7 U.S.C. § 1989
Rules and regulations
The Secretary is authorized to make such rules and regulations, prescribe the terms and conditions for making or insuring loans, security instruments and agreements, except as otherwise specified herein, and make such delegations of authority as he deems necessary to carry out this chapter.
The Secretary shall establish a program under which the Secretary shall guarantee loans for any purpose specified in subchapter II that are made by lending institutions certified by the Secretary.
The Secretary shall certify a lending institution that meets such criteria as the Secretary may prescribe in regulations, including the ability of the institution to properly make, service, and liquidate the loans of the institution.
As a condition of the certification, the Secretary shall require the institution to undertake to service the loans guaranteed by the Secretary under this subsection, using standards that are not less stringent than generally accepted banking standards concerning loan servicing employed by prudent commercial or cooperative lenders. The Secretary shall, at least annually, monitor the performance of each certified lender to ensure that the conditions of the certification are being met.
Neither this subsection nor subsection (d) shall affect the responsibility of the Secretary to certify eligibility, review financial information, and otherwise assess an application.
The designation of a lender as a Preferred Certified Lender shall be revoked at any time that the Secretary determines that such lender is not adhering to the rules and regulations applicable to the program or if the loss experiences of a Preferred Certified Lender are excessive as compared to other Preferred Certified Lenders, except that such suspension or revocation shall not affect any outstanding guarantee.
As a condition of such preferred certification, the Secretary shall require the institution to undertake to service the loans guaranteed by the Secretary under this subsection using generally accepted banking standards concerning loan servicing employed by prudent commercial or cooperative lenders. The Secretary shall, at least annually, monitor the performance of each Preferred Certified Lender to ensure that the conditions of such certification are being met.
The Secretary may administer the loan guarantee programs under subsections (c) and (d) through central offices established in States or in multi-State areas.
This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this title”, meaning title III of Pub. L. 87–128,
2018—Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 115–334 substituted “Preferred Certified Lender” for “preferred certified lender”.
2002—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 107–171 added subsec. (e).
1999—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 106–31 struck out “, including expenses of replacing capital items (determined after taking into account depreciation of the items)” after “paragraph (1)”.
1992—Pub. L. 102–554, inserted section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted heading, and added subsecs. (b) to (d).
Pub. L. 102–554, § 23,
Pub. L. 100–233, title VI, § 624,
Pub. L. 100–233, title VI, § 621,
Pub. L. 100–71, title I, “Hereafter, funds appropriated or available to the Farmers Home Administration under this or any other Act to make or to service farm loans shall be available for continuing assistance to delinquent borrowers on the basis of the policies contained in Farmers Home Administration Announcement Number 1113–1960, dated “Hereafter, none of the funds appropriated or made available by this or any other Act, or otherwise made available to the Secretary of Agriculture or the Farmers Home Administration, may be used to implement section 1944.16(c)(1) of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, as published in 52 Federal Register 11983 (
Pub. L. 99–198, title XIII, § 1325,