Rhode Island § 27-30-2 - Consumer Credit Insurance

§ 27-30-2. Scope and definitions.

(a) Citation and scope.

(1) This chapter may be cited as “Consumer Credit Insurance Act.”

(2) All consumer credit insurance sold in connection with loans or other credit transactions for personal, family, or household purposes shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter except:

(i) Insurance written in connection with a credit transaction that is:

(A) Secured by a first mortgage or deed of trust; and

(B) Made to finance the purchase of real property or the construction of a dwelling thereon, or to refinance a prior credit transaction made for such a purpose;

(ii) Insurance sold as an isolated transaction on the part of the insurer and not related to an agreement or a plan for insuring debtors of the creditor;

(iii) Insurance for which no identifiable charge is made to the debtor; and

(iv) Insurance on accounts receivable.

(b) Definitions.  For the purpose of this chapter:

(1) “Commissioner” means the director of the department of business regulation or his or designee.

(2) “Compensation” means commissions, dividends, retrospective rate credits, service fees, expense allowances or reimbursements, gifts, furnishing of equipment, facilities, goods, or services, or any other form of remuneration resulting directly from the sale of consumer credit insurance.

(3) “Consumer credit insurance” is a general term used in this chapter to refer to any or all credit life insurance, credit accident and health insurance, credit unemployment insurance specifically defined in this chapter.

(4) “Credit accident and health insurance” means insurance on a debtor to provide indemnity for payments or debt becoming due on a specific loan or other credit transaction while the debtor is disabled as defined in the policy.

(5) “Credit life insurance” means insurance on a debtor or debtors, pursuant to or in connection with a specific loan or other credit transaction, to provide for satisfaction of a debt, in whole or in part, upon the death of an insured debtor.

(6) “Credit transaction” means any transaction by the terms of which the repayment of money loaned or loan commitment made, or payment for goods, services, or properties sold or leased, is to be made at a future date or dates.

(7) “Credit unemployment insurance” means insurance on a debtor to provide indemnity for payments or debt becoming due on a specific loan or other credit transaction while the debtor is involuntarily unemployed as defined in the policy.

(8) “Creditor” means the lender of money or vendor or lessor of goods, services, property, rights, or privileges, for which payment is arranged through a credit transaction or any successor to the right, title, or interest of any lender, vendor, or lessor, and an affiliate, associate, or subsidiary of any of them or any director, officer, or employee of any of them or any other person in any way associated with any of them.

(9) “Debtor” means a borrower of money or a purchaser or lessee of goods, services, property, rights, or privileges for which payment is arranged through a credit transaction.

(10) “Gross debt” means the sum of the remaining payments owed to the creditor by the debtor.

(11) “Identifiable charge” means a charge for a type of consumer credit insurance that is made to debtors having such insurance and not made to debtors not having such insurance; it includes a charge for insurance that is disclosed in the credit or other instrument furnished to the debtor that sets out the financial elements of the credit transaction and any difference in the finance, interest, service, or other similar charge made to debtors who are in like circumstances except for the insured or non-insured status of the debtor or of the property used as security for the credit transaction.

(12) “Net debt” means the amount necessary to liquidate the remaining debt in a single lump-sum payment, excluding all unearned interest and other unearned finance charges.

(13) “Open-end credit” means credit extended by a creditor under an agreement in which:

(i) The creditor reasonably contemplates repeated transactions;

(ii) The creditor imposes a finance charge from time to time on an outstanding unpaid balance; and

(iii) The amount of credit that may be extended to the debtor during the term of the agreement (up to any set limit by the creditor) is generally made available to the extent that any outstanding balance is repaid.