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Debt Laws | Federal
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State Laws
Alabama Interest and Usury
Title 8 Commercial Law and Consumer Protection
Chapter 8 Interest and Usury
Except as otherwise provided by law, the maximum rate of interest upon the loan or forbearance of money, goods, or things in action, except by written contract is $6 upon $100 for one year, and the rate of interest by written contract is not to exceed $8 upon $100 for one year and at that rate for a greater or less sum or for a longer or shorter time.
(a) Individuals, partnerships, banks, corporations, and other legal entities may, on any loans or extensions of credit made by them, charge or impose the same rate of interest or finance charge to the same extent and under the same circumstances and conditions as any federal or state chartered or licensed lending institution having its principal place of business in Alabama; provided, however, that any individual or partnership charging or imposing interest or finance charges in excess of that permitted such lending institutions under other applicable law shall be subject to the same penalties prescribed in such other applicable law or laws for such excessive interest or finance charges.
(b) The provisions of this section are cumulative and nothing herein contained shall diminish rights or powers otherwise existing. The provisions of this section, as amended, shall have retroactive effect to May 14, 1979, when it became law; provided, however, that there shall be no change of interest rates on secured loans in existence as of April 25, 1980. Any actions taken or contracts made in accordance with the provisions of this section since May 14, 1979 are hereby ratified, validated, and confirmed.
Any savings and loan association located within the State of Alabama may charge on loans secured by savings accounts a rate of interest of not more than two percent per annum in excess of the rate of return payable on any such savings account.
It shall be lawful to lend money at six percent per annum or less, to aggregate principal and interest at the date of the loan for the entire period of the loan and to divide the sum of the principal and interest for the entire period of the loan into monthly or other installments.
(a) The State Board of Education and the trustees of all state institutions where education is a part of the program of the institution as referred to in Section 16-3-28, when borrowing money in amounts of not less than $100,000, may agree to pay such rate or rates of interest not to exceed a rate of 15 percent per annum for the loan or forbearance of money as such board of education or trustees may determine, notwithstanding any law of this state otherwise prescribing or limiting such rate or rates of interest.
(b) As to any such agreement, neither such board of education or trustees, nor any surety, guarantor, endorser, or any other person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation which may become liable, in whole or in part, for the payment of the debt and interest agreed to be paid thereon in accordance with the terms hereof, or under any extension, amendment, or renewal thereof, may raise or claim the defense or benefit of the usury laws or any other law prescribing, regulating, or limiting such rate or rates of interest.
(c) The provisions of this section are cumulative and shall be construed in pari materia with other laws prescribing or limiting rates of interest on the loan of money and not in repeal thereof.
(a) Any person or persons, corporations, trust, general partnership or partnerships, limited partnership or partnerships, or association may agree to pay such rate or rates of interest for the loan or forbearance of money and for any credit sales as such person, corporation, trust, general partnership, limited partnership, or association may determine, notwithstanding any law of this state otherwise prescribing or limiting such rate or rates of interest; provided, that the original principal balance of the loan or forbearance of money or credit sales is not less than $2,000; provided further, that all laws relating to unconscionability in consumer transactions including but not limited to the provisions of Chapter 19 of Title 5, known as the Mini-Code, shall apply to transactions covered by this section.
(b) As to any such loan or forbearance of money or credit sales made in compliance with subsection (a) of this section, neither such person, corporation, trust, general partnership, limited partnership, or association, nor their heirs, successors, or assigns, nor any surety, guarantor, endorser, or any other person, firm, partnership, association, trust, or corporation which may become liable, in whole or in part, for the payment of the debt and interest agreed to be paid thereon in accordance with the terms hereof, or any extension, amendment, or renewal thereof, may raise or claim the defense or benefit of the usury laws or any other law prescribing, regulating, or limiting such rate or rates of interest.
(c) The term "original principal balance," as used herein, shall include the total principal amount of indebtedness incurred or contracted for in a loan, forbearance of money, credit sales, or in a single issue or sale of bonds, debentures, promissory notes, or like transaction, without regard either to the face amount or denomination of any bond, debenture, note, or other evidence of indebtedness constituting a part of such issue or sale, or to the amount of the initial or any subsequent advance pursuant to such loan, forbearance, or credit sales. The term "interest" as used herein shall include all direct or indirect charges imposed as an incident to a loan, forbearance of money, or credit sales.
(d) This section shall apply to any person or entity, whether or not organized for profit, and to transactions both prior to and after default, but shall not apply to any agreement involving the loan or forbearance of money or credit sales where the original principal balance is less than $2,000.
(e) The provisions of this section are cumulative to, and not in derogation of, rights under other provisions of state or federal law and shall not in any way repeal, amend, or modify the provisions of Public Law 96-221 enacted by the Congress of the United States and approved March 31, 1980, as amended.
(a) All debts or extensions of credit incurred pursuant to any provision of the act of Congress known as the National Housing Act, as the same now exists or may hereafter be amended or supplemented, and all debts or extensions of credit incurred pursuant to any act of Congress relating to veterans' benefits, as the same now exists or may hereafter be amended or supplemented, are exempt from any law of this state relating to usury or prescribing or limiting interest rates.
(b) The provisions of this section are remedial and supersede the provisions of any other act limiting interest rates in any way contrary to the provisions hereof.
