry and mortgage fraud-related convictions; (2) a Debarred or Censured Mortgage Professional Database that may be accessed to determine the federal and state bar status of mortgage professionals; and (3) grants to assist law enforcement agencies establish and improve mortgage fraud task forces.Grants whistleblower protection to personnel of a widely accepted private certification board.Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide tenants, homeowners, and other consumers with mortgage fraud counseling.Directs the Secretary to provide grants to state appraisal agencies to improve the monitoring and enforcement of housing appraisal regulations.Sets forth additional rights of borrowers in foreclosure proceedings.

Date: 2007-04-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Borrower's Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to deem a mortgage broker, in the case of a home mortgage loan, to have a fiduciary relationship with the consumer. Subjects each such mortgage broker to all federal and state requirements for fiduciaries. Requires each mortgage originator, in addition to the duties imposed by federal and state requirements, to act with respect to each home mortgage loan: (1) with reasonable skill, care, and diligence; and (2) in good faith and with fair dealing in any transaction, practice, or with associated course of business. Requires a mortgage originator, before entering into or otherwise facilitating a home mortgage loan, to verify the borrower's reasonable ability to pay the principal and interest, real estate taxes, and homeowners insurance fees and premiums. Prescribes a formula for determining ability to pay variable mortgage rates. Makes the lender liable for acts, omissions, and representations of a mortgage broker in connection with any rate spread mortgage loan the broker sells or delivers to the lender. Prohibits a mortgage originator from steering a consumer to home mortgage loan rates, charges, principal amount, or prepayment terms not reasonably advantageous to the consumer. Prescribes mortgage originator duties to consumers. Prohibits specified mortgage originator conduct, especially entering into a home mortgage loan when the originator has reason to believe that the appraiser of the property securing the loan failed to act in good faith and fair dealing in its appraisal. Prohibits a mortgage originator from: (1) seeking to influence an appraiser or otherwise to encourage a targeted value; or (2) selecting an appraiser on the expectation that the appraiser would provide a targeted value. Requires the mortgage originator to provide a copy of the appraisal report to a home mortgage loan applicant, whether credit is granted, denied, or the application was withdrawn.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Mortgage Cancellation Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts attributable to the discharge of certain residential mortgage obligations.

Date: 2007-05-15
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation
Stop Unfair Practices in Credit Cards Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act regarding open-end consumer credit plans. Prohibits imposition of an interest charge upon debt paid on time and in full. Sets restrictions upon interest rate increases. Limits penalty rate increases to: (1) seven percentage points above the current interest rate; and (2) future credit extensions only. Prohibits interest charges on fees. Specifies restrictions upon over-the-limit fees. Requires the primary federal regulator of a card issuer to conduct annual audits of the credit card operations and procedures used by the issuer. Requires the card issuer to: (1) apply payment first to the card balance bearing the highest rate of interest, and then to each successive balance bearing the next highest rate of interest, until the payment is exhausted; and (2) apply the payment in the most effective way to minimize the imposition of any finance charge. Requires a card issuer to define and display the term "prime rate" or similar rate or index as the bank prime loan rate posted by a majority of the top 25 U.S. chartered commercial banks, as published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board). Revises requirements governing credit card information collected by the Board. Directs the Board to report annually to Congress its assessment of the profitability of credit card operations of depository institutions.

Date: 2007-05-15
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for mortgage insurance premiums.

Date: 2007-05-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation
Rent-To-Own Reform Act of 2007 - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prohibit a seller in a rent-to-own transaction from receiving or assessing any interest, finance charge, or other fee for the transaction that exceeds the interest, fees, or finance charges permissible under the laws of the state in which the seller is located which establish: (1) a maximum rate or amount of interest, finance charge, or time-price differential that may be charged in connection with a credit sale or retail installment sale for the same or a similar item; (2) the types of fees and the maximum amount of fees that a seller may so charge; or (3) the types of credit insurance and the maximum amount of premiums that can be charged for credit insurance in such a connection. Permits certain additional termination charges and fees. Cites federal laws which are applicable to a rent-to-own transaction. Sets forth required disclosures, prohibitions, and enforcement, as well as civil liability for failure to properly disclose the terms of a rent-to-own transaction. Declares this Act inapplicable to certain motor vehicles sales and leases otherwise subject to the Truth in Lending Act.

