(a) The Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act requires that the effective interest rate charged a borrower who enters active military duty after a loan is closed will not exceed 6 percent. This applies only to full-time active military duty and does not include military reserve status or National Guard participation.

(b) As soon as the County Supervisor verifies that a borrower is on active duty, the County Supervisor will send the borrower a letter which states that the interest rate on the borrower's Rural Development loans will not exceed 6 percent. At the same time, the County Supervisor will send the Finance Office a memorandum which states that the borrower is on active duty and that interest of not more than 6 percent should accrue on the borrower's loans, effective as of the date of the memorandum or as of the date of the last payment, whichever is later, until further notice. If a borrower's interest rate on any loan is less than 6 percent, the loan will continue to accrue interest at the lower rate. The assistance under this section may not be retroactively applied.

(c) As soon as the County Supervisor verifies that a borrower is no longer on active duty, the County Supervisor will send the Finance Office a memorandum advising them to terminate the 6 percent interest rate. The rate will revert to the note rate (or the payment assistance rate), effective with the next scheduled payment. The 6 percent interest rate will not be cancelled retroactively.

(d) Additional directions for handling Single Family Housing Loans are contained in 7 CFR part 3550.

[52 FR 26134, July 13, 1987, as amended at 60 FR 55122, Oct. 27, 1995; 67 FR 78329, Dec. 24, 2002; 80 FR 9890, Feb. 24, 2015]