Any bonds, notes, warrants, other evidences of indebtedness, or securities issued by the State of Alabama or any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof, by any not-for-profit public or private corporation at any time organized or created pursuant to act of the Legislature or executive order of the Governor for the purpose of acting as an instrumentality of the State of Alabama or otherwise acting in the public interest and by any board of water and sewer commissioners created under the provisions of Article 10, Chapter 50, Title 11, and authorized to issue bonds under Section 11-50-345 by any municipality, by any county, by any public corporation heretofore or hereafter organized or created in the State of Alabama pursuant to authorization, determination, finding, or other action of any municipality or municipalities or county or counties or the governing body of any one or more thereof, or by any city or county board of education, are hereby exempted from all laws of the State of Alabama governing usury or prescribing or limiting interest rates, including, without limitation, the provisions of this chapter.
All contracts, express or implied, for the payment of money, or other thing, or for the performance of any act or duty bear interest from the day such money, or thing, estimating it at its money value, should have been paid, or such act, estimating the compensation therefor in money, performed.
All change bills and notes for a sum not exceeding $1 issued or circulated in this state without authority of law bear interest at the rate of 100 percent per annum from the day of their date, time of issue or circulation, and may be sued on by the holder thereof, without regard to the person to whom the same are payable, and a recovery had against the person issuing or giving circulation to the same.
Judgments for the payment of money, other than costs, if based upon a contract action, bear interest from the day of the cause of action, at the same rate of interest as stated in said contract; all other judgments shall bear interest at the rate of 12 percent per annum, the provisions of Section 8-8-1 to the contrary notwithstanding; provided, that fees allowed a trustee, executor, administrator, or attorney and taxed as a part of the cost of the proceeding shall bear interest at a like rate from the day of entry.
Except as provided in this section, when partial payments are made, the interest due is first to be paid and the balance applied to the payment of the principal. In the case of a judgment for child or spousal support, or a judgment for medical support of a child or spouse, any partial payment shall be applied first to the principal, and the remaining balance, if any, shall be applied to the interest.
(a) Except as otherwise permitted by law, all contracts for the payment of interest upon the loan or forbearance of goods, money, things in action, or upon any contract whatever at a higher rate than is prescribed in this chapter are usurious and cannot be enforced except as to the principal.
(b) The borrower of money at a usurious rate of interest shall not in any case be required to pay more than the principal sum borrowed, and if any interest has been paid, the same must be deducted from the principal and judgment entered for the balance only; provided, however, that the defense of usury may not be pleaded against a holder in due course of any negotiable instrument.
Except when otherwise permitted by law, any banker who discounts any note, bill of exchange, or draft at a higher rate of interest than eight percent per annum, not including the difference of exchange, cannot enforce the collection of the same, except as to principal; and if any interest has been paid, the same must be deducted from the principal and judgment entered for the balance only.
(a) In addition to other lawful charges under various state laws, and notwithstanding any restrictions thereunder, a legal licensed lending institution, a vendor making credit sales, any financial institution operating in Alabama or any individual may, if provided in the contract, charge and collect at the time of making a loan or credit sale, on each contract of loan or credit sale, an interest surcharge of not more than six percent of the part of the amount financed, which is not in excess of two thousand dollars ($2000). In addition to any rebate to which the debtor is otherwise entitled, when any contract upon which an interest surcharge has been charged is prepaid in full by any means within 90 days of date of the contract, the creditor shall refund or credit the debtor with a pro rata portion of the interest surcharge, except that in such event an amount of no less than twenty-five dollars ($25) may be retained by the creditor.
(b) As an alternative to any other interest or finance charge allowed by state laws, and any law or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, a lender or a vendor in credit sales, any financial institution operating in Alabama or any individual may, in connection with any credit sale, upon any type or class of loan, charge a maximum allowable rate on the amount of such loan or credit sale, not to exceed two percentage points above the prime rate at the time such loan or credit sales contract is executed; or if the debt is created under an open-end credit plan, the maximum finance charge in connection therewith shall be one and three-fourths percent per month on the first $750 or less, and one and one-half percent per month on the excess of any unpaid balance from time to time thereunder. For the purpose of this section, the prime rate shall be the average of the prime rates reported by the three largest banks in New York City as of the close of business three business days immediately preceding the date on which the loan or credit sale is made.
(c) The provisions of this section are cumulative to, and not in derogation of, rights under other provisions of state or federal law and shall not in any way repeal, amend or modify the provisions of Public Law 96-221 enacted by the Congress of the United States and approved March 31, 1980.
(a) Any lender of money, extender of other credit, or merchant making a sale of merchandise, goods, or services, or the assignee of the lender, extender of credit, or merchant who receives a check, draft, negotiable order of withdrawal, or like instrument drawn on a bank or other depository institution given by any person in full or partial repayment of a loan, other extension of credit, or a sale of merchandise, goods, or services may, if the instrument is not paid or is dishonored by the institution, charge and collect, through regular billing procedure or otherwise, from the borrower, person to whom the credit was extended, or from whom the instrument was received, a bad check charge of not more than the greater of either twenty-five dollars ($25) or an amount equal to the actual charge by the depository institution for the return of unpaid or dishonored instruments.
(b) Commencing January 1, 1999, the bad check charge in subsection (a) shall increase by one dollar ($1) per year through January 1, 2003, at which time the maximum bad check charge shall be thirty dollars ($30).
Charges imposed in connection with the dishonor of a negotiable instrument shall not be deemed interest finance or other charge made as an incident to or as a condition to the grant of the loan or other extension of credit and shall not be included in determining the limit on charges which may be made in connection with the loan or extension of credit as provided in this section or in any other law of this state.
AL Alabama Official State Statutes
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