NOTE:  As provided in LFC policy, this report is intended only for use by the standing finance committees of the legislature.  The Legislative Finance Committee does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information in this report when used for other purposes.

 

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F I S C A L   I M P A C T   R E P O R T

 

    

 

SPONSOR:

Senate Floor

 

DATE TYPED:

03/21/03

 

HB

 

 

SHORT TITLE:

Deferred Deposit Loan Act

 

SB

CS/225/SFlS/aSFl#1/aSFl#2

 

 

ANALYST:

Gilbert

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

$0.1 See Narrative

 

$0.1 See Narrative

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

REVENUE

 

Estimated Revenue

Subsequent

Years Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

 

$0.1 See Narrative

$0.1 See Narrative

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Revenue Decreases)

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 

LFC Files

 

Responses Received From

Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD)

 

SUMMARY

 

     Synopsis of SFl Amendment

 

Senate Floor Amendment #2 to Senate Floor Substitute to Senate Bill 225 makes the following change to the original bill: (please note that the word licensee is misspelled)

 

Section 9. [NEW MATERIAL] PERMITTED CHARGES AND FEES.--

D. If there are insufficient funds to pay a check on the date of presentment, a licensee may charge a fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00). Only one such fee may be collected between a licencee and the financial institution returning the check with respect to a particular check even if it has been re-deposited and returned more than once. A fee charged pursuant to this subsection shall be a licensee's exclusive charge for late payment.

 

     Synopsis of SFl Amendment

 

Senate Floor Amendment #1 to Senate Floor Substitute to Senate Bill 225 makes the following change to the original bill:

 

"58-15-3. APPLICABILITY OF ACT--EXEMPTIONS--EVASIONS--PENALTY.--

A. No person except for an employer lending money to an employee shall engage in the business of lending in amounts of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) or less without first having obtained a license from the director. Nothing contained in this subsection shall restrict or prohibit a licensee under the New Mexico Small Loan Act of 1955 from making loans in any amount under the New Mexico Bank Installment Loan Act of 1959 in accordance with the provisions of Section 58-7-2 NMSA 1978

 

     Synopsis of Original Bill

 

The Senate Floor Substitute for Senate Bill 225 creates the Deferred Deposit Loan Act. This Act defines business practices for deferred deposit (payday) loan companies (licensees).  It sets maximum loan amounts of $300 and minimum loans of $50, with a maximum interest rate of 44% percent a year.  It requires licensees to accept partial payments of $5.00 or more.  The Act also requires licensees to not engage in another loan with the same consumer for a period of thirty days after a loan has been paid.  There is an administrative fee limit per loan of $10.00 per loan and a $15 limit on fees for insufficient funds.  The Act requires a $50,000 bond to be posted by licensees.

 

SB 225/SFlS also requires the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD) Financial Institutions Division (FID) to establish a complaint process whereby an aggrieved consumer or other person may file a complaint against licensees and allows the FID to revoke or suspend licenses. The Act also specifies civil and criminal penalties.

 

     Significant Issues

 

The Deferred Deposit Loan Act also specifies that:

 

q    Licensees are required to compile and report annual statistics concerning all deferred deposit loans.

 

q    Licensees are required to file copies of loan contracts and fee schedules with the FID. Copies must then be available for interested parties and the general public.

 

q    That “facilitators” exempt from the fee limitations of the act, which charge fees, interest and other charges greater than those authorized in the act, to post a warning disclosing that the fees charged are higher than other financial institutions charge.

q

q    Exemptions to licensing requirements and fee limitations are defined for state or federal chartered financial institutions that are exempt by virtue of other state or federal laws.

 

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Deferred deposit lenders are currently subject to the Small Loan Act and pay an annual fee of $500 plus $.75/$1000 of loans outstanding.  The Deferred Deposit Loan Act would exempt deferred deposit lenders from the Small Loan Act, but would subject them to the Deferred Deposit Act, which has a higher license fee structure than the Small Loan Act as shown below:

 

(1) an application fee of seven hundred fifty dollars ($750);

 

(2) a renewal fee of seven hundred fifty dollars ($750), plus an additional seventy-five cents ($.75) for each one thousand dollars ($1,000) of outstanding loans; and

 

(3) an investigative fee of five hundred dollars ($500).

 

Therefore, this bill would increase general fund revenue.

 

Additionally, according to FID, current allocation of FTE’s is not sufficient to meet the additional workload required by this bill.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

 

According to the FID, this bill would require them to obtain additional FTE’s in order to perform the responsibilities outlined in this Act. The FID also states that they do not have the examination staff necessary to perform audits of deferred deposit loan licensee records.

 

TECHNICAL ISSUES

 

Language addressing payday loans in existence at the time the law becomes effective should be considered.

 

RLG/prr:njw