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Debt Laws | Federal
Laws | Consumer Protection
State Laws
Colorado Consumer Credit Code
Title 5 Consumer Credit Code
Article 5 Remedies and Penalties
PART 1 LIMITATIONS ON CREDITORS' REMEDIES
PART 2 CONSUMERS' REMEDIES
PART 3 CRIMINAL PENALTIES
PART 1 LIMITATIONS ON CREDITORS' REMEDIES
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Uniform Consumer Credit Code - Remedies and Penalties".
This part 1 applies to actions or other proceedings to enforce rights arising from consumer credit transactions.
(1) This section applies to a consumer credit sale of goods or services. A consumer is not liable for a deficiency unless the creditor has disposed of the goods in accordance with the provisions on the disposition of collateral of the "Uniform Commercial Code" contained in part 6 of article 9 of title 4, C.R.S.
(2) If the creditor repossesses, with or without the aid of judicial process, or voluntarily accepts surrender of goods that were the subject of the sale and in which the creditor has a security interest, the parties obligated are not personally liable to the creditor for the unpaid balance of the debt arising from the sale of a commercial unit of goods of which the cash sale price was three thousand dollars or less, and the creditor's duty to dispose of the collateral is governed by the provisions on the disposition of collateral of the "Uniform Commercial Code" contained in part 6 of article 9 of title 4, C.R.S.
(3) If the creditor repossesses, with or without the aid of judicial process, or voluntarily accepts surrender of goods that were not the subject of the sale but in which the creditor has a security interest to secure a debt arising from a sale of goods or services or a combined sale of goods and services and the cash price of the sale was three thousand dollars or less, the parties obligated are not personally liable to the creditor for the unpaid balance of the debt arising from the sale, and the creditor's duty to dispose of the collateral is governed by the provisions on disposition of collateral of the "Uniform Commercial Code" contained in part 6 of article 9 of title 4, C.R.S.
(4) For the purpose of determining the unpaid balance of consolidated debts or debts pursuant to revolving credit accounts, the allocation of payments to a debt shall be determined in the same manner as provided for determining the amount of debts secured by various security interests under sections 5-3-202 and 5-3-203.
(5) The consumer may be liable in damages to the creditor if the consumer has misused, abused, or wrongfully damaged the collateral or if, after default and demand in writing, the consumer has wrongfully failed to make the collateral available to the creditor. Nothing in this section shall limit or restrict the remedies of the holders of a security interest for damage to the collateral because of conversion, destruction, or other wrongful acts.
(6) If the creditor elects to bring an action against the consumer for a debt arising from a consumer credit sale of goods or services, when under this section the creditor would not be entitled to a deficiency judgment if the creditor took possession of the collateral, and obtains judgment:
(a) The creditor may not take possession of the collateral; and
(b) The collateral is not subject to levy or sale on execution or similar proceedings pursuant to the judgment.
(1) If a creditor takes possession of any collateral because the creditor deems himself or herself insecure or because the creditor feels his or her collateral is impaired, and the creditor fails to prove that, at the time possession was taken, the creditor, in good faith, had reasonable cause to believe that he or she was insecure or that his or her collateral was impaired:
(a) The creditor shall be liable to the consumer for court costs and attorney fees as determined by the court; and
(b) The consumer shall not be liable for any finance charge incurred during the period the consumer is without use of the collateral.
Prior to entry of judgment in an action against the consumer for debt arising from a consumer credit transaction, the creditor may not replevin goods, except motor vehicles, of the consumer with the use of force from a dwelling upon an ex parte order of court or attach unpaid earnings of the consumer by garnishment or like proceedings.
(1) For the purposes of this part 1:
(a) "Disposable earnings" means that part of the earnings of an individual remaining after the deduction from those earnings of amounts required by law to be withheld.
(b) "Garnishment" means any legal or equitable procedure through which the earnings of an individual are required to be withheld for payment of a debt.
(2) The maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any work week that is subjected to garnishment to enforce payment of a judgment arising from a consumer credit transaction may not exceed the lesser of:
(a) Twenty-five percent of the individual's disposable earnings for that week; or
(b) The amount by which the individual's disposable earnings for that week exceed thirty times the federal minimum hourly wage prescribed by section 206 (a) (1) of the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938", 29 U.S.C. sec. 201 et seq., in effect at the time the earnings are payable.
(c) In the case of earnings for a pay period other than a week, the administrator may prescribe by rule a multiple of the federal minimum hourly wage equivalent in effect to that set forth in paragraph (b) of this subsection (2).
