85R13971 EES-F By: Thompson of Harris H.B. No. 2339 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2339: By: Burrows C.S.H.B. No. 2339 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to trade-in credit agreements offered in connection with certain motor vehicle retail installment contracts. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 348.001, Finance Code, is amended by adding Subdivision (11) to read as follows: (11) "Trade-in credit agreement" means a contractual arrangement under which a retail seller agrees to provide a specified amount as a motor vehicle trade-in credit for the diminished value of the motor vehicle that is the subject of the retail installment contract in connection with which the trade-in credit agreement is offered if the motor vehicle is damaged but not rendered a total loss as a result of a collision accident, with the credit to be applied toward the purchase or lease of a different motor vehicle from the retail seller or an affiliate of the retail seller. A trade-in credit agreement is a separate agreement from a retail installment contract and is not a term of the retail installment contract. SECTION 2. Section 348.005, Finance Code, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 348.005. ITEMIZED CHARGE. An amount in a retail installment contract is an itemized charge if the amount is not included in the cash price and is the amount of: (1) fees for registration, certificate of title, and license and any additional registration fees charged by a deputy as authorized by rules adopted under Section 520.0071, Transportation Code; (2) any taxes; (3) fees or charges prescribed by law and connected with the sale or inspection of the motor vehicle; and (4) charges authorized for insurance, service contracts, warranties, automobile club memberships, trade-in credit agreements, or a debt cancellation agreement by Subchapter C. SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 348, Finance Code, is amended by adding Section 348.125 to read as follows: Sec. 348.125. TRADE-IN CREDIT AGREEMENTS OFFERED IN CONNECTION WITH RETAIL INSTALLMENT CONTRACTS. (a) A retail seller may, at the time a retail installment contract is executed, offer to sell to a retail buyer a trade-in credit agreement or similarly named agreement. (b) A trade-in credit agreement is not considered an insurance product. (c) To ensure the faithful performance of a retail seller's obligations to a retail buyer under a trade-in credit agreement, the retail seller must be insured under a contractual liability reimbursement policy approved by the commissioner of insurance and issued for the benefit of Texas residents. (d) In addition to other disclosures required by state or federal law, if a retail seller offers to a retail buyer a trade-in credit agreement, the retail seller shall give the retail buyer at the time the retail installment contract is executed a copy of the written trade-in credit agreement and written notice that the retail buyer: (1) is not required to purchase the trade-in credit agreement as a condition for approval of the retail installment contract; (2) is entitled to cancel the trade-in credit agreement before the 31st day after the date the retail installment contract is executed and receive a full refund; (3) may terminate the trade-in credit agreement at any time on or after the 31st day after the date the retail installment contract is executed and receive a pro rata refund minus any applicable cancellation fee which may not exceed $50; and (4) has been provided a clear and concise disclosure of the amount of the credit available during the term of the trade-in credit agreement. (e) The amount charged for a trade-in credit agreement offered in connection with a retail installment contract may not exceed five percent of the cash price of the motor vehicle that is the subject of the retail installment contract, including any attached accessories and excluding the price of services related to the sale, the price of service contracts, taxes, and fees for license, title, and registration. (f) A trade-in credit agreement must require the retail buyer to provide proof of insurance settlement documents in order to obtain the credit. A trade-in credit agreement may not require the retail buyer to provide any other documentation in order to obtain the credit. (g) If a retail seller enters a trade-in credit agreement with a retail buyer, the retail seller must comply with the terms of the trade-in credit agreement in connection with the purchase or lease of a subsequent motor vehicle. A retail seller must provide any credit required under a trade-in credit agreement at the time of the purchase or lease of a subsequent motor vehicle. (h) The benefit to be provided in connection with a trade-in credit agreement must bear a reasonable relationship to the amount charged for the trade-in credit agreement and the amount, term, and conditions of the retail installment contract. SECTION 4. Sections 348.208(b) and (c), Finance Code, are amended to read as follows: (b) A retail installment contract may include as a separate charge an amount for: (1) motor vehicle property damage or bodily injury liability insurance; (2) mechanical breakdown insurance; (3) participation in a motor vehicle theft protection plan; (4) insurance to reimburse the retail buyer for the amount computed by subtracting the proceeds of the buyer's basic collision policy on the motor vehicle from the amount owed on the vehicle if the vehicle has been rendered a total loss; (5) a warranty or service contract relating to the motor vehicle; (6) an identity recovery service contract; [or] (7) a debt cancellation agreement if the agreement is included as a term of a retail installment contract under Section 348.124; or (8) a trade-in credit agreement. (c) Notwithstanding any other law, service contracts, [and] debt cancellation agreements, and trade-in credit agreements sold by a retail seller of a motor vehicle to a retail buyer are not subject to Chapter 101 or 226, Insurance Code. SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.