Clarifying Commercial Real Estate Loans

This bill amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to specify that a federal banking agency may not subject a depository institution to higher capital standards with respect to a high-volatility commercial real-estate (HVCRE) exposure unless the exposure is an HVCRE acquisition, development, or construction (ADC) loan.

An HVCRE ADC loan is a one that: (1) is secured by land or improved real property; (2) has the purpose of providing financing to acquire, develop, or improve the real property such that the property becomes income-producing; and (3) is dependent upon future income or sales proceeds from, or refinancing of, the real property for the repayment of the loan.

An HVCRE ADC loan does not include financing for a one- to four-family residential property, agricultural land, real property that would qualify as an investment in community development, existing income-producing real property secured by a mortgage, or certain commercial real-property projects. Furthermore, such a loan does not include any loan made prior to January 1, 2015.

A depository institution may reclassify a loan as a non-HVCRE ADC loan if the depository institution is satisfied that: (1) the acquisition, development, or improvement of real property being financed by the loan is complete; and (2) the cash flow being generated by the real property is sufficient to support the debt service and expenses of the real property.