(1) For the purposes of this article and for loans made at the rates indicated in Section 75-67-181, the following terms shall have the meanings as defined in this subsection:

(a) “Applicable interest,” for a precomputed loan contract, means the amount of interest attributable to each monthly installment period. It is computed as if each installment period were one (1) month and any interest charged for extending the first installment period. The applicable interest for any monthly installment period is that portion of the precomputed interest that bears the same ratio to the total precomputed interest as the balances scheduled to be outstanding during that month bear to the sum of all scheduled monthly outstanding balances in the original contract.

(b) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance.

(c) “Department” means the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance.

(d) “Licensee” means any individual, partnership, association or corporation making loans under this article and duly licensed under the provisions of the Small Loan Privilege Tax Law, Section 75-67-201 et seq.

(e) “Person” means a natural person, sole proprietorship, corporation, company, limited liability company, partnership, association or any other legal entity however organized.

(f) “Precomputed loan” means a loan in which the debt is expressed as the sum of the original principal amount plus interest computed actuarially in advance, assuming all payments will be made when scheduled.

(2) To compute time for loans made in accordance with the interest indicated under Section 75-67-181, for the calculation of interest and other purposes, a month shall be a calendar month and a day shall be considered one-thirtieth (l/3th) of a month when calculation is made for a fraction of a month. A month shall be one-twelfth (l/1th) of a year. A calendar month is that period from a given date in one (1) month to the same numbered date in the following month, and if there is no same numbered date, to the last day of the following month. When a period of time includes a month and a fraction of a month, the fraction of the month is considered to follow the whole month. In the alternative, the licensee may charge interest at the rate of one three-hundred sixty-fifth (l/3th) of the agreed annual rate for each day actually elapsed.

(3) With respect to loans made under the interest indicated in Section 75-67-181:

(a) Loans shall be repayable in substantially equal and consecutive monthly installments of principal and interest combined, except that the first installment period may be longer than one (1) month by not more than fifteen (15) days, and the first installment payment amount may be larger than the remaining payments by the amount of interest charged for the extra days.

(b) Payments may be applied to the combined total of principal and precomputed interest until the loan is fully paid.

(c) When any loan contract is paid in full by cash, renewal or refinancing, or a new loan, one (1) month or more before the final installment due date, a licensee shall refund or credit the obligor the applicable interest for all fully unexpired installment periods, as originally scheduled or as deferred, that follow the day of prepayment, and a month shall be earned if the prepayment occurs one (1) or more days after the payment due date. However, if the prepayment occurs before the first installment due date, the licensee shall refund or credit the obligor the applicable interest on a pro rata basis from the date of the loan to the date of prepayment. “Applicable interest” for any installment period means that portion of the precomputed monthly installment interest attributable to the installment period calculated based on a method at least as favorable to the consumer as the actuarial method, as defined by the federal Truth in Lending Act. If the maturity of the loan is accelerated for any reason and judgment is entered, the licensee shall credit the borrower with the same refund as if prepayment in full had been made on the date the lawsuit is filed.

(d) If two (2) or more installments are delinquent one (1) full month or more on any due date, and if the contract so provides, the licensee may reduce the unpaid balance by the refund credit that would be required for prepayment in full on the due date of the most recent maturing installment in default. Thereafter, and in lieu of any other default or deferment charges, the agreed rate of interest or interest at the rate of eighteen percent (18%) per annum may be charged on the unpaid balance until fully paid.

(e) Fifteen (15) days after the final installment as originally scheduled or deferred, the licensee may compute and charge interest on any balance remaining unpaid, including unpaid default or deferment charges, at a default rate of interest as agreed in the contract or at the rate of eighteen percent (18%) per annum, until fully paid.

(f) A late payment charge that complies with Section 75-17-27 shall not be considered a finance charge, if contracted for in writing.

(g) No licensee or other person may condition an extension of credit to a consumer borrower on the consumer’s repayment by preauthorized electronic fund transfers or post-dated check. Consumers may choose any method of payment offered by the licensee, including, but not limited to, electronic fund transfers or debit card payments.

(h) The loan shall be fully amortizing and be repayable in its entirety in a minimum of nine (9) substantially equal and consecutive monthly payments with a period of not less than two hundred seventy-two (272) days to maturity.

(i) Each loan agreement entered into between a licensee and a consumer borrower shall include the following language: “This business is licensed and regulated by the Department of Banking and Consumer Finance. If you have any unresolved problem with a transaction at this location, you are entitled to assistance. Please call or write the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance.”

(j) A licensee is prohibited from making a loan to a consumer borrower if the payments to be made in any month on the loan exceed twenty-two and five-tenths percent (22.5%) of the consumer’s gross monthly income, as demonstrated by documentation of the income, including, but not limited to, the consumer’s most recent pay stub, receipt reflecting payment of government benefits, or other official documentation. “Official documentation” includes tax returns and documentation prepared by the source of the income. Notwithstanding anything contained in this section to the contrary, a licensee may rely upon the borrower’s written statement or other written information provided by the borrower in those cases where the borrower is self-employed or employed in seasonal work.

(k) At the time a loan is made or within twenty (20) days after a loan is made, a licensee shall not (i) accept a check and agree to hold it for a period of days before deposit or presentment, or (ii) accept a check dated later than the date written.