§3530. Fees; origination; notary, documentation; over-the-credit-limit fee

A.(1) A lender may charge an origination fee that does not exceed fifty dollars on a consumer loan or revolving loan account.

(2) The origination fee may be charged only once in connection with a single loan to one borrower over any consecutive thirty-day period, regardless of the number of renewals or refinances during the same thirty-day period. An origination fee may be charged on any new loan made during a prior loan's consecutive thirty-day period provided the new loan is not a renewal, refinance, or rollover of the prior loan. When a loan is paid in full, an origination fee may be charged on any subsequent new loan without regard to the prior loan's consecutive thirty-day period.

(3) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, an origination fee shall not be considered a loan finance charge and shall not be subject to refund upon prepayment or acceleration of maturity.

(4) Repealed by Acts 2003, No. 633, §2.

B. Non-real estate related notary fees assessed in connection with consumer credit transactions subject to this Chapter are limited to a maximum of fifteen dollars.

C.(1) A lender may charge a documentation fee in an amount not to exceed one-half of the amount authorized in Paragraph (4) of this Subsection, in connection with a non-real estate consumer loan transaction.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a documentation fee shall not be considered as interest nor shall it be included in the calculation of interest.

(3) An insurance premium finance company may not charge a documentation fee under this Subsection.

(4) In lieu of the documentation fee provided in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, a lender may charge a documentation fee , not to exceed twenty dollars, in connection with any non-real estate consumer loan not subject to R.S. 9:3578.1 through 3578.8.

D. A lender upon entering into a revolving loan or lender credit card account that is secured by a collateral mortgage or equivalent security interest on immovable (real) property, may assess an origination fee in an amount not to exceed two percent of the consumer's established credit limit. Such origination fees may be assessed in addition to permissible loan finance charges and are not subject to rebate upon cancellation or termination of the consumer's account.

E.(1) A lender may contract for and receive reasonable over-the-credit-limit fees in connection with revolving loan, lender credit card, revolving charge and seller credit card accounts that are payable whenever the consumer exceeds the credit limit established for the account.

(2) A lender shall cease the assessment of over-the-credit-limit fees in connection with lender credit card and seller credit card accounts upon termination of the contract.

F.(1) A lender may charge the consumer the convenience fee authorized by R.S. 47:532.1(C) for services performed by a public license tag agent as well as any E.L.T. fees pursuant to R.S. 32:707.2. Such fees shall not be charged to the consumer more than once.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the convenience fee authorized by R.S. 47:532.1(C) as well as any E.L.T. fees shall not be considered as interest, nor shall they be included in the calculation of interest.

G. Notwithstanding the limitations set in this Section or any other law to the contrary, a federally insured depository institution entering into a consumer credit transaction as defined in R.S. 9:3516(13) may contract for and receive the types of fees provided for in Subsections A, C, and D of this Section in any amount agreed to in a written agreement signed by the consumer. Fees charged under this Subsection by a federally insured depository institution shall not be considered loan finance charges or credit service charges under this Chapter.

Acts 1986, No. 584, §1, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 1987, No. 498, §1; Acts 1988, No. 629, §1; Acts 1995, No. 153, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1184, §2; Acts 1999, No. 514, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1315, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2000; Acts 2003, No. 633, §2; Acts 2004, No. 89, §1; Acts 2005, No. 123, §1, eff. June 22, 2005; Acts 2007, No. 31, §1; Acts 2010, No. 96, §1; Acts 2010, No. 668, §1; Acts 2011, No. 115, §1.