122A-5.2. Mortgage insurance authority.

(a) The Agency may upon application of a proposed mortgagee insure and make advance commitments to insure payments required by a loan for residential housing for persons of lower income upon such terms and conditions as the Agency may prescribe. Mortgage loans insured by the Agency under this Chapter may provide financing for related ancillary facilities to the extent permitted by applicable Agency regulations. Mortgage loans insured by the Agency under this Chapter shall be secured by a first mortgage.

The aggregate principal amount of all mortgages so insured by the Agency under this Chapter and outstanding at any one time shall not exceed 10 times the average annual balance for the preceding calendar year of funds on deposit in the housing mortgage insurance fund, the creation of which is hereby authorized. The aggregate amount of principal obligations of all mortgages so insured shall not be deemed to constitute a debt, liability or obligation of the State or of any political subdivision thereof or a pledge of the faith and credit of the State or of any such political subdivision, but shall be payable solely from moneys on deposit to the credit of the housing mortgage insurance fund. Any contract of insurance executed by the Agency under this section shall be conclusive evidence of eligibility for such mortgage insurance and the validity of any contract of insurance so executed or of an advance commitment to issue such shall be incontestable in the hands of a mortgagee from the date of execution of such contract or commitment, except for fraud or misrepresentation on the part of such mortgagee and, as to commitments to insure, noncompliance with the terms of the advance commitment or Agency regulations in force at the time of issuance of the advance commitment.

(b) For mortgage payments to be eligible for insurance under the provisions of this Chapter, the underlying mortgage loan shall:

(1) Be one which is made and held by a mortgagee approved by the Agency as responsible and able to service the mortgage properly;

(2) Not exceed (i) ninety percent (90%) of the estimated cost of the proposed housing if owned or to be owned by a profit-making sponsor or (ii) one hundred percent (100%) of the estimated cost of such proposed housing if owned or to be owned by a nonprofit housing sponsor or, if owned by a person or family of lower income, in the case of a single family dwelling or condominium;

(3) Have a maturity satisfactory to the Agency but in no case longer than eighty percent (80%) of the Corporation's [Agency's] estimate of the remaining useful life of said housing or 40 years from the date of the issuance of insurance, whichever is earlier;

(4) Contain amortization provisions satisfactory to the Agency requiring periodic payments by the mortgagor not in excess of his ability to pay as determined by the Agency;

(5) Be in such form and contain such terms and provisions with respect to maturity, property insurance, repairs, alterations, payment of taxes and assessments, default reserves, delinquency charges, default remedies, anticipation of maturity, additional and secondary liens, equitable and legal redemption rights, prepayment privileges and other matters as the Agency may prescribe.

(c) All applications for mortgage insurance shall be forwarded, together with an application fee prescribed by the Agency, to the executive director of the Agency. The Agency shall cause an investigation of the proposed housing to be made, review the application and the report of the investigation, and approve or deny the application. No application shall be approved unless the Agency finds that it is consistent with the purposes of this Chapter and further finds that the financing plan for the proposed housing is sound. The Agency shall notify the applicant and the proposed lender of its decision. Any such approval shall be conditioned upon payment to the Agency, within such reasonable time and after notification of approval as may be specified by the Agency, of the commitment fee prescribed by the Agency.

(d) The Agency shall fix mortgage insurance premiums for the insurance of mortgage payments under the provision of this Chapter. Such premiums shall be computed as a percentage of the principal of the mortgage outstanding at the beginning of each mortgage year, but shall not be more than one half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) per year of such principal amount. The amount of premium need not be uniform for all insured loans. Such premiums shall be payable by mortgagors or mortgagees in such manner as prescribed by the Agency.

(e) In the event of default by the mortgagor, the mortgagee shall notify the Agency both of the default and the mortgagee's proposed course of action. When it appears feasible, the Agency may for a temporary period upon default or threatened default by the mortgagor authorize mortgage payments to be made by the Agency to the mortgagee which payments shall be repaid under such conditions as the Agency may prescribe. The Agency may also agree to revised terms of financing when such appear prudent. The mortgagee shall be entitled to receive the benefits of the insurance provided herein upon:

(1) Any sale of the mortgaged property by court order in foreclosure or a sale with the consent of the Agency by the mortgagor or a subsequent owner of the property or by the mortgagee after foreclosure or acquisition by deed in lieu of foreclosure, provided all claims of the mortgagee against the mortgagor or others arising from the mortgage, foreclosure, or any deficiency judgment shall be assigned to the Agency without recourse except such claims as may have been released with the consent of the Agency; or

(2) The expiration of six months after the mortgagee has taken title to the mortgaged property under judgment of strict foreclosure, foreclosure by sale or other judicial sale, or under a deed in lieu of foreclosure if during such period the mortgagee has made a bona fide attempt to sell the property, and thereafter conveys the property to the Agency with an assignment, without recourse, to the Agency of all claims of the mortgagee against the mortgagor or others arising out of the mortgage foreclosure, or deficiency judgment; or

(3) The acceptance by the Agency of title to the property or an assignment of the mortgage, without recourse to the Agency, in the event the Agency determines it imprudent to proceed under (1) or (2) above.

Upon the occurrence of either (1), (2) or (3) hereof, the obligation of the mortgagee to pay premium charges for insurance shall cease, and the Agency shall, within 30 days thereafter, pay to the mortgagee ninety-eight percent (98%) of the sum of (i) the then unpaid principal balance of the insured indebtedness, (ii) the unpaid interest to the date of conveyance or assignment to the Agency, as the case may be, (iii) the amount of all payments made by the mortgagee for which it has not been reimbursed for taxes, insurance, assessments and mortgage insurance premiums, and (iv) such other necessary fees, costs or expenses of the mortgagee as may be approved by the Agency.

(f) Upon request of the mortgagee, the Agency may at any time, under such terms and conditions as it may prescribe, consent to the release of the mortgagor from his liability or consent to the release of parts of the property from the lien of the mortgage, or approve a substitute mortgagor or sale of the property or part thereof.

(g) No claim for the benefit of the insurance provided in this Chapter shall be accepted by the Agency except within one year after any sale or acquisition of title of the mortgaged premises described in subdivisions (1) or (2) of subsection (e) of this section.

(h) There shall be paid into the housing mortgage insurance fund (i) all premiums received by the Agency for the granting of such mortgage insurance, (ii) any moneys or other assets received by the Agency as a result of default or delinquency on mortgage loans insured by the Agency, including any proceeds from the sale or lease of real property, (iii) any moneys appropriated and made available by the State for the purpose of such fund.