REGULATION Z – NEW FINAL RULE INCREASES DOLLAR LIMIT ON COVERED TRANSACTIONS

On March 25th the Federal Reserve Board adopted a new rule that expands the coverage of Regulation Z to credit transactions of higher dollar amounts.
The final rule amends Regulation Z to implement a provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Effective July 21, 2011, the Dodd-Frank Act requires that the protections of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) apply to consumer credit transactions up to $50,000, compared with $25,000 currently. This amount will be adjusted annually to reflect any increase in the consumer price index.
TILA requires creditors to disclose key terms of consumer loans and prohibits creditors from engaging in certain practices with respect to those loans. Currently, consumer loans of more than $25,000 are generally exempt from TILA. However, private education loans and loans secured by real property (such as mortgages) are subject to TILA regardless of the amount of the loan.
The new rule is a mere 27 pages in length.