08 LC 28
3839
House
Bill 918
By:
Representative Lane of the
167th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Article 1 of Chapter 14 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to general provisions concerning mortgages, conveyances to
secure debt, and liens, so as to provide for the disbursement of certain
settlement funds after closing even though such funds are not collected funds;
to provide that lenders shall provide loan funds in the form of collected funds
at or prior to closing; to provide for related matters; to provide an effective
date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Article
1 of Chapter 14 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to general provisions concerning mortgages, conveyances to secure debt, and
liens, is amended by revising subsections (c) and (d) of Code Section 44-14-13,
relating to disbursement of settlement proceeds, as follows:
"(c)
Except as otherwise provided in this Code section, a settlement agent shall not
cause a disbursement of settlement proceeds unless such settlement proceeds are
collected funds.
Notwithstanding
that a deposit made by a settlement agent to its escrow account does not
constitute collected funds, the
A
settlement agent may
cause a
disbursement of
disburse
settlement proceeds from
the
its
escrow account
in reliance
on such deposit under any of the following
circumstances
after receipt
of any of the following negotiable instruments even though the same are not
collected funds:
(1)
The deposit is either (A) a check or draft representing the loan funds issued
by, (B) a certified check, cashier´s check, or treasurer´s check
issued by or drawn on, or (C) other similar primary obligation of a federally
insured bank, savings bank, savings and loan association, or credit union or of
any holding company or wholly owned subsidiary of any of the
foregoing;
(2)
The deposit is either a check or draft issued by a lender approved by the United
States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD);
(3)
The deposit is a check issued by a lender qualified to do business in
Georgia;
(4)(1)
The deposit
is a
A
check drawn on the escrow account of an attorney licensed to practice law in the
State of Georgia or on the escrow account of a real estate broker licensed under
Chapter 40 of Title 43, if the settlement agent has reasonable and prudent
grounds to believe that the
deposit
check
will constitute collected funds in the settlement agent´s escrow account
within a reasonable period;
(5)(2)
The deposit
is a
A
check issued by the United States of America or any agency thereof or the State
of Georgia or any agency or political subdivision of the State of Georgia;
or
(6)(3)
The deposit
is a
A
personal check or checks in an aggregate amount not exceeding $5,000.00 per loan
closing.
For
purposes of this Code section,
disbursement
of settlement proceeds shall only be made from the proceeds of any
of the instruments described in paragraphs
(1) through
(6)
(3)
of this subsection
if such
instruments are negotiable instruments
if they are
negotiable in accordance with the
provisions of Code Section 11-3-104.
(d)
The lender shall at or before the loan closing deliver loan funds to the
settlement agent
either
in the form of collected funds
or in the
form of a negotiable instrument described in any of paragraphs (1) through (3)
of subsection (c) of this Code section, provided that the lender must cause such
instrument to be honored upon presentment for payment to the bank or other
depository institution upon which such instrument was
drawn."
SECTION
2.
This
Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its
becoming law without such approval.
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.