Date: 2007-05-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Commerce
FHA Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act of 2007 - Amends the National Housing Act with respect to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) housing loan insurance for manufactured homes (or lots for such homes). Exempts such loans from certain financial institution portfolio limits, increasing an allowable claim for loss from 10% to 90% of an institution's total amount of such loans, credit advances, and purchases. Makes any new contract of insurance for such loans, credit advances, or purchases conclusive evidence of an institution's insurance eligibility. (Thus requires each loan to be insured individually instead of as part of a bundle of such loans.) Increases loan limits, requiring annual indexing. Sets forth borrower premium charges, including an up-front premium of up to 2.25% and an annual premium of up to 1%. Revises requirements for the handling and disposal of any real or personal conveyed to or acquired by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the pursuit of all claims against mortgagors assigned to the Secretary by mortgagees. Directs the Secretary of HUD to establish underwriting criteria that will ensure the manufactured housing program's financial soundness.

Date: 2007-06-28
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
FHA Loan Limit Adjustment Act of 2007 - Amends the National Housing Act with respect to mortgage insurance eligibility to revise requirements for the principal amount of a mortgage loan, in part increasing the amount of a mortgage that may be insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Repeals the requirement that certain mortgagors, before a mortgage is insured, complete a program of counseling on the responsibilities and financial management involved in homeownership. Increases high-cost area and project-based additional mortgage loan limits for FHA-insured mortgages for: (1) rental housing; (2) cooperative housing; (3) rehabilitation and neighborhood conservation housing insurance; (4) moderate income and displaced family housing; (5) housing for the elderly; and (6) condominiums.

Date: 2007-07-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Private Student Loan Disclosure Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to subject private education loans to its consumer credit disclosure requirements. Sets forth the private student loan terms and conditions which lenders must clearly and conspicuously disclose to borrowers in any application or solicitation for such a loan and contemporaneously with the approval of a private student loan application. Gives private student loan borrowers 30 days after the loan is approved and the required loan disclosure information is received to accept and consummate the loan transaction. Subjects lenders to civil liability for violating such requirements. Requires civil actions to be brought within one year after the first monthly payment on the loan becomes due after the borrower leaves school, unless full repayment begins earlier. Requires private student loan providers, when making the required loan disclosures, to inform borrowers of their possible eligibility for federal educational loans. Requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to develop and test a student borrower disclosure statement that encourages students to use federal educational loans and discloses their average interest rate and the fact that they are less costly than private education loans.

Date: 2007-07-19
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Education
Student Credit Card Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to limit by a specified formula the total credit which may be extended by a creditor during any full calendar year to a full time, traditional-aged college student under a college student credit card account, unless a parent, legal guardian, or spouse of the student assumes joint liability for debts incurred. Prohibits increasing the credit limit on an account for which a parent, guardian, or spouse has assumed joint liability without that person's written approval. States that a creditor must require adequate proof of income, income history, and credit history, before any such college student credit card account may be opened. Prohibits a creditor from opening a credit card account for, or issue any credit card to, any college student who: (1) has no verifiable annual gross income; and (2) already maintains a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan with the same creditor or any affiliate. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to promulgate implementing regulations.

Date: 2007-08-01
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow bonds guaranteed by any federal home loan bank to be treated as tax-exempt state or local bonds (thus excluding interest on such bonds from gross income).

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation
Home Ownership Made Easier Act or the HOME Act - Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to revise eligibility, qualifying population limit, guarantee fee, and refinancing requirements of the Doug Bereuter Section 502 Single Family Housing Loan Guarantee Program.Replaces the current 115% of area median income eligibility limit for families with three income tiers, including households of up to four members, of up to eight members, and of over eight members.Repeals the requirement that the loan applicant qualify for other specified federal housing loans as well. Requires the single-family residence acquired or constructed with such a loan to be located in a rural area (as under current law), but allows the area population to range up to 40,000.Increases from 1% to 2% of the principal obligation of a guaranteed loan the guarantee fee which the Secretary may collect from the lender.Permits the refinancing of a guaranteed loan to: (1) pay off any other loan (including a first or second purchase mortgage) not made or guaranteed under such Act; (2) repair mechanical or structural deficiencies to the borrower's residence; (3) pay for authorized closing costs, including a discount of up to 200 basis points and an origination fee of up to 100 basis points; (4) allow the borrower to consolidate debts of up to the greater of $10,000 or 10% percent of the loan amount; and (5) carry out other authorized purposes.Prohibits denial of a loan or loan guarantee to an eligible borrower solely because the borrower is not eligible (or is eligible and has not applied for) assistance under any other federal loan, housing, housing assistance, or other housing related program.Makes $2,400 the mandatory exclusion amount in the adjusted income of minors, students, and persons with disabilities under the farm housing financial assistance program.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Protecting Access to Safe Mortgages Act - Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act to increase mortgage portfolio limitations placed upon: (1) the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae); and (2) the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), respectively. Instructs the Director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to lift: (1) the limitation on growth provision set forth in the Fannie Mae Consent Decree; and (2) the voluntary temporary growth limitation described in a certain Freddie Mac Letter. Requires 50% of such portfolio increase to be used on loans which have had or will have interest rate resets between June 2005 and December 2009.

