Skip to main content
Menu Icon
Close

InfoBytes Blog

Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

Spotlight on the Military Lending Act, Part 3: Falling in Line with MLA Compliance

SCRA Military Lending Act Ancillary Products Sasha Leonhardt

Consumer Finance

Sasha-LeonhardtWith recent changes in the regulations implementing the Military Lending Act (“MLA”), creditors are now reevaluating their compliance plans to ensure they are prepared for the new regulations.  Although there is no formal guidance on what federal regulators will look for in reviewing MLA compliance, the commentary that accompanied both the proposed and final rule gives some insight as to where regulators will focus examination and enforcement resources.  Below, we discuss some of these likely areas of focus, and offer suggestions for how institutions can prepare for regulatory scrutiny.

Determining military service and MLA safe harbor provisions

The MLA only applies to a “covered borrower,” which is either a servicemember (as defined under the MLA) or a servicemember’s dependent.  The MLA provides two safe harbors to determine if a consumer is a covered borrower:  (1) a set of results from the DoD’s MLA database, or (2) a military status indicator in a consumer report.

Although both of these approaches are optional—and a creditor may use a different method to determine if an individual is eligible for MLA protection—they provide several benefits.  They are both determinative, so even if the borrower is in fact a servicemember a safe harbor check that shows otherwise will govern.  Both checks can also be done without

inconveniencing the consumer or requiring them to attest to their military status.

However, these safe harbor approaches are only effective if the results are actually retained by the creditor.  Since military status checks must be performed at origination, we recommend that the results of these checks be retained with the origination documents.  Not only does the outcome of the military status check determine the substantive terms of the actual credit obligation, but by keeping all of these documents together, a creditor can ensure that they have all of the governing origination documents are in a single, secure location.

Ancillary products and calculation of the Military APR (“MAPR”)

In crafting the new MLA rules, the Department of Defense expanded the list of items to include in calculating the MAPR.  One of the most significant changes is the addition of fees paid “for a credit-related ancillary product sold in connection with the credit transaction.”  Although the MAPR limit is 36%, ancillary product fees can add up and—especially for accounts that carry a low balance—can quickly exceed the MAPR limit.  This broad definition of the interest rate under the MLA also coincides with the expansive approach that federal regulators have taken regarding enforcement of the interest rate limitations under another military protection statute, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.  The CFPB has made no secret of the fact that it reviews add-on products closely, and we expect the Bureau to use the MLA as another method of targeting ancillary products.

Prohibition against mandatory arbitration

Although most of the focus has been on the revised MAPR requirements in the new rules, the MLA has prohibited mandatory arbitration for eligible accounts since 2007.  While this provision remains the same under the new MLA rules, what has changed since 2007 is a renewed focus on mandatory arbitration by federal regulators.  Since the CFPB’s creation in 2011, mandatory arbitration—and its impact on consumers—has been a key area of focus for the Bureau.  With the CFPB’s Office of Servicemember Affairs closely watching any practices that may harm military borrowers and the Bureau’s overall focus on arbitration, we expect the arbitration provisions of the MLA to become a keen area for regulatory review.

MLA disclosure requirements compliance

Finally, the MLA requires special disclosure requirements for eligible loans.  While most creditors are familiar with the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”) and Regulation Z disclosure requirements, the MLA also requires that the servicemember receive “a statement of the MAPR applicable to the extension of credit.”  This disclosure must be provided before or at the same time that the servicemember enters into the transaction.

To ensure compliance with the MLA, we recommend a streamlined, product-specific set of disclosures that an MLA-eligible consumer can receive at origination.  To protect against borrower claims of insufficient disclosures and post hoc regulatory scrutiny, we recommend that creditors retain copies of the MLA disclosures along with the original check of the MLA website and credit agreement.