Texas Finance Code 180.153 – Prohibited Acts and Practices
Terms Used In Texas Finance Code 180.153
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
- Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. Source: OCC
- Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Property: means real and personal property. See Texas Government Code 311.005
An individual or other person subject to regulation under this chapter may not:
(1) employ, directly or indirectly, a scheme, device, or artifice to defraud or mislead borrowers or lenders or to defraud a person;
(2) engage in an unfair or deceptive practice toward a person;
(3) obtain property by fraud or misrepresentation;
(4) solicit or enter into a contract with a borrower that provides in substance that the individual or other person subject to this chapter may earn a fee or commission through “best efforts” to obtain a loan even though no loan was actually obtained for the borrower;
(5) solicit, advertise, or enter into a contract for specific interest rates, points, or other financing terms unless the terms are actually available at the time of soliciting, advertising, or contracting;
(6) conduct any business regulated by this chapter without holding a license as required by this chapter;
(7) assist, aid, or abet an individual in the conduct of business without a license required by this chapter;
(8) fail to make disclosures as required by this chapter and any other applicable state or federal law, including rules or regulations under applicable state or federal law;
(9) fail to comply with this chapter or rules adopted under this chapter;
(10) fail to comply with any other state or federal law, including rules or regulations adopted under that law, applicable to a business or activity regulated by this chapter;
(11) make, in any manner, a false or deceptive statement or representation;
(12) negligently make a false statement or knowingly or wilfully make an omission of material fact in connection with:
(A) information or a report filed with a governmental agency or the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry; or
(B) an investigation conducted by the regulatory official or another governmental agency;
(13) make a payment, threat, or promise, directly or indirectly, to a person for purposes of influencing the person’s independent judgment in connection with a residential mortgage loan, or make a payment, threat, or promise, directly or indirectly, to an appraiser of property, for purposes of influencing the appraiser’s independent judgment with respect to the property’s value;
(14) collect, charge, attempt to collect or charge, or use or propose an agreement purporting to collect or charge a fee prohibited by this chapter;
(15) cause or require a borrower to obtain property insurance coverage in an amount that exceeds the replacement cost of the improvements as established by the property insurer; or
(16) fail to truthfully account for money belonging to a party to a residential mortgage loan transaction.