(3) No court may make, execute, or enforce an order or process in violation of this section.
(4) It shall not be necessary for any individual to claim the exemptions for that portion of the aggregate disposable earnings that are not subject to garnishment as set forth in subsection (2) of this section, and such exemption from garnishment shall be self-executing in any garnishment procedure.
(5) This section does not repeal, alter, or affect other statutes of this state prohibiting garnishments or providing for larger exemptions from garnishments than are allowed under this section.
No employer shall discharge an employee for the reason that a creditor of the employee has subjected or attempted to subject unpaid earnings of the employee to garnishment or like proceedings directed to the employer for the purpose of paying a judgment arising from a consumer credit transaction.
(1) If it is the understanding of the creditor and the consumer at the time an extension of credit is made that delay in making repayment or failure to make repayment could result in the use of violence or other criminal means to cause harm to the person, reputation, or property of any person, the repayment of the extension of credit is unenforceable through civil judicial processes against the consumer.
(2) If it is shown that an extension of credit was made at an annual percentage rate exceeding forty-five percent calculated according to the actuarial method and that the creditor then had a reputation for the use or threat of use of violence or other criminal means to cause harm to the person, reputation, or property of any person to collect extensions of credit or to punish the nonpayment thereof, there is prima facie evidence that the extension of credit was unenforceable under subsection (1) of this section.
(1) With respect to a transaction that is, gives rise to, or leads the consumer to believe will give rise to a consumer credit transaction, if the court as a matter of law finds:
(a) The agreement or transaction to have been unconscionable at the time it was made, or to have been induced by unconscionable conduct, the court may refuse to enforce the agreement; or
(b) Any term or part of the agreement or transaction to have been unconscionable at the time it was made, the court may refuse to enforce the agreement, enforce the remainder of the agreement without the unconscionable term or part, or so limit the application of any unconscionable term or part as to avoid any unconscionable result.
(2) With respect to a consumer credit transaction, if the court as a matter of law finds that a person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is likely to engage in unconscionable conduct in collecting a debt arising from that transaction, the court may grant an injunction and award the consumer any actual damages the consumer has sustained.
(3) If it is claimed or appears to the court that the agreement or transaction or any term or part thereof may be unconscionable or that a person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is likely to engage in unconscionable conduct in collecting a debt, the parties shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to present evidence as to the setting, purpose, and effect of the agreement or transaction or term or part thereof or of the conduct to aid the court in making the determination.
(4) In applying subsection (2) of this section, consideration shall be given to each of the following factors, among others, as applicable:
(a) Using or threatening to use force or violence against the consumer or members of the consumer's family;
(b) Communicating with the consumer or a member of the consumer's family at frequent intervals or at unusual hours or under other circumstances so that it is a reasonable inference that the primary purpose of the communication was to harass the consumer;
(c) Using fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading representations such as a communication that simulates legal process or that gives the appearance of being authorized, issued, or approved by a government, governmental agency, or attorney at law when it is not or threatening or attempting to enforce a right with knowledge or reason to know that the right does not exist;
(d) Causing or threatening to cause injury to the consumer's reputation or economic status by:
(I) Disclosing information affecting the consumer's reputation for credit worthiness with knowledge or reason to know that the information is false;
(II) Communicating with the consumer's employer before obtaining a final judgment against the debtor, except, as permitted by statute, to verify the consumer's employment, to ascertain the consumer's whereabouts, or to request that the consumer contact the creditor;
(III) Disclosing to a person, with knowledge or reason to know that the person does not have a legitimate business need for the information, or in any way prohibited by statute, information affecting the consumer's credit or other reputation; or
(IV) Disclosing information concerning the existence of a debt known to be disputed by the consumer without disclosing that fact;
(e) Engaging in conduct with knowledge that like conduct has been restrained or enjoined by a court in a civil action by the administrator against any person pursuant to the provisions on injunctions against fraudulent or unconscionable agreements or conduct contained in section 5-6-112.
(5) If, in an action in which unconscionability is claimed, the court finds unconscionability pursuant to subsection (1) or (2) of this section, the court may award reasonable fees to the attorney for the consumer. If the court does not find unconscionability and the consumer claiming unconscionability has brought or maintained an action the consumer knew to be groundless, the court may award reasonable fees to the attorney for the party against whom the claim is made. In determining attorney fees, the amount of the recovery on behalf of the consumer is not controlling.