Date: 2007-09-10
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
American Home Ownership Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require certain mortgage originators or lenders with primary responsibility for underwriting an assessment on a home mortgage loan to include a borrower's ability to repay certain associated costs. Requires a mortgage broker to clearly disclose its relationship to the borrower. Directs the federal banking agencies to establish a nationwide registry and database system in which all mortgage brokers in the United States must register. Eliminates prepayment penalties for home mortgages. Instructs the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants to state governments and tribal organizations to assist: (1) programs established for foreclosure mitigation; and (2) housing trust funds supporting low- and moderate-income housing. Amends the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 to direct the HUD Secretary to establish an annual goal for each government-sponsored enterprise to identify and assist homeowners at risk of default or foreclosure on their mortgage, but who would be able to stabilize the situation with fixed rate 30- or 40-year mortgages. Authorizes appropriations for mortgage fraud enforcement and prosecution.

Date: 2007-09-27
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require a creditor to disclose to a consumer with respect to an extension of credit secured by the consumer's dwelling that the consumer is not required to complete the credit agreement merely because the consumer has received required disclosures or signed a loan application. Requires such disclosure to be furnished to the borrower not later than seven business days before the consummation of the transaction, as well as at the time of consummation. Requires additional disclosures in such a circumstance regarding any variable rates or payment schedules. Increases the actual damages for which a creditor is liable for noncompliance with such Act in the case of an individual action relating to a credit transaction not under an open end credit plan that is secured by real property or a dwelling. Replaces the current range of damages from $200 to $2,000 with a flat damages amount of $5,000, adjusted annually for inflation.

Date: 2007-10-04
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Promoting Refinancing Opportunities for Mortgages Impacted by the Subprime Emergency Act of 2007, or the PROMISE Act - Requires the Director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to terminate, suspend, modify, or otherwise lift: (1) the limitation on growth provision set forth in the Fannie Mae Consent Decree (the OFHEO order dated May 23, 2006, in the matter of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)); and (2) the voluntary temporary growth limitation described in the Freddie Mac Letter (dated July 31, 2006, from the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) to the OFHEO Director). Requires: (1) the Director to increase the mortgage portfolio limitations of both enterprises by at least 10%; and (2) the use of 85% of such increase for refinancing subprime mortgages at risk of foreclosure.

Date: 2007-10-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Community Health Center Capital Investment Act - Amends the National Housing Act to revise the eligibility requirements for mortgages insured by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to include a mortgage executed by a health center.

Date: 2007-10-31
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Mortgage Disclosure Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth In Lending Act to require additional mortgage loan disclosures by a creditor to a consumer, including: (1) ) the percentage of the loan, as compared to the appraised value of the property; (2) the term of the loan; (3) the monthly income of the borrower, as relied upon in making the loan; (4) the annual percentage rate of interest for loans that are fixed, and for loans that are variable; (5) prepayment fees; and (6) balloon payments. Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to conform with this Act.

Date: 2007-11-01
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Real Estate Transparency Act of 2007 - Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to modify requirements governing settlement statements. Requires the originator of a federally related mortgage loan to provide, within three days of a loan application, a written agreement to the applicant itemizing all of the fees the originator may charge at or before loan settlement, including origination, underwriting, and broker fees. Excludes from such requirement bona fide discount points payable by the borrower to reduce the loan's interest rate. Requires an originator fee agreement to set out the following fee payment methods: (1) paying in cash before or at settlement; (2) adding such fees into the total loan amount to be borrowed; and (3) increasing the loan's interest rate. Requires: (1) written and oral explanations of a borrower's payment options; and (2) a borrower's signature attesting agreement with originator fees and with the chosen method of payment. Requires the originator to provide the applicant with a written early settlement statement of all settlement costs to be charged at or before settlement. Shields borrowers from liability for any such fees not disclosed on an early settlement statement, except in certain circumstances. Establishes originator liability to a borrower for non-compliance with this Act, including reimbursement of the borrower for court costs. Repeals the requirement that special information booklets prepared by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for borrowers contain a good faith estimate of the amount or range of expected settlement charges.

