In the making of a high cost home loan no lender shall:

(1) Pay a contractor under a home improvement contract from the proceeds of the loan, other than:

(A) By an instrument payable to the borrower or jointly to the borrower and the contractor; or

(B) At the election of the borrower, through a third-party escrow agent in accordance with terms established in a written agreement signed by the borrower, the lender and the contractor prior to the disbursement;

(2) Sell or otherwise assign such loan without furnishing the following statement to the purchaser or assignee: “Notice: This is a loan subject to special rules under the Connecticut Abusive Home Loan Lending Practices Act. Purchasers or assignees of this loan could be liable for all claims and defenses with respect to the loan that the borrower could assert against the lender”;

(3) Charge, impose or cause to be paid, directly or indirectly, prepaid finance charges that exceed in the aggregate, the greater of five per cent of the principal amount of the loan or two thousand dollars. If the proceeds of a high cost home loan are used to refinance an existing loan, the aggregate of the prepaid finance charges for the current refinancing and any previous high cost home loan financings or financings subject to the provisions of section 36a-498a, by the same lender or affiliate of the same lender within two years of the current refinancing shall not exceed the greater of five per cent of the principal amount of the initial loan, or two thousand dollars. The provisions of this subdivision do not prohibit a lender from charging, imposing or causing to be paid, directly or indirectly, prepaid finance charges in addition to those permitted by this subdivision in connection with any additional proceeds received by the borrower in the refinancing, provided such prepaid finance charges on the additional proceeds shall not exceed five per cent of the additional proceeds. For purposes of this subdivision, “additional proceeds” means: (A) For a closed-end loan, the amount by which the new loan exceeds the current principal balance of the existing loan, and (B) for an open-end loan, the amount by which the line of credit on the new loan exceeds the maximum credit limit of the existing loan;

(4) Charge a borrower any fees to modify, renew, extend or amend a high cost home loan or defer any payment due under a high cost home loan, if after the modification, renewal, extension or amendment, the loan is still a high cost home loan, or if no longer a high cost home loan, the APR has not been reduced by at least two percentage points. For purposes of this subdivision, “fees” does not include interest that is otherwise payable and consistent with the provisions of the loan documents. The provisions of this subdivision do not prohibit a lender from charging, imposing or causing to be paid, directly or indirectly, prepaid finance charges in connection with any additional proceeds, as defined in subdivision (3) of this section, received by the borrower in connection with the modification, renewal, extension or amendment, provided the prepaid finance charges on the additional proceeds do not exceed five per cent of the additional proceeds. The provisions of this subdivision do not apply if the existing high cost home loan is sixty or more days delinquent and the modification, renewal, extension, amendment or deferral is part of a work-out process;

(5) Make such loan unless the lender reasonably believes at the time the loan is consummated that the borrower will be able to make the scheduled payments to repay the loan based upon a consideration of the borrower's current and expected income, current obligations, employment status, and other financial resources, excluding the borrower's equity in the dwelling that secures repayment of the loan. The borrower shall be presumed to be able to make the scheduled payments to repay the loan if at the time the loan is consummated, or at the time of the first rate adjustment in the case of a lower introductory interest rate, the borrower's monthly debts, including amounts owed under the mortgage, do not exceed fifty per cent of the borrower's monthly gross income, as verified by the borrower's signed financial statement, a credit report, and payment records for employment income;

(6) Advertise that refinancing preexisting debt with a high cost home loan will reduce a borrower's aggregate monthly debt payment without also disclosing that the high cost home loan may increase both the borrower's aggregate number of monthly debt payments and the aggregate amount paid by the borrower over the term of the high cost home loan;

(7) Recommend or encourage default or further default by a borrower on an existing loan or other debt, prior to the closing of a high cost home loan that refinances all or any portion of such existing loan or debt;

(8) Make such loan to a borrower that refinances an existing loan unless the high cost home loan provides a benefit to the borrower considering all of the circumstances, including the terms of both the new and refinanced loans, the cost of the new loan, and the borrower's circumstances;

(9) Make such loan with an interest rate that is unconscionable. A lender shall base the interest rate for a high cost home loan on proper and reasonable factors including, but not limited to, creditworthiness, other risk related standards and sound underwriting. For purposes of this subdivision, an interest rate that is not based on such factors, or that significantly deviates from industry standards for making that type of high cost home loan, shall be deemed unconscionable; and

(10) Charge and retain fees paid by the borrower for services that are not actually performed, or which are not bona fide and reasonable.

(P.A. 01-34, S. 7.)