USC Subchapter VII

USC Subchapter VII
in effect

12 U.S.C. § 1747 Purpose of subchapter; authorization; terms and conditions; expiration of insurance contract

The purpose of this subchapter is to supplement the existing systems of mortgage insurance for rental housing under this chapter by a special system of insurance designed to encourage equity investment in rental housing at rents within the capacity of families of moderate income. To effectuate this purpose, the Secretary is authorized, upon application by the investor, to insure as hereinafter provided, and, prior to the execution of insurance contracts and upon such terms as the Secretary shall prescribe, to make commitments to insure, the minimum annual amortization charge and an annual return on the outstanding investment of such investor in any project which is eligible for insurance as hereinafter provided in an amount (herein called the “insured annual return”) equal to such rate of return, not exceeding 2¾ per centum per annum, on such outstanding investment as shall, after consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, be fixed in the insurance contract or in the commitment to insure: Provided, That any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter shall expire as of the first day of the operating year for which the outstanding investment amounts to not more than 10 per centum of the established investment.

12 U.S.C. § 1747a Eligibility for insurance

(a) To be eligible for insurance under this subchapter, a project shall meet the following conditions:(1) The Secretary shall be satisfied that there is, in the locality or metropolitan area of such project, a need for new rental dwellings at rents comparable to the rents proposed to be charged for the dwellings in such project. (2) Such project shall be economically sound, and the dwellings in such project shall be acceptable to the Secretary as to quality, design, size, and type. (b) Any insurance contract executed by the Secretary under this subchapter shall be conclusive evidence of the eligibility of the project and the investor for such insurance, and the validity of any insurance contract so executed shall be incontestable in the hands of an investor from the date of the execution of such contract, except for fraud or misrepresentation on the part of such investor. (c) After completion of the project the investor must establish in a manner satisfactory to the Secretary that the project is free and clear of liens and that there are no other outstanding unpaid obligations contracted in connection with the construction of the project, except taxes and such other liens and obligations as may be approved or prescribed by the Secretary. Debentures issued by the investor which are payable out of net income from the project and from the benefits of the insurance contract shall not be construed as “unpaid obligations” as such term is used in this subsection.

12 U.S.C. § 1747b Premium charges; fees for examination and inspection

(a) For insurance granted pursuant to this subchapter the Secretary shall fix and collect a premium charge in an amount not exceeding one-half of 1 per centum of the outstanding investment for the operating year for which such premium charge is payable without taking into account the excess earnings, if any, applied, in addition to the minimum annual amortization charge, to amortization of the outstanding investment. Such premium charge shall be payable annually in advance by the investor, either in cash or in debentures issued by the Secretary under this subchapter at par plus accrued interest: Provided, That, if in any operating year the gross income shall be less than the operating expenses, the premium charge payable during such operating year shall be waived, but only to the extent of the amount of the difference between such expenses and such income and subject to subsequent payment out of any excess earnings as hereinafter provided. (b) With respect to any project offered for insurance under this subchapter, the Secretary is authorized to charge and collect reasonable fees for examination, and for inspection during the construction of the project: Provided, That such fees shall not aggregate more than one-half of 1 per centum of the estimated investment.

12 U.S.C. § 1747c Rent schedules

The Secretary shall require that the rents for the dwellings in any project insured under this subchapter shall be established in accordance with a rent schedule approved by the Secretary, and that the investor shall not charge or collect rents for any dwellings in the project in excess of the appropriate rents therefor as shown in the latest rent schedule approved pursuant to this section. Prior to approving the initial or any subsequent rent schedule pursuant to this section, the Secretary shall find that such schedule affords reasonable assurance that the rents to be established thereunder are (1) not lower than necessary, together with all other income to be derived from or in connection with the project, to produce reasonably stable revenues sufficient to provide for the payment of the operating expenses, the minimum annual amortization charge, and the minimum annual return; and (2) not higher than necessary to meet the need for dwellings for families of moderate income.

12 U.S.C. § 1747d Excess earnings used for amortization of original investment

For all of the purposes of any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter, 50 per centum of the excess earnings, if any, for any operating year may be applied, in addition to the minimum annual return, to return on the outstanding investment but only to the extent that such application thereof does not result in an annual return of more than 5 per centum of the outstanding investment for such operating year, and the balance of any such excess earnings shall be applied, in addition to the minimum annual amortization charge, to amortization of the outstanding investment: Provided, That if in any preceding operating years the gross income shall have been less than the operating expenses, such excess earnings shall be applied to the extent necessary in whole or in part, first, to the reimbursement of the amount of the difference between such expenses (exclusive of any premium charges previously waived hereunder) and such income, and, second, to the payment of any premium charges previously waived hereunder.

