California Clarifies How to Document Per Diem Compliance

After leaving residential mortgage lenders guessing for many years, the California Department of Business Oversight ("DBO") finally provided the industry with some guidance on the documentation licensees may use to verify compliance with the state's per diem statutes.

The California per diem statutes (Financial Code § 50204(o) and Civil Code § 2948.5) prohibit a lender from requiring a borrower to pay interest for more than one day prior to the disbursement of loan proceeds, subject to some limited exceptions.

In 2007, the DBO issued Release No. 58-FS (the "2007 Release"), which provided guidance on acceptable evidence of compliance with Financial Code § 50204(o):

• A final, certified HUD-1 that reflects the disbursement date;