Date: 2007-11-13
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Promoting Refinancing Opportunities for Mortgages Impacted by the Subprime Emergency Act of 2007, or the PROMISE Act - Requires the Director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to terminate, suspend, modify, or otherwise lift: (1) the limitation on growth provision set forth in the Fannie Mae Consent Decree (the OFHEO order dated May 23, 2006, in the matter of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)); and (2) the voluntary temporary growth limitation described in the Freddie Mac Letter (dated July 31, 2006, from the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) to the OFHEO Director). Requires: (1) the Director to increase the mortgage portfolio limitations of both enterprises by at least 10%; and (2) the use of 85% of such increase for refinancing subprime mortgages at risk of foreclosure.

Date: 2007-11-13
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Credit Card Safety Star Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to direct the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to promulgate rules to implement a Safety Star System, with one to five stars, to allow consumers to compare quickly and easily the terms, conditions, and levels of safety associated with various open end credit plan agreements. Specifies a point structure for rating credit cards. Assigns an automatic one-star rating (the lowest level of safety) to any open end credit plan: (1) that allows the card issuer to modify the terms of the agreement with a cardholder at any time or periodically for unspecified or unstated reasons; or (2) under which other accounts, or changes by a third party in the cardholder's credit rating, are used as a basis for adverse changes in the agreement (including universal default). Establishes the Credit Card Safety Star Advisory Commission.

Date: 2007-12-05
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Home Ownership Preservation and Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to redefine high-cost mortgages and attendant lending practices. Sets forth a new formula for points and fees for open-end loans, and provides for bona fide discount points. Prohibits: (1) prepayment penalties; (2) balloon payments; (3) yield spread premiums; (4) acceleration or debt; (5) evasions, structuring of transactions, and reciprocal arrangements; and (6) modification and deferral fees. Prohibits creditors from financing, in connection with a high-cost mortgage, any prepayment fee or penalty, or any points or fees. Prohibits an originator from making or arranging a high-cost mortgage loan that involves a refinancing of a prior existing home mortgage loan unless the new loan will provide a net tangible benefit to the consumer. Sets forth prerequisites for subprime and nontraditional home loans, including: (1) an assessment of ability to pay; (2) a requirement of tax and insurance escrows; (3) prohibition of prepayment penalties and yield-spread premiums; and (4) a requirement of net tangible benefit to the consumer in the case of a subprime or nontraditional mortgage loan transaction that involves refinancing of an existing home mortgage. Imposes a duty of care and a duty of good faith and fair dealing upon mortgage brokers and lenders, appraisers, and lenders and loan servicers. Empowers state Attorneys General to enforce this Act. Subjects lenders, loan servicers, creditors and mortgage brokers to civil liability for violations of this Act. Increases the amount of the penalty that may be awarded. Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to require a transferor of loan servicing before the transfer tonotify the borrower of the status of the account and its full payment history. Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to revise requirements for foreclosure prevention counseling. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to expand from three to six years an obligor's right of rescission. Imposes liability for monetary damages upon assignees of subprime or nontraditional loans for violations of this Act.Sets forth a remedy in lieu of rescission for certain violations.Prohibits mandatory arbitration. Subjects a lender to liability for certain actions, omissions, and representations made by a mortgage broker in connection with a high-cost mortgage, a subprime mortgage, or a nontraditional mortgage. Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to require the federal banking agencies and the National Credit Union Administration Board each to establish a separate division of consumer affairs protection and regulations with respect to depository institutions and federal credit unions. Authorizes appropriations to employ additional agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and additional dedicated prosecutors at the Department of Justice to coordinate prosecution of mortgage fraud efforts with the offices of the U.S. Attorneys.

