The following general definitions are applicable to the terms used in this subpart:

Agency. The Rural Housing Service which is within the Rural Development mission area of the United States Department of Agriculture or its successor agencies with authority delegated by the Secretary of Agriculture to administer the Community Facilities programs.

Application. An Agency prescribed form to request an Agency guarantee (available in any Agency office).

Arm's length transaction. The sale, release, or disposition of assets in which the title to the property passes to a ready, willing, and able third party who is not affiliated with, or related to, and has no security, monetary, or stockholder interest in the borrower or transferor at the time of the transaction.

Assignment Guarantee Agreement. The signed agreement among the Agency, the lender, and the holder setting forth the terms and conditions of an assignment of the guaranteed portion of a loan or any part thereof (available in any Agency office).

Borrower. The entity that borrows money from the lender.

Collateral. Property pledged to secure the guaranteed loan.

Community facility (essential). The term “facility” as used in this subpart refers to both the physical structure financed and the resulting service provided to rural residents. An essential community facility must:

(1) Be a function customarily provided by a local unit of government;

(2) Be a public improvement needed for the orderly development of a rural community;

(3) Not include private affairs or commercial or business undertakings (except for limited authority for industrial parks);

(4) Be within the area of jurisdiction or operation for eligible public bodies or a similar local rural service area of a not-for-profit corporation; and

(5) Be located in a rural area.

Conditional Commitment for Guarantee. The Agency's written statement to the lender that the material submitted is approved subject to the completion of all conditions and requirements contained in the commitment (available in any Agency office).

Guaranteed loan. A loan made and serviced by a lender for which the Agency and lender have entered into a Lender's Agreement and for which the Agency has issued a Loan Note Guarantee.

Holder. The person or entity (other than the lender) who holds all or a part of the guaranteed portion of the loan with no servicing responsibilities. When the lender assigns part or all of the guaranteed portion of the loan to an assignee, the assignee becomes a holder when the Assignment Guarantee Agreement is signed by all parties.

Immediate family. Individuals who are closely related by blood or by marriage, or within the same household, such as a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent, grandchild, niece, or nephew.

In-house expenses. In-house expenses include, but are not limited to, employees' salaries, staff lawyers, travel, and overhead.

Insurance. Fire, windstorm, lightning, hail, explosion, riot, civil commotion, aircraft, vehicles, smoke, builder's risk, liability, property damage, flood or mudslide, worker's compensation, fidelity bond, malpractice, or any similar insurance that is available and needed to protect the security or that is required by law.

Joint financing. Two or more lenders (or any combination of lenders and other financial sources) making separate relatively contemporaneous loans to supply the funds required by one borrower. For example, such joint financing may consist of the Agency's financial assistance with the Economic Development Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), or other Federal and State agencies, and private and quasi-public financial institutions.

Lender. The person or organization making and responsible for servicing the loan. The lender is also referred to in this subpart as the applicant who is requesting a guarantee during the preapplication and application stage of processing.

Lender's Agreement. The signed agreement between the Agency and the lender containing the lender's responsibilities when the Loan Note Guarantee is issued (available in any Agency office).

Loan classification system. The process by which loans are examined and categorized by degree of potential loss in the event of default.

Loan Note Guarantee. The signed commitment issued by the Agency containing the terms and conditions of the guarantee of an identified loan (available in any Agency office).

Market value. The amount for which property would sell for its highest and best use at a voluntary sale in an arm's length transaction.

Note. An evidence of debt. In those instances where the Agency guarantees a bond issue, “note” shall also be construed to include a bond or other evidence of indebtedness, as appropriate.

Participation. Sale of an interest in a loan in which the lender retains the note, collateral securing the note, and all responsibility for loan servicing and liquidation.

Principals of borrowers. The owners, officers, directors, entities, and supervisors directly involved in the operation and management of the borrower.

Problem loan. A loan which is not complying with its terms and conditions.

Protective advances. Advances made by the lender for the purpose of preserving and protecting the collateral where the debtor has failed to, and will not or cannot, meet obligations to protect or preserve collateral.

Public body. A municipality, county, or other political subdivision of a State, special purpose district, an Indian tribe on a Federal or State reservation, or another federally recognized Indian tribe.

Report of loss. A form used by lenders when reporting a loss under an Agency guarantee (available in any Agency office).

Rural and rural area. The terms “rural” and “rural area” mean a city, town, or unincorporated area that has a population of 50,000 inhabitants or less, other than an urbanized area immediately adjacent to a city, town, or unincorporated area that has a population in excess of 50,000 inhabitants. The population figure is obtained from the most recent decennial Census of the United States (decennial Census). If the applicable population figure cannot be obtained from the most recent decennial Census, RD will determine the applicable population figure based on available population data.

Service area. The area reasonably expected to be served by the facility being financed by the guaranteed loan.

State. Any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and an agency or instrumentality thereof exclusive of local governments.

State Bond Banks and State Bond Pools. An entity authorized by the State to issue State debt instruments and utilize the funds received to finance essential community facilities.

State Director. The Rural Development State Director or the staff member who has been delegated authority to perform action on behalf of the State Director.

Substantive change. Any change in the purpose of the loan or any change in the financial condition of the borrower or the collateral which would jeopardize the performance of the loan.

Transfer and assumption. The conveyance by a debtor to an assuming party of the assets, collateral, and liabilities of the loan in return for the assuming party's binding promise to pay the outstanding debt.

[64 FR 28337, May 26, 1999, as amended at 79 FR 76013, Dec. 19, 2014; 80 FR 9912, Feb. 24, 2015]