Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 669 - Regulated Activities
Section 36a-683. (Formerly Sec. 36-407). - Failure to comply; liability. Civil action. Right to rescind.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, any creditor who fails to comply with any requirement of the Connecticut Truth-in-Lending Act, or of section 36a-771 or 36a-774, with respect to any person is liable to that person as provided for in 15 USC 1640, as amended from time to time.

(b) Any action under this section shall be brought in any court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to the time frames established in 15 USC 1640(e), as amended from time to time, provided a person may assert a violation of the Connecticut Truth-in-Lending Act in an action to collect the debt in accordance with the provisions of 15 USC 1640(e), as amended from time to time.
(c) No provision of this section, subsection (d) of section 36a-684 or section 36a-681 imposing any liability shall apply to any act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any advisory opinion, final decision or order adopted by the commissioner, any rule, regulation or interpretation adopted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection pursuant to the Consumer Credit Protection Act, or any interpretation or approval by an official or employee of the Federal Reserve System as provided in 15 USC 1640(f), as amended from time to time, notwithstanding that after such act or omission has occurred, such rule, regulation, approval, opinion, decision, order or interpretation is amended, rescinded or determined by judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Connecticut Truth-in-Lending Act, (1) no person shall be entitled in any action to a recovery under this section for the failure to disclose any information required under said act if a recovery is awarded in the same action under 15 USC 1640, as amended from time to time, for the failure to disclose any information required under said act; and (2) no person shall be entitled in any action brought under this section to a recovery if, prior to an award in any such action, a recovery has been awarded to such person in any action brought under 15 USC 1640, as amended from time to time, in which the same act or omission was the basis of that action.
(e) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, an obligor shall have the right to rescind as provided in 15 USC 1635, as amended from time to time.
(2) An obligor's right of rescission shall expire three years after the date of consummation of the transaction or upon the sale of the property, whichever occurs earlier, notwithstanding the fact that the information and forms required under this section and 15 USC 1635, as amended from time to time, or any other disclosures required under the Connecticut Truth-in-Lending Act, have not been delivered to the obligor, except that if (A) the commissioner institutes a proceeding to enforce the provisions of this section, or 15 USC 1635, as amended from time to time, made a part of said sections as provided in section 36a-678 within three years after the date of consummation of the transaction, (B) the commissioner finds a violation of this subsection or 15 USC 1635, as amended from time to time, and (C) the obligor's right to rescind is based in whole or in part on any matter involved in such proceeding, then the obligor's right of rescission shall expire three years after the date of consummation of the transaction or upon the earlier sale of the property, or upon the expiration of one year following the conclusion of the proceeding or any judicial review or period for judicial review thereof, whichever is later.
(3) (A) In any credit transaction in which an obligor has the right to rescind under 15 USC 1635, as amended from time to time, and the obligor does not exercise that right, a finance charge may not begin to accrue in connection with such transaction until after midnight of the third business day following the consummation of the transaction. (B) Any obligor required to pay a finance charge, in violation of the provisions of this subdivision, may recover from the creditor twice the amount of such finance charge, costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
(f) (1) Except as otherwise specifically provided in the Connecticut Truth-in-Lending Act, any civil action for a violation of said act or proceeding by the commissioner which may be brought against a creditor may be maintained against any assignee of that creditor as provided in 15 USC 1641, as amended from time to time, and creditors and assignees shall comply with the notice requirements of said section.
(2) Any consumer who has the right to rescind a transaction under subsection (e) of this section or 15 USC 1635, as amended from time to time, may rescind the transaction as against any assignee of the obligation.
(g) A card issuer who has issued a credit card to a cardholder pursuant to an open-end consumer credit plan shall be subject to all claims, other than tort claims, and defenses arising out of any transaction in which the credit card is used as a method of payment or extension of credit as provided in 15 USC 1666i, as amended from time to time.
(h) (1) Any lessor who fails to comply with any requirement imposed under 15 USC 1667a or 1667b, as amended from time to time, with respect to any person is liable to such person as provided in this section as if such lessor is a creditor.
(2) Any lessor who fails to comply with any requirement imposed under 15 USC 1667c, as amended from time to time, with respect to any person who suffers actual damage from the violation is liable to such person as provided in this section as if such lessor is a creditor.
(i) Any mortgage originator who fails to comply with any requirement imposed by 15 USC 1639b, as amended from time to time, or any regulation promulgated thereunder shall be liable as provided in 15 USC 1639b(d), as amended from time to time.
(j) In the case of any consumer credit transaction subject to the provisions of the Connecticut Truth-in-Lending Act that is consummated before September 30, 1995, the civil, administrative and criminal liability of a creditor or any assignee of a creditor under said act and a consumer's extended rescission rights under subdivision (2) of subsection (e) of this section, shall be limited to the extent provided in and subject to the exceptions contained in 15 USC 1649, as amended from time to time.
