Bill Text: NY S03597 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Authorizes service charges for gap waivers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO INSURANCE [S03597 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S03597-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3597

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 1, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. BRESLIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance

        AN ACT to amend the insurance law and  the  personal  property  law,  in
          relation to authorizing service charges for gap waivers

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subparagraph (iii) of paragraph  3  of  subsection  (b)  of
     2  section 1101 of the insurance law, as amended by chapter 140 of the laws
     3  of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
     4    (iii)  in  the event the lessor, creditor or assignee purchases lessor
     5  or creditor gap insurance, the charge to the lessee or  debtor  for  the
     6  waiver  does not exceed the cost of the lessor or creditor gap insurance
     7  coverage plus any permitted  service  charge;  provided,  however,  that
     8  nothing contained [herein] in this section shall be construed to prohib-
     9  it:    (A)  the  creditor  or assignee from including the charge for the
    10  waiver plus any permitted service charge in its calculation of  payments
    11  due  under  a  retail instalment contract; or (B) the lessor or assignee
    12  from including the charge for the waiver in the capitalized cost as that
    13  term is defined in subdivision eleven of section three  hundred  thirty-
    14  one  of the personal property law. For purposes of this subparagraph, in
    15  the case of a new or used motor vehicle which is  subject  to  a  retail
    16  instalment  contract,  such  permitted service charge may be paid to the
    17  creditor or assignee, or to a motor vehicle dealer  registered  in  this
    18  state  pursuant  to the applicable provisions of the vehicle and traffic
    19  law.
    20    § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 302A of the personal  property  law,  as
    21  amended  by  chapter  111  of the laws of 1995 and as further amended by
    22  section 104 of part A of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is  amended  to
    23  read as follows:
    24    2.  If the retail instalment contract provides that the buyer shall be
    25  responsible upon a total loss of the vehicle occasioned by its theft  or

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08622-01-3

        S. 3597                             2

     1  physical  damage  for the gap amount, the holder, prior to the execution
     2  of the agreement, shall offer to waive its contractual right to hold the
     3  buyer liable for the gap amount in the event of  a  total  loss  of  the
     4  vehicle  occasioned by its theft or physical damage, only if motor vehi-
     5  cle creditor gap insurance coverage is available to the holder and  such
     6  coverage  is  obtained from a property/casualty insurance company, which
     7  has been licensed by the superintendent of financial  services  of  this
     8  state to write motor vehicle creditor gap insurance in this state.  This
     9  offer may be made contingent upon the payment by the buyer of a separate
    10  charge  that  shall  not  exceed  the cost of motor vehicle creditor gap
    11  insurance covering the retail instalment contract  plus a service charge
    12  not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars.  Nothing  contained  in  this
    13  section  shall  be construed to authorize a waiver, in connection with a
    14  transaction with respect to which motor vehicle creditor  gap  insurance
    15  has  not  been obtained, of a contractual right to hold the buyer liable
    16  for the gap amount in the event of a total loss  of  the  vehicle  occa-
    17  sioned by its theft or physical damage.
    18    §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
    19  have become a law.
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