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<chapter num="15" heading="Shared Appreciation Agreements" title_num="09" subtitle_num="03">
  <regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".01" heading="Definitions.">
    <paragraph num="A.">
      <text>In this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="B.">
      <text>Terms Defined.</text>
      <paragraph num="(1)">
        <text>“Actual change in value” means, with respect to each scenario included on the disclosure form found in Appendix A of this chapter, the average annual change in value for homes in the State of Maryland over the most recent number of years used in that scenario.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(2)">
        <text>“Annual percentage rate” has the meaning stated in 12 CFR §1026.22(a), as amended from time to time.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(3)">
        <text>“Annualized cost” means a measure of the cost of credit, expressed as a yearly rate, provided to allow a borrower to compare the cost of a shared appreciation agreement with the cost of other forms of credit.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(4)">
        <text>“Arms-length sale” means a transaction for the sale of property between two unrelated and unaffiliated parties of equal bargaining power acting independently and in their respective self-interests.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(5)">
        <text>“Automated valuation model” or “AVM” means a statistically based estimate of a property’s value based on publicly available information such as comparable sales, property characteristics, and price trends.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(6)">
        <text>“Borrower” means a person who receives funds under a shared appreciation agreement.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(7)">
        <text>“Broker price opinion” or “BPO” means an estimate, provided by a real estate broker licensed by the State or another qualified professional, of the price for which a property is likely to sell.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(8)">
        <text>“Commitment” has the meaning stated in Commercial Law Article, §12-922, Annotated Code of Maryland.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(9)">
        <text>“Estimated fair market value” means:</text>
        <paragraph num="(a)">
          <text>An estimate of value determined through either the use of an appraisal from an appraiser licensed by the State or the use of an automated valuation model or broker price opinion; or</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(b)">
          <text>An estimate of value provided by the borrower, if a disclosure is provided before the lender obtains an appraisal, automated valuation model, or broker price opinion.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(10)">
        <text>“Final payment amount” means the amount a borrower will be required to pay the lender at the termination of the shared appreciation agreement.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(11)">
        <text>“Final value” means the value of the property at the termination of the shared appreciation agreement as calculated using the estimated fair market value of the property, or, in an arms-length sale, the sale price of the property.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(12)">
        <text>“Financing agreement” has the meaning stated in Commercial Law Article, §12-922, Annotated Code of Maryland.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(13)">
        <text>“Lender” means a person who makes a mortgage loan under a shared appreciation agreement.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(14)">
        <text>“Share based repayment amount” means the lender’s share of the property’s appreciation or value at the termination of the shared appreciation agreement as calculated without regard to any contractual limit on the repayment amount.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(15)">
        <text>“Shared appreciation agreement” has the meaning stated in Financial Institutions Article, §11-501(r), Annotated Code of Maryland.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(16)">
        <text>“Starting value” means the estimated fair market value of a property minus any discount applied by the lender.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(17)">
        <text>“Truth in Lending Act” refers to 15 U.S.C. 1601, et seq., and its implementing regulations under 12 CFR 1026.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </regulation>
  <regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".02" heading="Required Disclosures.">
    <paragraph num="A.">
      <text>Financing Agreements and Commitments.</text>
      <paragraph num="(1)">
        <text>In addition to providing any other disclosures required by Commercial Law Article, Title 12, Subtitles 9 and 10, Annotated Code of Maryland, a lender receiving an application for a shared appreciation agreement shall, regardless of lien position, provide a borrower with a financing agreement.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(2)">
        <text>The lender shall satisfy the requirement to provide a financing agreement for a mortgage loan made under a shared appreciation agreement in the following manner:</text>
        <paragraph num="(a)">
          <text>By providing the disclosure form found in Appendix A of this chapter, or a substantially similar form, within 10 business days after the date an application for a shared appreciation agreement is completed; and</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(b)">
          <text>By calculating the annualized cost based on the term in each scenario within the form in Appendix A of this chapter using the method prescribed in 12 CFR Part 1026 Appendix J for calculating an annual percentage rate.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(3)">
        <text>If the terms of the disclosure provided by the lender under §A(2) of this regulation are subject to change, a lender offering a shared appreciation agreement, regardless of lien position, shall provide a borrower with a commitment.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(4)">