12 U.S.C. § 1747e Financial statements by Secretary

With respect to each project insured under this subchapter, the Secretary shall provide that, after the close of each operating year, the investor shall submit to him for approval a financial and operating statement covering such operating year. If any such financial and operating statement shall not have been submitted or, for proper cause, shall not have been approved by the Secretary, payment of any claim submitted by the investor may, at the option of the Secretary, be withheld, in whole or in part, until such statement shall have been submitted and approved.

12 U.S.C. § 1747f Payment of claims; assignment of benefits by investors

If in any operating year the net income of a project insured under this subchapter is less than the aggregate of the minimum annual amortization charge and the insured annual return, the Secretary, upon submission by the investor of a claim for the payment of the amount of the difference between such net income and the aggregate of the minimum annual amortization charge and the insured annual return and after proof of the validity of such claim, shall pay to the investor, in cash from the General Insurance Fund, the amount of such difference, as determined by the Secretary, but not exceeding, in any event, an amount equal to the aggregate of the minimum annual amortization charge and the insured annual return. Nothing contained in this subchapter or any other provision of law shall be construed as preventing or restricting an investor from assigning, pledging, or otherwise transferring or disposing of, subject to rules and regulations of the Secretary, any or all rights, claims, or other benefits under any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter to an assignee, pledgee, or other transferee, including the holders (or the trustee for such holders) of any debentures issued by the investor in connection with the project to which such insurance contract relates, and the Secretary is authorized to pay claims or issue debentures in accordance with the provisions of this section and section 1747g of this title to any such assignee, pledgee, or other transferee.

12 U.S.C. § 1747g Debentures

(a) Acquisition of project by Secretary; issuance of debenturesIf the aggregate of the amounts paid to the investor pursuant to section 1747f of this title with respect to a project insured under this subchapter shall at any time equal or exceed 15 per centum of the established investment, the Secretary thereafter shall have the right, after written notice to the investor of his intentions so to do, to acquire, as of the first day of any operating year, such project in consideration of the issuance and delivery to the investor of debentures having a total face value equal to 90 per centum of the outstanding investment for such operating year. In any such case the investor shall be obligated to convey to said Secretary title to the project which meets the requirements of the rules and regulations of the Secretary in force at the time the insurance contract was executed and which is evidenced in the manner prescribed by such rules and regulations, and, in the event that the investor fails so to do, said Secretary may, at his option, terminate the insurance contract. (b) Relinquishment of project by investorIf in any operating year the aggregate of the differences between the operating expenses (exclusive of any premium charges previously waived hereunder) and the gross income for the preceding operating years, less the aggregate of any deficits in such operating expenses reimbursed from excess earnings as hereinbefore provided, shall at any time equal or exceed 5 per centum of the established investment, the investor shall thereafter have the right, after written notice to the Secretary of his intention so to do, to convey to the Secretary, as of the first day of any operating year, title to the proj­ect which meets the requirements of the rules and regulations of the Secretary in force at the time the insurance contract was executed and which is evidenced in the manner prescribed by such rules and regulations, and to receive from the Secretary debentures having a total face value equal to 90 per centum of the outstanding investment for such operating year. (c) Adjustment of difference between outstanding investment and total face value of debenturesAny difference, not exceeding $50, between 90 per centum of the outstanding investment for the operating year in which a project is acquired by the Secretary pursuant to this section and the total face value of the debentures to be issued and delivered to the investment pursuant to this section shall be adjusted by the payment of cash by the Secretary to the investor from the General Insurance Fund. (d) Termination of insurance contract by SecretaryUpon the acquisition of a project by the Secretary pursuant to this section, the insurance contract shall terminate. (e) Issuance and execution of debenturesDebentures issued under this subchapter to any investor shall be executed in the name of the General Insurance Fund as obligor, shall be signed by the Secretary, by either his written or engraved signature, and shall be negotiable. Such debentures shall be dated as of the first day of the operating year in which the project for which such debentures were issued was acquired by the Secretary, shall bear interest at a rate to be determined by the Secretary, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, at the time the insurance contract was executed, but not to exceed 2¾ per centum per annum, payable semiannually on the 1st day of January and the 1st day of July of each year, and shall mature on the 1st day of July in such calendar year or years, not later than the fortieth following the date of the issuance thereof, as shall be determined by the Secretary and stated on the face of such debentures. (f) Terms and conditions of debenturesSuch debentures shall be in such form and in such denominations in multiples of $50, shall be subject to such terms and conditions, and may include such provisions of redemption as shall be prescribed by the Secretary, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, and may be issued in either coupon or registered form. (g) Exemption from taxation; exceptions; guarantySuch debentures shall be exempt, both as to principal and interest, from all taxation (except surtaxes, estate, inheritance, and gift taxes) now or hereafter imposed by any Territory, dependency, or possession of the United States, or by the District of Columbia, or by any State, county, municipality, or local taxing authority, shall be payable out of the General Insurance Fund, which shall be primarily liable therefor, and shall be fully and unconditionally guaranteed, as to both the principal thereof and the interest thereon, by the United States, and such guaranty shall be expressed on the face thereof. In the event that the General Insurance Fund fails to pay upon demand, when due, the principal of or the interest on any debentures so guaranteed, the Secretary of the Treasury shall pay to the holders the amount thereof, which is authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and thereupon, to the extent of the amount so paid, the Secretary of the Treasury shall succeed to all the rights of the holders of such debentures. (h) Payment of expenses and charges; collection of claimsNotwithstanding any other provisions of law relating to the acquisition, handling, or disposal of real and other property by the United States, the Secretary shall have power, for the protection of the General Insurance Fund, to pay out of said Fund all expenses or charges in connection with, and to deal with, complete, reconstruct, rent, renovate, modernize, insure, make contracts for the management of, or establish suitable agencies for the management of, or sell for cash or credit or lease in his discretion, in whole or in part, any project acquired pursuant to this subchapter; and, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the Secretary shall also have power to pursue to final collection by way of compromise or otherwise all claims acquired by, or assigned or transferred to, him in connection with the acquisition or disposal of any project pursuant to this subchapter: Provided, That section 6101 of title 41 shall not be construed to apply to any contract for hazard insurance, or to any purchase or contract for services or supplies on account of any project acquired pursuant to this subchapter if the amount of such purchase or contract does not exceed $1,000.