Date: 2007-12-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Authorizes appropriations to carry out research and enforcement regarding misleading mortgage advertisements, in an amount double the amount spent for such purposes in the previous fiscal year, for the Division of Financial Practices of the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Date: 2007-12-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Commerce
Reverse Mortgage Proceeds Protection Act - Amends the National Housing Act of 1937 to modify the eligibility criteria for insurance of home equity conversion mortgages (reverse mortgages) of elderly home owners. Excludes from the third party adequate counseling requirement counseling by a reverse mortgage lender, servicer or investor, or an entity engaged in the sale of annuities, investments, long-term care insurance, or any other type of financial or insurance product. Repeals the waiver of up-front insurance premiums for mortgages to fund long-term care insurance. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to use a portion of reverse mortgage insurance premiums to fund mandatory counseling and disclosure activities, including counseling for homeowners who elect not to take out a home equity conversion mortgage. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to protect elderly homeowners from the marketing of financial and insurance products not in their interest, including the marketing or sale of an annuity as a precondition to obtaining a home equity conversion mortgage.

Date: 2007-12-14
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow proceeds of qualified mortgage bonds to be used to refinance certain residential subprime loans issued between 2002 and 2008; (2) increase in 2008 limitations on issuance amounts for qualified mortgage bonds; and (3) exempt tax-exempt interest on qualified mortgage or veterans' mortgage bonds issued before 2011 from the alternative minimum tax.

Date: 2007-12-18
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation
Credit Card Minimum Payment Notification Act of 2008 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act regarding disclosures required with each billing cycle under an open end consumer credit plan to require a credit card issuer to include in specified type a written statement in the following form: "Minimum Payment Warning: Making only the minimum payment will increase the interest you pay and the time it takes to repay your balance."Prescribes additional three-line statements disclosing the length of time it will take to pay off balances and the final cost to the consumer of interest rates charged.Requires disclosure of a toll-free telephone number to obtain an estimate in person rather than a recording of the time to repay the balance making only minimum payments and the total amount of those payments.Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish a detailed table illustrating the approximate number of months that it would take and the approximate total cost to repay an outstanding balance if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments and if no other additional charges or fees are incurred on the account.Exempts from such disclosure requirements any billing cycle in which: (1) the account agreement requires a minimum payment of not less than 10% of the outstanding balance; and (2) finance charges are not imposed.

Date: 2008-01-22
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Mortgage Refinancing Initiative Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow, until December 31, 2009, proceeds of qualified mortgage bonds to be used to refinance an existing mortgage; and (2) increase in 2008 and 2009 the national limitation amount for such bonds.

Date: 2008-01-30
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation
Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008, or S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 - Encourages the states to establish a Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry for the residential mortgage industry through the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators. Sets forth procedures, requirements (including education and testing), and standards for mandatory registration and state licensing of mortgage loan originators. Requires the federal banking agencies jointly, through the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, to develop and maintain a system for registering depository institiution employees as registered loan originators with the Registry. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish and maintain a backup licensing and registration system for loan originators operating in a state that either: (1) does not, after a certain period of time, have a licensing and registering system for loan originators that meets the requirements of this Act; or (2) does not participate in the Registry. Requires the HUD Secretary also to establish and maintain a backup licensing, supervisory, and tracking system for loan originators if the Registry is failing to meet the requirements and purposes of this Act. Declares that this Act does not preempt state law which provides greater protection to consumers than is provided under this Act. Directs the HUD Secretary to study and report to Congress on the root causes of default and foreclosure of home loans.

Date: 2008-02-06
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Credit Card Reform Act of 2008 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to permit a consumer reporting agency to furnish a consumer report in connection with any credit or insurance transaction that is not initiated by the consumer only if the report indicates that the consumer is age 21 or older. Allows 18-year olds to elect to have their name and address included in any agency list. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a credit card issuer from changing the terms of a credit card under an open end consumer credit plan: (1) before the scheduled contract expiration or renewal date; and (2) until the issuer has published all contract changes in any mandatory disclosures. Establishes a cardholder right to repay all existing balances on a terminated or expired credit card account under the terms of the account in effect before the termination or expiration. Imposes limits upon increases of interest rates and finance charges on a credit card account before its scheduled renewal date. Permits an increase in the annual percentage rate (APR) as a penalty only for specific, material contract violations of a consumer directly related to the account that are specified in the contract as grounds for an increase. Bans retroactive rate increases.Prohibits a credit card issuer from imposing adverse consequences for late payment if the cardholder's payment is postmarked or initiated by electronic funds transfer on or before the required postmark date. Requires a credit card issuer to verify, when the account is opened or the credit limit increased, that the consumer will be able to make the scheduled payments, based on a consideration of current and expected income, current obligations, and employment status. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to redefine "firm offer of credit or insurance" to require the offer to specify all material terms, including APR, fees, and the applicable amount of credit or credit limit.