        <text>The lender shall satisfy the requirement to provide a commitment for a mortgage loan made under a shared appreciation agreement in the following manner:</text>
        <paragraph num="(a)">
          <text>By providing the disclosure form found in Appendix A of this chapter, or a substantially similar form, with a statement that the terms therein are not subject to change, at least 72 hours before the settlement time agreed to by both parties; and</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(b)">
          <text>By calculating the annualized cost based on the term in each scenario within the form in Appendix A of this chapter using the method prescribed in 12 CFR Part 1026 Appendix J for calculating an annual percentage rate.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="B.">
      <text>Compliance with Disclosures in Appendix A of this Chapter.</text>
      <paragraph num="(1)">
        <text>A form will be considered substantially similar to the one in Appendix A of this chapter if it includes all information provided in Appendix A of this chapter.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(2)">
        <text>A lender shall disclose the following information regarding the estimated fair market value of the property:</text>
        <paragraph num="(a)">
          <text>The method used to calculate the estimated fair market value;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(b)">
          <text>The amount, if any, by which the lender is discounting the estimated fair market value in establishing the property’s initial value;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(c)">
          <text>The estimated fair market value of the property and any discount applied to that value in determining the starting value; and</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(d)">
          <text>The potential impact of that discount on their repayment amount.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="C.">
      <text>Compliance with Applicable Law. Compliance with this regulation shall constitute compliance with any requirements under Commercial Law Article, §12-922 or 12-1022, Annotated Code of Maryland, to provide a financing agreement or a commitment.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </regulation>
  <regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".03" heading="Calculation of Property Value.">
    <paragraph num="A.">
      <text>Means of Calculating the Property Value.</text>
      <paragraph num="(1)">
        <text>The lender shall use the estimated fair market value to determine the starting value of the property.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(2)">
        <text>The starting value may represent a discount of the estimated fair market value at the time the shared appreciation agreement is executed.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(3)">
        <text>Except as provided in §B of this regulation, the lender shall use the same method for calculating the estimated fair market value in connection with determining the starting value and the final value.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(4)">
        <text>An appraisal, AVM, or BPO used to determine fair market value shall be obtained by the lender from an unaffiliated third-party.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(5)">
        <text>In complying with the requirements of Regulation .02A(2) of this chapter, a lender may use a value stipulated by the borrower as the estimated fair market value if the lender has not yet obtained an appraisal, BPO, or AVM and the terms of the disclosure provided under Regulation .02 of this chapter are subject to change.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(6)">
        <text>In complying with the requirements of Regulation .02A(4) of this chapter, a lender shall use an appraisal, BPO, or AVM.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="B.">
      <text>Sale of Property. If a shared appreciation agreement terminates with the sale of the property, the final value may not exceed the sale price if:</text>
      <paragraph num="(1)">
        <text>The sale was an arms-length sale;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(2)">
        <text>The property was not sold as part of a foreclosure; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(3)">
        <text>The borrower did not retain an interest in the property, including an interest as a life estate.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </regulation>
  <regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".04" heading="Calculating Values in Appendix A of this Chapter.">
    <paragraph num="A.">
      <text>Actual Appreciation. Actual change in value shall be calculated using the All-Transactions House Price Index as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis unless this index becomes unavailable, in which case the Commissioner may designate an alternate index.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="B.">
      <text>Final Payment Amount. The final payment amount shall be the lender’s share of appreciation or equity, plus, if applicable under the terms of the agreement, any other amounts payable by the borrower at termination, minus any amount over any repayment limit to which the lender and the borrower have agreed.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </regulation>
  <regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".05" heading="Ability to Repay.">
    <text>A lender offering a shared appreciation agreement is deemed to have given due regard to a borrower’s ability to repay if disclosures are provided by the lender to the borrower in compliance with Regulation .02 of this chapter, provided that:</text>
    <paragraph num="A.">
      <text>The shared appreciation agreement does not require periodic payments prior to termination of the agreement; and</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="B.">
      <text>The term of the shared appreciation agreement is no less than 5 years.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </regulation>
  <annotations>
    <annotation type="Authority">Financial Institutions Article, §§2-105.1, 12-926, and 12-1030, Annotated Code of Maryland</annotation>
    <annotation type="History" subtype="Administrative History">Effective date: November 25, 2024 (51:23 Md. R. 1036)</annotation>
  </annotations>
</chapter>