12 U.S.C. § 1747h Termination of insurance contract by investor

The investor, after written notice to the Secretary of his intention so to do, may terminate, as of the close of any operating year, any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter. The Secretary shall prescribe the events and conditions under which said Secretary shall have the option to terminate any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter, and the events and conditions under which said Secretary may reinstate any insurance contract terminated pursuant to this section or section 1747g(a) of this title. If any insurance contract is terminated pursuant to this section, the Secretary may require the investor to pay an adjusted premium charge in such amount as the Secretary determines to be equitable, but not in excess of the aggregate amount of the premium charges which such investor otherwise would have been required to pay if such insurance contract had not been so terminated.

12 U.S.C. § 1747j Taxation of real property

Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to exempt any real property acquired and held by the Secretary under this subchapter from taxation by any State or political subdivision thereof, to the same extent, according to its value, as other real property is taxed.

12 U.S.C. § 1747k Rules and regulations

The Secretary may make such rules and regulations as may be necessary or desirable to carry out the provisions of this subchapter, including, without limiting the foregoing, rules and regulations relating to the maintenance by the investor of books, records, and accounts with respect to the project and the examination of such books, records, and accounts by representatives of the Secretary; the submission of financial and operating statements and the approval thereof; the submission of claims for payments under insurance contracts, the proof of the validity of such claims, and the payment or disallowance thereof; the increase of the established investment if the investor shall make capital improvements or additions to the proj­ect; the decrease of the established investment if the investor shall sell part of the project; and the reduction of the outstanding investment for the appropriate operating year or operating years pending the restoration of dwelling or nondwelling facilities damaged by fire or other casualty. With respect to any investor which is subject to supervision or regulation by a State banking, insurance, or other State department or agency, the Secretary may, in carrying out any of his supervisory and regulatory functions with respect to projects insured under this subchapter, utilize, contract with, and act through, such department or agency and without regard to section 6101 of title 41.