(1969, P.A. 454, S. 15; P.A. 75-55; 75-436, S. 6, 7; P.A. 77-315, S. 1; P.A. 81-158, S. 8, 17; P.A. 82-18, S. 2, 4; P.A. 87-65; P.A. 88-65, S. 45; P.A. 96-40, S. 1, 2; 96-109, S. 14; 96-180, S. 119, 166; P.A. 11-110, S. 7, 8; P.A. 15-235, S. 9; P.A. 16-193, S. 14.)
History: P.A. 75-55 required that action be brought within three years, rather than one year, in Subsec. (e); P.A. 75-436 rewrote Subsec. (a) to distinguish between class actions and individual actions, returned time for bringing action to one year in Subsec. (e) and added Subsecs. (f) to (j); P.A. 77-315 specified applicability in Subsec. (a) to failure to comply with requirements of chapter 657a, this chapter and previously listed sections rather than to failure to disclose information required under this chapter and listed sections; P.A. 81-158 inserted new Subsecs. (i) to (m) and made extensive changes to the existing Subsecs. to make the provisions of the section conform to federal law, effective March 31, 1982; P.A. 82-18 changed effective date of P.A. 81-158 from March 31, 1982, to “the effective date of Title VI of Public Law 96-221, as contained in Section 625(a) of Public Law 96-221, as amended”, i.e. October 1, 1982; P.A. 87-65 added Subsec. (j)(4) re the accrual of finance charges during the rescission period; P.A. 88-65 made technical changes by adding U.S. code citations; Sec. 36-407 transferred to Sec. 36a-683 in 1995; P.A. 96-40 made technical changes, and made specific changes to conform with the federal Truth in Lending Act by amending Subsecs. (a) and (k) re consumer credit secured by real property, adding Subdivs. (j)(6) and (7) re obligor rescission rights, adding Subdivs. (k)(4) and (5) re assignments, and adding Subsec. (n) re consumer rescission rights and re liability of creditors and assignees for transactions before September 30, 1995, effective May 2, 1996; P.A. 96-109 and 96-180 both substituted “36a-675 to 36a-685” for “36a-665 to 36a-675” where appearing and substituted references to Subsec. (d) for Subsec. (g) of Sec. 36a-684, effective June 3, 1996; P.A. 11-110 amended Subsecs. (f) and (j)(6) to add references to Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, effective July 21, 2011; P.A. 15-235 substantially revised section to incorporate provisions of the federal Truth-in-Lending Act, deleted former Subsecs. (b) to (d), redesignated existing Subsec. (e) as Subsec. (b) and amended same to add reference to time frames established in 15 USC 1640(e), redesignated existing Subsec. (f) as Subsec. (c) and amended same to provide creditor with immunity from liability for any act done in reliance on commissioner's advisory opinion, final decision or order, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection interpretation or federal Consumer Credit Protection Act, deleted former Subsecs. (g) and (h), redesignated existing Subsec. (i) as Subsec. (d), redesignated existing Subsec. (j) as Subsec. (e) and amended same to add provision re right to rescind in Subdiv. (1), to delete former Subdiv. (2), to redesignate existing Subdivs. (3) and (4) as Subdivs. (2) and (3) and to delete former Subdivs. (5) to (7), redesignated existing Subsec. (k) as Subsec. (f) and amended same to add provisions re notice requirements of 15 USC 1641, to delete former Subdiv. (2), to redesignate existing Subdiv. (3) as Subdiv. (2) and to delete former Subdivs. (4) and (5), redesignated existing Subsec. (l) as Subdiv. (g) and amended same to add reference to 15 USC 1666i and to delete former Subdiv. (2), deleted former Subsec. (m)(1) re definition of “creditor”, redesignated existing Subsec. (m)(2) as Subsec. (h)(1) and amended same to add reference to 15 USC 1667a and 1667b, redesignated existing Subsec. (m)(3) as Subsec. (h)(2) and amended same to add reference to 15 USC 1667c, added new Subsec. (i) re mortgage originator compliance with 15 USC 1639b, redesignated existing Subsec. (n) as Subsec. (j), and made conforming and technical changes, effective August 1, 2015; P.A. 16-193 made technical changes in Subsec. (d)(1).
Annotations to former section 36-407:
Cited. 183 C. 85.
Cited. 3 CA 201.
1-year limitation for bringing action under state Truth-in-Lending Act is not bar to common law defense of recoupment. 33 CS 201. Statute of limitations does not bar defendant's counterclaim by way of recoupment. 35 CS 508. Cited. 36 CS 629; 37 CS 606.

Structure Connecticut General Statutes