Date: 2008-03-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Protecting America's Homeowners Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through January 1, 2011, the temporary exclusion from gross income of the discharge of an indebtedness for a qualified principal residence.Declares invalid, throughout a specified moratorium period, the terms of any home mortgage loan that requires a consumer to pay a prepayment penalty for paying all or part of the outstanding principal before its contractual due date.Directs the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NRC) to continue to award to counseling intermediaries and State Housing Finance Agencies certain funds previously designated for mortgage foreclosure mitigation activities in states and areas with high rates of mortgage foreclosures or defaults.Appropriates additional funds for FY2008 for: (1) NRC foreclosure mitigation activities; and (2) state and local governmental redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes.Sets forth across-the-board 0.25 percent rescissions in non-defense, non-homeland-security discretionary spending for FY2009.Amends the Truth In Lending Act to require additional creditor disclosures concerning mortgage loans.Requires the annual percentage rate (APR) applicable to credit secured by an interest in real property to include settlement costs. Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association Charter Act to provide that securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association (Freddie Mac) are not exempt from registration requirements under the Securities Act of 1933 (thus requiring registration of such securities).Sets a limit upon aggregate annual registration fees paid by specified entities that do not include a registered investment company.Establishes in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a Financial Counseling and Foreclosure Prevention Fund to provide assistance to the NRC to make grants to certain federally approved counseling intermediaries for mortgage foreclosure mitigation assistance to states and areas with high rates of defaults and foreclosures.

Date: 2008-04-01
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Mortgage Enhancement and Modification Act of 2008 - Establishes a standard for loan modifications or workout plans for pools of certain residential mortgage loans. States that a servicer of such pooled loans owes a duty to the securitization vehicle to maximize, or not negatively affect, the recovery of total proceeds from such loans for the benefit of all investors and holders of beneficial interests in the pooled loans, in the aggregate, and not to any individual party or group of parties. Deems the loan servicer to be acting on behalf of the securitization vehicle in the best interest of all such investors and holders if the servicer: (1) makes reasonable, documented efforts to implement a modification or workout plan for a loan in or facing payment default; or (2) engages in other loss mitigation efforts, if the former efforts fail or the plan would be infeasible, in the reasonable belief that such efforts will maximize the net present value to be realized over that which would be realized through foreclosure. Declares, furthermore, that a servicer shall be deemed to be acting on behalf of the securitization vehicle in the best interest of all investors and beneficial interest holders if the servicer makes efforts to: (1) contact proactively borrowers approaching a calendar date in which a predetermined or contractually established rate of interest shall increase or fluctuate in accordance with specified indicators or within a predetermined range; and (2) determine the borrower's ability to make payments following a reset of interest rates, whether the borrower is in danger of default or disclosure, and whether a loan modification or other mitigation effort is appropriate. Declares that, absent specific contractual provisions to the contrary, a servicer acting in a manner consistent with such duty shall not be liable to specified persons for entering into a qualified loan modification or workout plan for loss mitigation purposes.

Date: 2008-04-02
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Act of 2008 - Prohibits a foreclosure consultant from: (1) receiving compensation from a homeowner for services performed regarding residential real property until such consultant has fully performed each service contracted for; (2) holding power of attorney from any homeowner, except to inspect documents; (3) receiving consideration from a third party in connection with services rendered to a homeowner by such third party with respect to the foreclosure, unless such consideration is fully disclosed in writing before such services are rendered; (4) accepting any wage assignment, lien, or other security to secure compensation for services rendered regarding foreclosure of the residential real property; or (5) acquiring any interest in the residence of a homeowner with whom the consultant has contracted. Sets forth contract requirements. Permits a homeowner to cancel such contract without penalty or obligation. Declares void and unenforceable: (1) any waiver by a homeowner of the protections provided in this Act; and (2) any contract that does not comply with this Act. Requires a loan servicer to notify a homeowner of the dangers of fraudulent activities associated with foreclosure if the servicer finds that the homeowner has failed to make two consecutive payments on a residential mortgage loan and such loan is at risk of foreclosure. Subjects any foreclosure consultant who fails to comply with this Act to liability for actual and punitive damages and attorneys' fees. Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the states to enforce this Act.

