[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 14]
[Revised as of January 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR1951.10]

[Page 20-21]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
   CHAPTER XVIII--RURAL HOUSING SERVICE, RURAL BUSINESS--COOPERATIVE 
SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF 
                         AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED)
 
PART 1951--SERVICING AND COLLECTIONS--Table of Contents
 
                  Subpart A--Account Servicing Policies
 
Sec. 1951.10  Application of payments on production type loan accounts.

    Employees receiving payments on OL, EO, SW codes ``24,'' EM for 
subtitle B purposes, EE operating-type, and other production-type loan 
accounts will select, in accordance with the provisions of this section, 
the account(s) to which such payment will be applied. All payments on OL 
and EM loans approved on or before December 31, 1971, will be credited 
first to any administrative costs, then to noncapitalized interest, then 
to the amount of accrued deferred interest, and then to principal. All 
payments on all other loans including OL and EM loans approved after 
December 31, 1971, will be credited first to any administrative costs, 
then to noncapitalized interest, then to the amount of accrued deferred 
interest, then to interest accrued to the date of the payment and then 
to principal, in accordance with the terms of the note. This section 
only applies after the County Supervisor determines the amount of 
proceeds that will be released for other purposes in accordance with the 
annual plan (Form FmHA or its successor agency under Public Law 103-354 
431-2) and Form FmHA or its successor agency under Public Law 103-354 
1962-1.
    (a) Rules for selection of accounts. The following rules will govern 
the selection of accounts and installments to which payments will be 
applied. As used in this section, ``recoverable costs'' are those which 
the loan agreement documents say the borrower is primarily responsible 
for paying and which the government can charge to the borrower's 
account.
    (1) Payments from farm income or from assignments of income will be 
applied first to accounts with small balances, including recoverable 
costs, to remove such accounts from the records. Any balance will be 
applied on debts secured by the lien in the following order:

[[Page 21]]

    (i) To amounts due or falling due on loans made in connection with 
the current year's operations, except:
    (A) When funds loaned for the purchase of capital goods were used to 
meet the current year's operating expenses, payments will be applied 
first to the final unpaid installments to the extent of the loan funds 
so used. These payments will be treated as extra payments.
    (B) When installments on loans previously made fall due before the 
installment on the loan for the current year's operations or when such 
loans are delinquent and it is anticipated that sufficient income will 
be received to meet the installment on the current year's operations 
when due, collections may be applied first to installments on loans made 
in previous years.
    (ii) To accounts having the oldest delinquencies, or if no 
delinquencies, to the oldest unpaid account, except that the amount 
available for payment on OL and EM loan accounts will be prorated 
between the two accounts on the basis of:
    (A) The delinquent amount owed on each, or
    (B) The total amount owed on each if there are no delinquencies.
    (2) Non-farm income and payments derived from the sale of real 
estate security, will be applied to the earliest account secured by the 
earliest lien covering such security. The amount to be applied to 
principal will be applied to the final unpaid installment(s).
    (3) On partial refunds of loan advances, the amount to be applied to 
the principal will be applied to the final unpaid installment on the 
note which evidences such advance; however, a refund of an advance for 
current farm and home expenses repayable within the year may be applied 
to the principal on the first unpaid installment on such note as a 
regular payment.
    (4) Total refunds of loan advances will be applied to the notes 
which evidence such advances.
    (5) In applying payments from sources other than those in paragraphs 
(a)(2), (3), and (4) of this section the borrower has the right to 
select the loan account or accounts on which such payments will be 
applied. In the absence of the borrower's selection, such payments 
generally will be applied in the following order:
    (i) To accounts with small balances, including recoverable costs.
    (ii) To accounts with the oldest unsecured note(s).
    (iii) To accounts with the oldest delinquencies.
    (iv) To accounts with the oldest secured note or notes.
    (6) Employees receiving collections are authorized to make 
exceptions to paragraphs (a)(1), (2), and (6) of this section when it is 
necessary to apply a part of a payment to delinquent accounts to prevent 
the Federal Statute of Limitations from being asserted as a defense in 
suits on FmHA or its successor agency under Public Law 103-354 claims.
    (b) Payments in full. Errors of a significant amount in computation 
or collection will be called to the attention of the collection official 
by the Finance Office. The borrower's note will not be returned until 
the balance on the loan account is paid in full. Claims by or on behalf 
of the borrowers that the amounts owed have been computed incorrectly 
will be referred to the Finance Office.

[50 FR 45764, Nov. 1, 1985, as amended at 53 FR 35717, Sept. 14, 1988; 
54 FR 46844, Nov. 8, 1989; 57 FR 18680, Apr. 30, 1992]