Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 23, 2024

Title 7 - Agriculture last revised: Nov 20, 2024
§ 1927.57 - Preparation of closing documents.

(a) Preparation of deeds. The closing agent, unless prohibited by law, will prepare, complete, or approve documents, including deeds, necessary for title clearance and closing of the transaction and provide the agency with the policy of title insurance or title opinion providing the lien priority required by the agency and subject only to exceptions approved by the agency. Agency forms will be used when required by this part.

(1)-(2) [Reserved]

(b) Preparation of mortgages. The closing agent will insure that all mortgages are properly prepared, completed, executed, and filed for record. Where applicable, the mortgages should recite that it is a purchase money mortgage. The following requirements will be observed in preparing agency morgages:

(1)-(8) [Reserved]

(9) Alteration of mortgage form. An agency mortgage form may be altered pursuant to a State Supplement having prior approval of the National Office, or in a special case, to comply with the terms of loan approval prescribed in accordance with program instructions. No other alterations in the printed mortgage forms will be made without prior approval of the National Office. Any changes made by deletion, substitution, or addition (excluding filling in blanks) will be initialed in the margin by all persons signing the mortgage.

(10) [Reserved]

(11) Mortgages on leasehold estates. When the agency security interest is a leasehold estate, unless State law or State Supplement otherwise provides, the real estate mortgage or deed of trust form, available in any agency office, will be modified as follows:

(i) In the space provided on the mortgage for the description of the real property security, the leasehold estate and the land covered by the lease must be described. The following language must be used unless modified by a State Supplement:

All of borrower's right, title, and interest in and to a leasehold estate for an original term of ____ years, commencing on ______, 19 ____, created and established by and between ______ as lessor and owner and ____ as lessee, including any extensions and renewals thereof, a copy of which lease was recorded or filed in book ____, page ____, as instrument number ____, in the Office of the (e.g., County Clerk), for the aforesaid county and State and covering the following real property: ______.

(ii) Immediately preceding the covenant starting with the words “should default,” the following covenant will be added:

( ) Borrower covenants and agrees to pay when due all rents and any and all other charges required by said lease, to comply with all other requirements of said lease, and not to surrender or relinquish, without the Government's prior written consent, any of borrower's right, title, or interest in or to said leasehold estate or under said lease while this mortgage remains of record.

(12) Mortgages on land purchase contract. When the agency security interest is on a borrower's interest in a land purchase contract, OGC will provide language used to modify agency forms.

(13) [Reserved]

(c) [Reserved]

(d) Preparation of protective instruments. The closing agent will properly prepare, complete, and approve releases and curative documents necessary for title clearance and closing, in recordable form and record them if required.

(1) Prior lienholder's agreement. If any liens (other than agency liens or tax liens to local governmental authorities) or security agreements (hereafter called “liens”), with priority over the agency mortgage will remain against the real property securing the loan, the lienholders must execute, in recordable form, agreements containing all of the following provisions unless prior approval for different provisions has been obtained from the National Office:

(i) The prior lienholder shall agree not to declare the lien in default or accelerate the indebtedness secured by the prior lien for a specific period of time after notice to the agency. The agreement must:

(A) Provide that the specified period of time will not commence until the lienholder gives written notice of the borrower's default and the prior lienholder's intention to accelerate the indebtedness to the agency office servicing the loan,

(B) Include the address of the agency servicing office,

(C) Give the agency the option to cure any monetary default by paying the amount of the borrower's delinquent payments to the prior lienholder, or pay the obligation in full and have the lien assigned to the agency, and

(D) Provide that the prior lienholder will not declare the lien in default for any nonmonetary reason if the agency commences liquidation proceedings against the property and thereafter acquires the property.

(ii) When the prior lien secures future advances, including the lienholder's costs for borrower liquidation or bankruptcy, which under State law have priority over the mortgage being taken (or an agency mortgage already held), the prior lienholder shall agree not to make advances for purposes other than taxes, insurance or payments on other prior liens without written consent of the agency.

(iii) The prior lienholder shall consent to the agency making (or transferring) the loan and taking (or retaining) the related mortgage if the prior lien instrument prohibits a loan or mortgage (or transfer) without the prior lienholder's consent.

(iv) The prior lienholder shall consent to the agency transferring the property subject to the prior lien after the agency has obtained title to the property either by foreclosure or voluntary conveyance if the prior lien instrument prohibits such transfer without the prior lienholder's consent.

(2)-(3) [Reserved]

(4) Agreement by holder of seller's interest under land purchase contract. If the buyer's interest in the security property is that of a buyer under a land purchase contract, it will be necessary for the seller to execute, in recordable form, an agreement containing all of the following provisions:

(i) The seller shall agree not to sell or voluntarily transfer the seller's interest under the land purchase contract without the prior written consent of the State Office.

(ii) The seller shall agree not to encumber or cause any liens to be levied against the property.

(iii) The seller shall agree not to commence or take any action to accelerate, forfeit, or foreclose the buyer's interest in the security property until a specified period of time after notifying the State Office of intent to do so. This period of time will be 90 days unless a State Supplement provides otherwise. The agreement shall give the agency the option to cure any monetary default by paying the amount of the buyer's delinquent payments to the seller, or paying the seller in full and having the contract assigned to the agency.

(iv) The seller shall consent to the agency making the loan and taking a security interest in the borrower's interest under the land purchase contract as security for the agency loan.

(v) The seller shall agree not to take any actions to foreclose or forfeit the interest of the buyer under the land purchase contract because the agency has acquired the buyer's interest under the land purchase contract by foreclosure or voluntary conveyance, or because the agency has subsequently sold or assigned the buyer's interest to a third party who will assume the buyer's obligations under the land purchase contract.

(vi) When the agency acquires a buyer's interest under a land purchase contract by foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure, the agency will not be deemed to have assumed any of the buyer's obligations under the contract, provided that the failure of the agency to perform any such obligations while it holds the buyer's interest is a ground to commence an action to terminate the land purchase contract.

(5)-(6) [Reserved]

(e) [Reserved]

source: 61 FR 11711, Mar. 22, 1996, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 7 CFR 1927.57