(6) The remedies of this section are in addition to remedies otherwise available for the same conduct under laws other than this code, but double recovery of actual damages may not be had.
(7) For the purpose of this section, a charge or practice expressly permitted by this code is not in itself unconscionable.
(1) With respect to a consumer credit transaction, after a consumer has been in default for ten days for failure to make a required payment and has not voluntarily surrendered possession of goods or the mobile home that are collateral, a creditor may give the consumer the notice described in this section. A creditor gives notice to the consumer pursuant to this section when the creditor delivers the notice to the consumer or mails the notice to the consumer at the consumer's residence, as defined in section 5-1-201 (6).
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the notice shall be in writing and conspicuously state: The name, address, and telephone number of the creditor to which payment is to be made, a brief identification of the credit transaction, the right to cure the default, and the amount of payment and date by which payment must be made to cure the default. A notice in substantially the following form complies with this subsection (2):
"(Name, address, and telephone number of creditor)
(Account number, if any)
(Brief identification of credit transaction)
(Date) is the LAST DATE FOR PAYMENT.
(Amount) is the AMOUNT NOW DUE.
You are late in making your payment(s). If you pay the AMOUNT NOW DUE (above) by the LAST DAY FOR PAYMENT (above), you may continue with the contract as though you were not late. If you do not pay by this date, we may exercise our rights under the law.
If you are late again in making your payments, we may exercise our rights without sending you another notice like this one. If you have questions, write or telephone the creditor promptly."
(3) If the consumer credit transaction is a consumer insurance premium loan, the notice shall conform to the requirements of subsection (2) of this section, and a notice in substantially the form specified in subsection (2) of this section shall be deemed compliance with this subsection (3) except for the following:
(a) In lieu of a brief identification of the credit transaction, the notice shall identify the transaction as a consumer insurance premium loan and shall identify each policy or contract that may be canceled;
(b) In lieu of the statement in the form of notice specified in subsection (2) of this section that the creditor may exercise its rights under law, a statement shall be included that each policy or contract identified in the notice may be canceled; and
(c) The last paragraph of the form of notice specified in subsection (2) of this section shall be omitted.
(4) A notice of right to cure delivered or mailed to a cosigner pursuant to this section shall be modified to state that the consumer is late in making his or her payment, include the consumer's name, and that if the amount now due is not paid by the last date for payment, the creditor may exercise its rights against the consumer, cosigner, or both.
(1) With respect to a consumer credit transaction, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, after a default consisting only of the consumer's failure to make a required payment, a creditor, because of that default, may neither accelerate maturity of the unpaid balance of the obligation nor take possession of or otherwise enforce a security interest in the goods or the mobile home that are collateral until twenty days after giving the consumer a notice of right to cure described in section 5-5-110. Until the expiration of the minimum applicable period after the notice is given, all defaults consisting of a failure to make the required payment may be cured by tendering to the creditor the amount of all unpaid sums due at the time of the tender, without acceleration, plus any unpaid delinquency or deferral charges. Cure restores the consumer to his or her rights under the agreement as though the defaults had not occurred.
(2) With respect to defaults on the same obligation, other than defaults on an obligation secured by a mobile home, after a creditor has once given the consumer a notice of right to cure described in section 5-5-110, this section gives no right to cure and imposes no limitation on the creditor's right to proceed against the consumer or goods that are collateral with respect to any subsequent default that occurs within twelve months of such notice. With respect to defaults on the same obligation that is secured by a mobile home, this section gives no right to cure and imposes no limitation on the creditor's right to proceed against the consumer or goods that are collateral with respect to any third default that occurs within twelve months of such notice. For the purpose of this section, in connection with revolving credit accounts, the obligation is the consumer's account, and there is no right to cure and no limitation on the creditor's rights with respect to any default that occurs within twelve months after an earlier default as to which a creditor has given the consumer notice of right to cure.
(3) Unless a creditor has provided the cosignor on a consumer credit transaction with a notice of right to cure that complies with section 5-5-110 and this section, in addition to the notice of right to cure provided to the consumer, the creditor may neither accelerate maturity of the unpaid balance of the obligation as to the cosignor nor report that amount on the cosignor's consumer report with a consumer reporting agency as defined in section 12-14.3-102, C.R.S., and 15 U.S.C. sec. 1681a.
(4) This section and the provisions on waiver, agreements to forego rights, and settlement of claims do not prohibit a consumer from voluntarily surrendering possession of goods that are collateral and the creditor from thereafter enforcing its security interest in the goods at any time after default.
(5) This section shall not apply to consumer credit transactions that are payable in four or fewer installments.
(1) With respect to a consumer credit transaction, the agreement may provide for the payment by the consumer of reasonable attorney fees not in excess of fifteen percent of the unpaid debt after default and referral to an attorney not a salaried employee of the creditor or such additional fee as may be directed by the court. A provision in violation of this section is unenforceable.
(2) This section does not authorize the imposition of attorney fees for preparation of a notice of right to cure if the consumer cures the default pursuant to sections 5-5-110 and 5-5-111.
PART 2 CONSUMERS' REMEDIES
(1) If a creditor has violated the provisions of this code applying to limitations on the schedule of payments or loan term for supervised loans contained in section 5-2-308 or authority to make supervised loans contained in section 5-2-301, the consumer is not obligated to pay the finance charge and has a right to recover from the person violating this code or from an assignee of that person's rights who undertakes direct collection of payments or enforcement of rights arising from the debt a penalty in an amount determined by the court not in excess of three times the amount of the finance charge. With respect to violations arising from consumer credit transactions made pursuant to revolving credit accounts, no action pursuant to this subsection (1) may be brought more than two years after the violation occurred. With respect to violations arising from other consumer credit transactions, no action pursuant to this subsection (1) may be brought more than one year after the due date of the last scheduled payment of the agreement with respect to which the violation occurred.
(2) A consumer is not obligated to pay a charge in excess of that allowed by this code, and if a consumer has paid an excess charge he or she has a right to a refund. A refund may be made by reducing the consumer's obligation by the amount of the excess charge. If the consumer has paid an amount in excess of the lawful obligation under the agreement, the consumer may recover the excess amount from the person who made the excess charge or from an assignee of that person's rights who undertakes direct collection of payments from or enforcement of rights against consumers arising from the debt.
(3) If a consumer is entitled to a refund and a person liable to the consumer refuses to make a refund within a reasonable time after demand, the consumer may recover from that person a penalty in an amount determined by a court not exceeding the greater of either the amount of the finance charge or ten times the amount of the excess charge. If the creditor has made an excess charge in deliberate violation of or in reckless disregard for this code, the penalty may be recovered even though the creditor has refunded the excess charge. No penalty pursuant to this subsection (3) may be recovered if a court has ordered a similar penalty assessed against the same person in a civil action by the administrator described in section 5-6-114. With respect to excess charges arising from revolving credit accounts, no action pursuant to this subsection (3) may be brought more than two years after the time the excess charge was made. With respect to excess charges arising from other consumer credit transactions, no action pursuant to this subsection (3) may be brought more than one year after the due date of the last scheduled payment of the agreement pursuant to which the charge was made.
(4) Except as otherwise provided, no violation of this code impairs rights on a debt.
(5) If an employer discharges an employee in violation of the provisions prohibiting discharge contained in section 5-5-107, the employee may within ninety days bring a civil action for recovery of wages lost as a result of the violation and for an order requiring the reinstatement of the employee. Damages recoverable shall not exceed lost wages for six weeks.
(6) If the creditor establishes by a preponderance of evidence that a violation is unintentional or the result of a bona fide error, notwithstanding the maintenance of procedures reasonably adopted to avoid the error, no liability is imposed under subsections (1) and (3) of this section, and the validity of the transaction is not affected.
(7) In any case in which it is found that a creditor has violated this code, the court may award reasonable attorney fees incurred by the consumer.
(8) If a creditor repeatedly fails to provide a consumer with a statement of an annual percentage rate or finance charge as and to the extent required by the provisions on disclosure contained in section 5-3-101 of this code and has received written notice from the administrator of such repeated failure, any such subsequent failure by the creditor shall relieve any consumer receiving such defective disclosure from any obligation to pay any finance charge in connection with such consumer credit transaction.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a creditor who, in violation of the provisions on disclosure contained in section 5-3-101, other than the provisions on advertising, fails to disclose information to a person entitled to the information under this code is liable to that person in an amount equal to the sum of:
(a) Twice the amount of the finance charge in connection with the transaction, but the liability pursuant to this paragraph (a) shall be not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars; and
(b) In the case of a successful action to enforce the liability under paragraph (a) of this subsection (1), the costs of the action together with reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court.
