(a) The prepayment (whether in whole or in part) or the assignment or transfer of physical and financial assets of any Section 202 project is prohibited, unless the Secretary gives prior written approval.

(b) The Secretary may not grant approval unless he or she has determined that the prepayment or transfer of the loan is part of a transaction that will ensure the continued operation of the project, until the original maturity date of the loan, in a manner that will provide rental housing for the elderly and handicapped on terms at least as advantageous to existing and future tenants as the terms required by the original Section 202 loan agreement and any other loan agreements entered into under other provisions of law.