12 U.S.C. § 1747l Definitions

The following terms shall have the meanings, respectively, ascribed to them below, and, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, shall include the plural as well as the singular number: (a) “Investor” shall mean (1) any natural person; (2) any group of not more than ten natural persons; (3) any corporation, company, association, trust, or other legal entity; or (4) any combination of two or more corporations, companies, associations, trusts, or other legal entities, having all the powers necessary to comply with the requirements of this subchapter, which the Secretary (i) shall find to be qualified by business experience and facilities, to afford assurance of the necessary continuity of long-term investment, and to have available the necessary capital required for long-term investment in the project, and (ii) shall approve as eligible for insurance under this subchapter. (b) “Project” shall mean a project (including all property, real and personal, contracts, rights, and choses in action acquired, owned, or held by the investor in connection therewith) of an investor designed and used primarily for the purpose of providing dwellings the occupancy of which is permitted by the investor in consideration of agreed charges: Provided, That nothing in this subchapter shall be construed as prohibiting the inclusion in a project of such stores, offices, or other commercial facilities, recreational or community facilities, or other nondwelling facilities as the Secretary shall determine to be necessary or desirable appurtenances to such project. (c) “Estimated investment” shall mean the estimated cost of the development of the project, as stated in the application submitted to the Secretary for insurance under this subchapter. (d) “Established investment” shall mean the amount of the reasonable costs, as approved by the Secretary, incurred by the investor in, and necessary for, carrying out all works and undertakings for the development of a project and shall include the premium charge for the first operating year and the cost of all necessary surveys, plans and specifications, architectural, engineering, or other special services, land acquisition, site preparation, construction, and equipment; a reasonable return on the funds of the investor paid out in the course of the development of the project, up to and including the initial occupancy date; necessary expenses in connection with the initial occupancy of the proj­ect; and the cost of such other items as the Secretary shall determine to be necessary for the development of the project, (1) less the amount by which the rents and revenues derived from the project up to and including the initial occupancy date exceeded the reasonable and proper expenses, as approved by the Secretary, incurred by the investor in, and necessary for, operating and maintaining said project up to and including the initial occupancy date, or (2) plus the amount by which such expenses exceeded such rents and revenues, as the case may be. (e) “Physical completion date” shall mean the last day of the calendar month in which the Secretary determines that the construction of the project is substantially completed and substantially all of the dwellings therein are available for occupancy. (f) “Initial occupancy date” shall mean the last day of the calendar month in which 90 per centum in number of the dwellings in the proj­ect on the physical completion date shall have been occupied, but shall in no event be later than the last day of the sixth calendar month next following the physical completion date. (g) “Operating year” shall mean the period of twelve consecutive calendar months next following the initial occupancy date and each succeeding period of twelve consecutive calendar months, and the period of the first twelve consecutive calendar months next following the initial occupancy date shall be the first operating year. (h) “Gross income” for any operating year shall mean the total rents and revenues and other income derived from, or in connection with, the project during such operating year. (i) “Operating expenses” for any operating year shall mean the amounts, as approved by the Secretary, necessary to meet the reasonable and proper costs of, and to provide for, operating and maintaining the project, and to establish and maintain reasonable and proper reserves for repairs, maintenance, and replacements, and other necessary reserves during such operating year, and shall include necessary expenses for real estate taxes, special assessments, premium charges made pursuant to this subchapter, administrative expenses, the annual rental under any lease pursuant to which the real property comprising the site of the project is held by the investor, and insurance charges, together with such other expenses as the Secretary shall determine to be necessary for the proper operation and maintenance of the project, but shall not include income taxes. (j) “Net income” for any operating year shall mean gross income remaining after the payment of the operating expenses. (k) “Minimum annual amortization charge” shall mean an amount equal to 2 per centum of the established investment, except that, in the case of a project where the real property comprising the site thereof is held by the investor under a lease, if (notwithstanding the proviso of section 1747b(a) of this title) the gross income for any operating year shall be less than the amount required to pay the operating expenses (including the annual rental under such lease), the minimum annual amortization charge for such operating year shall mean an amount equal to 2 per centum of the established investment plus the amount of the annual rental under such lease to the extent that the same is not paid from the gross income. (l) “Annual return” for any operating year shall mean the net income remaining after the payment of the minimum annual amortization charge. (m) “Insured annual return” shall have the meaning ascribed to it in section 1747 of this title. (n) “Minimum annual return” for any operating year shall mean an amount equal to 3½ per centum of the outstanding investment for such operating year or such lesser amount as shall be agreed upon by the investor and the Secretary. (o) “Excess earnings” for any operating year shall mean the net income derived from a proj­ect in excess of the minimum annual amortization charge and the minimum annual return and income taxes. (p) “Outstanding investment” for any operating year shall mean the established investment, less an amount equal to (1) the aggregate of the minimum annual amortization charge for each preceding operating year, plus (2) the aggregate of the excess earnings, if any, during each preceding operating year applied, in addition to the minimum annual amortization charge, to amortization in accordance with the provisions of section 1747d of this title. (q) “State” shall include the several States and Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.

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