Date: 2008-04-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Encouraging Mortgage Modifications Act of 2008 - Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to set forth duties of mortgage servicers regarding certain loan modifications or workout plans that affect pooled qualified residential mortgages. Specifies among such duties the duty to: (1) determine if the net present value of the payments on the modified loan is likely to be greater than the anticipated net recovery that would result from foreclosure to all investors and parties having a direct or indirect interest in the pooled loans or securitization vehicle; and (2) act in the best interests of all such investors and parties, if the servicer agrees to or implements a qualified loan modification or workout plan for a qualified residential mortgage, or takes other reasonable loss mitigation actions, including accepting partial payments or short sale of the property, if such efforts are unsuccessful or infeasible. Shields from liability a servicer who enters into a qualified loan modification or workout plan if the servicer acts in a manner consistent with such duties.

Date: 2008-04-23
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Credit and Debit Card Receipt Clarification Act of 2008 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to declare that any person who printed an expiration date on any receipt provided to a consumer cardholder at a point of sale (POS) or transaction between December 4, 2004, and the enactment of this Act, but otherwise complied with FCRA requirements for such receipt, shall not be in willful noncompliance by reason of printing such expiration date on it.

Date: 2008-05-06
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2008 - States that any immediate successor in interest to residential property in foreclosure assumes such interest subject to: (1) giving the existing bona fide tenant at least 90-day notice to vacate; and (2) specified rights of such tenant to occupy the premises until the end of the remaining term of the lease. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require a housing assistance payment contract to provide that in the case of an owner who is an immediate successor in interest pursuant to foreclosure: (1) during the initial term of the lease vacating the property prior to sale shall not constitute other good cause for termination of the lease; but (2) in subsequent lease terms, vacating the property prior to sale may constitute good cause if the property is unmarketable while occupied, or if such owner will occupy the unit as a primary residence. Authorizes a housing assistance payment contract entered into by the public housing agency and the owner of a dwelling unit to provide that the immediate successor in interest to property in foreclosure in which a housing assistance recipient resides, assumes such interest subject to the lease between the prior owner and the tenant, and subject to the housing assistance payments contract between the prior owner and the public housing agency for the occupied unit.

Date: 2008-05-19
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Credit Card Fair Fee Act of 2008 - Authorizes providers of a single covered electronic payment system (e.g., Visa or Mastercharge credit cards) and any merchants to jointly negotiate and agree upon the fees and terms for access to such a system. Defines covered electronic payment system as any system that has been used for at least 20% of the combined dollar value of credit and debit card payments processed in the most recent year. Grants limited antitrust immunity to such providers and merchants, as well as to those providers who jointly determine among themselves the proportionate division of paid access fees.Sets forth procedures to determine fees and terms for access to a covered electronic payment system. Creates a panel of three full-time Electronic Payment System Judges, appointed by the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, to determine the schedule of fees and terms for two-year periods. Outlines procedures for correcting overpayments, underpayments, and late payments as determined by the Judges. Subjects any determination of such Judges to judicial review.Authorizes providers and merchants to engage in voluntarily negotiated access agreements. Declares that such an executed agreement shall supersede any fees or terms established by the Judges.

Date: 2008-06-05
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Commerce
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2008 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from making an extension of credit to a consumer with respect to which the annual percentage credit rate (APR) exceeds 36%. Includes within such APR all charges payable directly or indirectly incident to, ancillary to, or as a condition of the extension of credit. States that any payment in violation of this Act is null, void, and unenforceable. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Empowers states' Attorneys General to enforce it.

Date: 2008-07-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Extends the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) demonstration projects on the guaranteeing of veterans' adjustable rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgage loans in a manner similar to which the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development insures such mortgages under the National Housing Act.

Date: 2008-07-22
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Volunteer Pilot Act - Exempts certain small passenger or cargo charitable flights with standard airworthiness certificates, provided certain conditions are met, from: (1) the requirement to obtain an air carrier or commercial operator certificate; and (2) drug and alcohol testing requirements.

Date: 2008-09-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Transportation and public works
New York/New Jersey High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Expansion Act of 2008 - Designates the counties of Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence in the state of New York as high-intensity drug trafficking areas and incorporates such counties into the New York/New Jersey high-intensity drug trafficking area program administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement