Subdivision 1. Designation. Notwithstanding chapter 16C, the office is designated as the administrative agency for carrying out the purposes and terms of sections 136A.15 to 136A.1704. The office may establish one or more loan programs.

Subd. 2. Rules, policies, and conditions. The office shall adopt policies and may prescribe appropriate rules and conditions to carry out the purposes of sections 136A.15 to 136A.1704.

Subd. 3. [Repealed, 2014 c 149 s 75]

Subd. 4. [Repealed, 2014 c 149 s 75]

Subd. 5. Agencies. The office may contract with loan servicers, collection agencies, credit bureaus, or any other person, to carry out the purposes of sections 136A.15 to 136A.1704.

Subd. 6. [Repealed, 2014 c 149 s 75]

Subd. 7. [Repealed, 2014 c 149 s 75]

Subd. 8. Investment. Money made available to the office that is not immediately needed for the purposes of sections 136A.15 to 136A.1704 may be invested by the office. The money must be invested in bonds, certificates of indebtedness, and other fixed income securities, except preferred stocks, which are legal investments for the permanent school fund. The money may also be invested in prime quality commercial paper that is eligible for investment in the state employees retirement fund. All interest and profits from such investments inure to the benefit of the office or may be pledged for security of bonds issued by the office or its predecessors.

Subd. 9. Staff. The office may employ the professional and clerical staff the commissioner deems necessary for the proper administration of the loan programs established and defined by sections 136A.15 to 136A.1704.

Subd. 10. [Repealed, 2014 c 149 s 75]

Subd. 11. [Repealed, 1995 c 212 art 2 s 22]

Subd. 12. Records. The office shall establish and maintain appropriate accounting and related records.

Subd. 13. Subject to suit. The office may sue and be sued.

Subd. 14. Notes. The office may sell at public or private sale, at the price or prices determined by the office, any note or other instrument or obligation evidencing or securing a loan made by the office or its predecessor, including the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office.

Subd. 15. Letters of credit; surety. The office may obtain municipal bond insurance, letters of credit, surety obligations, or similar agreements from financial institutions.

Subd. 16. Interest rate swaps and other agreements. (a) The office may enter into interest rate exchange or swap agreements, hedges, forward purchase or sale agreements, or other comparable interest rate protection agreements with a third party in connection with the issuance or proposed issuance of bonds, outstanding bonds or notes, or existing comparable interest rate protection agreements.

(b) The agreements authorized by this subdivision include without limitation master agreements, options, or contracts to enter into those agreements in the future and related agreements, including, without limitation, agreements to provide credit enhancement, liquidity, or remarketing.

(c) The agreements authorized by this subdivision may be entered into on the basis of negotiation with a qualified third party or through a competitive proposal process on terms and conditions as and with covenants and provisions approved by the office and may include, without limitation:

(1) provisions establishing reserves;

(2) pledging assets or revenues of the office for current or other payments or termination payments;

(3) contracting with the other parties to the agreements to provide for the custody, collection, securement, investment, and payment of money of the office or money held in trust; or

(4) requiring the issuance of bonds or other agreements authorized by this section in the future.

(d) With respect to bonds or notes outstanding or proposed to be issued bearing interest at a variable rate, the office may agree to pay sums equal to interest at a fixed rate or at a different variable rate determined in accordance with a formula set out in the agreement on an amount not exceeding the outstanding principal amount of the bonds or notes at the time of payment in exchange for an agreement by the third party to pay sums equal to interest on a like amount at a variable rate determined according to a formula set out in the agreement.

(e) With respect to bonds or notes outstanding or proposed to be issued bearing interest at a fixed rate or rates, the office may agree to pay sums equal to interest at a variable rate determined in accordance with a formula set out in the agreement on an amount not exceeding the outstanding principal amount of the bonds or notes at the time of payment in exchange for an agreement by the third party to pay sums equal to interest on a like amount at a fixed rate or rates determined according to a formula set in the agreement.

(f) Subject to any applicable covenants of the office, payments required to be made by the office under the agreement, including termination payments, may be made from amounts pledged or available to pay debt service on the bonds or notes with respect to which the agreement was made or from assets of the loan capital fund of the office. The office may issue bonds or notes to provide for any payments, including, without limitation, a termination payment due or to become due under an agreement authorized under this section.

(g) The authority of the office to enter into interest rate protection agreements under this section is limited to agreements related to bonds and notes with an aggregate value of no more than $20,000,000.

History: 1967 c 615 s 1; 1967 c 894 s 3; 1969 c 6 s 23; 1973 c 605 s 5,6; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1977 c 384 s 4-7; 1981 c 300 s 3-5; 1983 c 258 s 47; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1989 c 293 s 36-41; 1995 c 212 art 3 s 34,59; 1997 c 183 art 3 s 12-15; 1998 c 386 art 2 s 43; 2005 c 107 art 2 s 60; 2007 c 144 art 2 s 27,28; 2010 c 364 s 14; 2013 c 99 art 2 s 29; 2014 c 149 s 24,25; 2019 c 64 art 2 s 11-15