A husband and wife who operated a day-care business out of their home decided to take out a new mortgage on the home. Over the 10 years that they had owned the business they had taken corresponding deductions and depreciation on their tax returns to account for the business run from the home. As calculated for tax purposes, approximately 17% of the home was devoted to the day-care business, even though during the hours when the day-care business was open about 52% of the home’s square footage was devoted to that use.

The homeowners came to realize that their lender had dramatically increased their monthly payments and had sent the loan documents to them when it was too late by law for them to change their minds (more than three days after they signed the papers). They sued the bank under the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA), asking that the loan transaction be rescinded. Among other things, TILA requires lenders to provide particular disclosures to borrowers of “high-rate” loans when points and fees exceed 8% of the amount borrowed. The bank had not made these disclosures to the borrowers at least three days ahead of the transaction, as required by TILA.

The bank’s response was two-pronged. First, it argued that TILA did not even apply to the case because of an exemption in the law for extensions of credit primarily for business or commercial purposes. Second, the bank took the position that the points and fees that the homeowners were required to pay could not count toward the 8% threshold because the homeowners had folded those costs into the loan instead of paying them up front in cash. A federal trial court sided with the homeowners on both points, allowing their case to go to trial.

Regarding the bank’s claim that the “business purposes” exception in TILA should apply, the key fact was that, properly calculated, only a small percentage of the home was devoted to the business, thus defeating any attempt to argue that the loan was primarily for business or commercial purposes. As for the fact that the points and fees were financed, not paid in cash, this method of payment was of no consequence for purposes of meeting the 8% threshold. The applicable statutory language says only that the points and fees must be “payable” by the consumer at or before closing. The borrowers did bear the costs of the points and fees at the time of closing, no matter whether they were being paid then, deducted from loan proceeds, or, as happened here, added to the amount to be financed over time.

Working in favor of the borrowers on both points was the fact that TILA is a remedial statute to be construed and applied so as to achieve its goals of assuring the meaningful disclosure of credit terms and avoiding the uninformed use of credit.