A lender may contract for and receive any fixed or variable rate of interest authorized under statute.     
       (1) An equity loan that provides for interest must comply with constitutional and applicable law. Interest rates on certain first mortgages are not limited on loans subject to the federal Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 and the Alternative Mortgage Transaction Parity Act. Chapter 342 of the Texas Finance Code provides for a maximum rate on certain secondary mortgage loans. Chapter 124 of the Texas Finance Code and federal law provide for maximum rates on certain mortgage loans made by credit unions. These statutes operate in conjunction with Section 50(a) and other constitutional sections.      
       (2) An equity loan must amortize and contribute to amortization of principal.      
       (3) The lender may contract to vary the scheduled installment amount when the interest rate adjusts on a variable rate equity loan. A variable-rate loan is a mortgage in which the lender, by contract, can adjust the mortgage's interest rate after closing in accordance with an external index.      
       (4) The scheduled installment amounts of a variable rate equity loan must be:                (A) substantially equal between each interest rate adjustment; and                 (B) sufficient to cover at least the amount of interest scheduled to accrue between each payment date and a portion of the principal.        
       (5) An equity loan agreement may contain an adjustable rate of interest that provides a maximum fixed rate of interest pursuant to a schedule of steps or tiered rates or provides a lower initial interest rate through the use of a discounted rate at the beginning of the loan.      
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §153.16 adopted to be effective January 8, 2004, 29 TexReg 84