15 USC 1650 - Preventing unfair and deceptive private educational lending practices and eliminating conflicts of interest

U.S Code last checked for updates: Nov 22, 2024

§ 1650.

Preventing unfair and deceptive private educational lending practices and eliminating conflicts of interest

(a)

Definitions

As used in this section—

(1)

the term “cosigner”—

(A)

means any individual who is liable for the obligation of another without compensation, regardless of how designated in the contract or instrument with respect to that obligation, other than an obligation under a private education loan extended to consolidate a consumer’s pre-existing private education loans;

(B)

includes any person the signature of which is requested as condition to grant credit or to forbear on collection; and

(C)

does not include a spouse of an individual described in subparagraph (A), the signature of whom is needed to perfect the security interest in a loan.

(2)

the term “covered educational institution”—

(A)

means any educational institution that offers a postsecondary educational degree, certificate, or program of study (including any institution of higher education); and

(B)

includes an agent, officer, or employee of the educational institution;

(3)

the term “gift”—

(A)

(i)

means any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, or other item having more than a de minimis monetary value, including services, transportation, lodging, or meals, whether provided in kind, by purchase of a ticket, payment in advance, or reimbursement after the expense has been incurred; and

(ii)

includes an item described in clause (i) provided to a family member of an officer, employee, or agent of a covered educational institution, or to any other individual based on that individual’s relationship with the officer, employee, or agent, if—

(I)

the item is provided with the knowledge and acquiescence of the officer, employee, or agent; and

(II)

the officer, employee, or agent has reason to believe the item was provided because of the official position of the officer, employee, or agent; and

(B)

does not include—

(i)

standard informational material related to a loan, default aversion, default prevention, or financial literacy;

(ii)

food, refreshments, training, or informational material furnished to an officer, employee, or agent of a covered educational institution, as an integral part of a training session or through participation in an advisory council that is designed to improve the service of the private educational lender to the covered educational institution, if such training or participation contributes to the professional development of the officer, employee, or agent of the covered educational institution;

(iii)

favorable terms, conditions, and borrower benefits on a private education loan provided to a student employed by the covered educational institution, if such terms, conditions, or benefits are not provided because of the student’s employment with the covered educational institution;

(iv)

the provision of financial literacy counseling or services, including counseling or services provided in coordination with a covered educational institution, to the extent that such counseling or services are not undertaken to secure—

(I)

applications for private education loans or private education loan volume;

(II)

applications or loan volume for any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.); or

(III)

the purchase of a product or service of a specific private educational lender;

(v)

philanthropic contributions to a covered educational institution from a private educational lender that are unrelated to private education loans and are not made in exchange for any advantage related to private education loans; or

(vi)

State education grants, scholarships, or financial aid funds administered by or on behalf of a State;

(4)

the term “institution of higher education” has the same meaning as in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002);

(5)

the term “postsecondary educational expenses” means any of the expenses that are included as part of the cost of attendance of a student, as defined under section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ll);

(6)

the term “preferred lender arrangement” has the same meaning as in section 151 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 [20 U.S.C. 1019];

(7)

the term “private educational lender” means—

(A)

a financial institution, as defined in section 1813 of title 12 that solicits, makes, or extends private education loans;

(B)

a Federal credit union, as defined in section 1752 of title 12 that solicits, makes, or extends private education loans; and

(C)

any other person engaged in the business of soliciting, making, or extending private education loans;

(8)

the term “private education loan”—

(A)

means a loan provided by a private educational lender that—

(i)

is not made, insured, or guaranteed under of 1

 So in original. The word “of” probably should not appear.

title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.); and

(ii)

is issued expressly for postsecondary educational expenses to a borrower, regardless of whether the loan is provided through the educational institution that the subject student attends or directly to the borrower from the private educational lender; and

(B)

does not include an extension of credit under an open end consumer credit plan, a reverse mortgage transaction, a residential mortgage transaction, or any other loan that is secured by real property or a dwelling; and

(9)

the term “revenue sharing” means an arrangement between a covered educational institution and a private educational lender under which—

(A)

a private educational lender provides or issues private education loans with respect to students attending the covered educational institution;

(B)

the covered educational institution recommends to students or others the private educational lender or the private education loans of the private educational lender; and

(C)

the private educational lender pays a fee or provides other material benefits, including profit sharing, to the covered educational institution in connection with the private education loans provided to students attending the covered educational institution or a borrower acting on behalf of a student.

(b)

Prohibition on certain gifts and arrangements

A private educational lender may not, directly or indirectly—

(1)

offer or provide any gift to a covered educational institution in exchange for any advantage or consideration provided to such private educational lender related to its private education loan activities; or

(2)

engage in revenue sharing with a covered educational institution.

(c)

Prohibition on co-branding

(d)

Advisory Board compensation

(e)

Prohibition on prepayment or repayment fees or penalty

(f)

Credit card protections for college students

(1)

Disclosure required

(2)

Inducements prohibited

No card issuer or creditor may offer to a student at an institution of higher education any tangible item to induce such student to apply for or participate in an open end consumer credit plan offered by such card issuer or creditor, if such offer is made—

(A)

on the campus of an institution of higher education;

(B)

near the campus of an institution of higher education, as determined by rule of the Bureau; or

(C)

at an event sponsored by or related to an institution of higher education.

(3)

Sense of the Congress

It is the sense of the Congress that each institution of higher education should consider adopting the following policies relating to credit cards:

(A)

That any card issuer that markets a credit card on the campus of such institution notify the institution of the location at which such marketing will take place.

(B)

That the number of locations on the campus of such institution at which the marketing of credit cards takes place be limited.

(C)

That credit card and debt education and counseling sessions be offered as a regular part of any orientation program for new students of such institution.

(g)

Additional protections relating to borrower or cosigner of a private education loan

(1)

Prohibition on automatic default in case of death or bankruptcy of non-student obligor

(2)

Cosigner release in case of death of borrower

(A)

Release of cosigner

(B)

Notification of release

(C)

Designation of individual to act on behalf of the borrower

(Pub. L. 90–321, title I, § 140, as added Pub. L. 110–315, title X, § 1011(a), Aug. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 3479; amended Pub. L. 111–24, title III, § 304, May 22, 2009, 123 Stat. 1749; Pub. L. 111–203, title X, § 1100A(2), July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 2107; Pub. L. 115–174, title VI, § 601(a), May 24, 2018, 132 Stat. 1365.)

cite as: 15 USC 1650