The Attorney General is proposing new regulations under the Consumer Protection Act (M.G.L. 93A). The new regulations add new prohibited activities as provisions (15), (16), (17) and (18) under 940 C.M.R 8.06.
The new (15) provides in part: "It is an unfair or deceptive act or practice for a . . . lender to . . . make a mortgage loan unless the . . . lender . . . reasonably believes at the time the loan is expected to be made that the borrower will be able to repay the loan based upon a consideration of the borrower’s income, assets, obligations, employment status, credit history, and financial resources, not limited to the borrower’s equity in the dwelling which secures repayment of the loan. . . ."
The problem with this new prohibited activity is the lack of a benchmark for a lender to rely on. The challenge from the borrower under (15) will almost always come after the person has gone into default and is scrambling to prevent foreclosure. How can the lender prove that they reasonably believed the borrower could repay the loan when it turns out that the borrower could not.
How much of their income should a borrower reasonably be expected to expend on their mortgage and still be expected to be able to repay the loan? Certainly a loan with monthly payments in excess of 100% of a borrowers net monthly income would be a violation of this new provision. But I am not sure where the percentage hits the tipping point to become reasonably expected to be able to repay. 90%? 75%? 50%? 25%?
I think the borrower should be the party that determines if they will be able to repay the loan.
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