(2) A creditor has no liability under this section if, within sixty days after discovering an error and prior to the institution of an action under this section or the receipt of written notice of the error, the creditor notifies the person concerned of the error and makes whatever adjustments in the appropriate account are necessary to assure that the person will not be required to pay a finance charge in excess of the amount or percentage rate actually disclosed.
(3) A creditor may not be held liable in any action brought under this section for a violation of this code if the creditor shows by a preponderance of evidence that the violation was not intentional and resulted from a bona fide error notwithstanding the maintenance of procedures reasonably adapted to avoid the error.
(4) Any action that may be brought under this section against the original creditor in any credit transaction involving a security interest in land may be maintained against any subsequent assignee of the original creditor where the assignee, its subsidiaries, or affiliates were in a continuing business relationship with the original creditor either at the time the credit was extended or at the time of the assignment unless the assignment was involuntary or the assignee shows by a preponderance of evidence that it did not have reasonable grounds to believe that the original creditor was engaged in violations of this code and that it maintained procedures reasonably adapted to apprise it of the existence of the violations.
(5) No action pursuant to this section may be brought more than one year after the date of the occurrence of the violation.
(6) In this section, creditor includes a person who in the ordinary course of business regularly extends or arranges for the extension of credit or offers to arrange for the extension of credit.
(7) No provision of this section or section 5-5-201 imposing any liability shall apply to any act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any rule, regulation, interpretation, or written response to a person pursuant to a written request on behalf of such identified person by the administrator or the board of governors of the federal reserve system pursuant to the federal "Truth in Lending Act" or federal "Consumer Leasing Act", notwithstanding that, after such act or omission has occurred, such rule, regulation, interpretation, or written response is amended, rescinded, or determined by judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason.
(8) The multiple failure to disclose to any person any information required under this code to be disclosed in connection with a single account under a revolving credit account, other single consumer credit sale, consumer loan, or other extension of consumer credit shall entitle the person to a single recovery under this section, but continued failure to disclose after recovery has been granted shall give rise to rights to additional recoveries.
In the case of a consumer credit transaction with respect to which a security interest is retained or acquired in any property that is used as the principal dwelling of the person to whom credit is extended, the consumer shall have the same right to rescind the transaction as provided in the federal "Truth in Lending Act" and regulations thereunder. In order to comply with this code, a creditor shall comply with those provisions on the right of rescission of certain transactions.
For purposes of the provisions on civil liability for violation of the disclosure provisions contained in section 5-5-202 and on a consumer's right to rescind certain transactions contained in section 5-5-203, "consumer credit transaction" includes a transaction primarily secured by an interest in land without regard to the rate of the finance charge if the transaction is otherwise a consumer credit transaction.
Refunds or penalties to which the consumer is entitled pursuant to this part 2 may be set off against the consumer obligation and may be raised as a defense to a suit on the obligation without regard to the time limitations prescribed by said sections.
If a person has failed to comply with section 5-3-210, the person aggrieved by such failure to comply has a right to recover actual damages from such person but in no event less than one hundred dollars for actual and exemplary damages nor more than one thousand dollars for actual and exemplary damages. In the case of a successful action to enforce such right of recovery, the aggrieved person shall recover the costs of the action together with reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court.
PART 3 CRIMINAL PENALTIES
(1) A supervised lender who willfully makes charges in excess of those permitted by the provisions of this code is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(2) A person, other than a supervised financial organization, who willfully engages in the business of making supervised loans without a license in violation of the provisions of this code applying to the authority to make supervised loans described in section 5-2-301 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(3) A person who willfully engages in the business of making consumer credit transactions or of taking assignments of rights against consumers arising therefrom and undertakes direct collection of payments or enforcement of these rights without complying with the provisions of this code concerning notification contained in section 5-6-202 or payment of fees contained in section 5-6-203 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars.
(4) Any person who violates the provisions of this section and by the same act or acts violates the provisions of section 18-15-104 or 18-15-107, C.R.S., or both, shall be prosecuted for the violation of either or both of said sections and not for a violation of this section.
(1) A person is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment if such person willfully and knowingly:
(a) Gives false or inaccurate information or fails to provide information that such person is required to disclose under the provisions of this code on disclosure and advertising or of any related rule of the administrator adopted pursuant to this code;
(b) Uses any rate table or chart in a manner which consistently understates the annual percentage rate determined according to those provisions; or
(c) Otherwise fails to comply with any requirement of the provisions of this code on disclosure and advertising or of any related rule of the administrator adopted pursuant to this code.
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