CHAPTER 1

SUBJECT MATTER, SCOPE, DEFINITIONS AND COMPETENT AUTHORITIES

Definitions
Article 4
For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions shall apply:
1. ‘Consumer’ means a consumer as defined in point (a) of Article 3 of Directive 2008/48/EC.
2. ‘Creditor’ means a natural or legal person who grants or promises to grant credit falling within the scope of Article 3 in the course of his trade, business or profession.
3. ‘Credit agreement’ means an agreement whereby a creditor grants or promises to grant, to a consumer, a credit falling within the scope of Article 3 in the form of a deferred payment, loan or other similar financial accommodation.
4. ‘Ancillary service’ means a service offered to the consumer in conjunction with the credit agreement.
5. ‘Credit intermediary’ means a natural or legal person who is not acting as a creditor or notary and not merely introducing, either directly or indirectly, a consumer to a creditor or credit intermediary, and who, in the course of his trade, business or profession, for remuneration, which may take a pecuniary form or any other agreed form of financial consideration:
  1. presents or offers credit agreements to consumers;
  2. assists consumers by undertaking preparatory work or other pre-contractual administration in respect of credit agreements other than as referred to in point (a); or
  3. concludes credit agreements with consumers on behalf of the creditor.
6. ‘Group’ means a group of creditors which are to be consolidated for the purposes of drawing up consolidated accounts, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings .
7. ‘Tied credit intermediary’ means any credit intermediary who acts on behalf of and under the full and unconditional responsibility of:
  1. only one creditor;
  2. only one group; or
  3. a number of creditors or groups which does not represent the majority of the market.
8. ‘Appointed representative’ means a natural or legal person who performs activities referred to in point 5 that is acting on behalf of and under the full and unconditional responsibility of only one credit intermediary.
9. ‘Credit institution’ means credit institution as defined in point 1 of Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013.
10. ‘Non-credit institution’ means any creditor that is not a credit institution.
11. ‘Staff’ means:
  1. any natural person working for the creditor, or credit intermediary who is directly engaged in the activities covered by this Directive or who has contacts with consumers in the course of activities covered by this Directive;
  2. any natural person working for an appointed representative who has contacts with consumers in the course of activities covered by this Directive;
  3. any natural person directly managing or supervising the natural persons referred to in points (a) and (b).
12. ‘Total amount of credit’ means the total amount of credit as defined in point (l) of Article 3 of Directive 2008/48/EC.
13. ‘Total cost of the credit to the consumer’ means the total cost of the credit to the consumer as defined in point (g) of Article 3 of Directive 2008/48/EC including the cost of valuation of property where such valuation is necessary to obtain the credit but excluding registration fees for the transfer of ownership of the immovable property. It excludes any charges payable by the consumer for non-compliance with the commitments laid down in the credit agreement.
14. ‘Total amount payable by the consumer’ means the total amount payable by the consumer as defined in point (h) of Article 3 of Directive 2008/48/EC.
15. ‘Annual percentage rate of charge’ (APRC) means the total cost of the credit to the consumer, expressed as an annual percentage of the total amount of credit, where applicable, including the costs referred to in Article 17(2) and equates, on an annual basis, to the present value of all future or existing commitments (drawdowns, repayments and charges) agreed by the creditor and the consumer.
16. ‘Borrowing rate’ means the borrowing rate as defined in point (j) of Article 3 of Directive 2008/48/EC.
17. ‘Creditworthiness assessment’ means the evaluation of the prospect for the debt obligation resulting from the credit agreement to be met.
18. ‘Durable medium’ means durable medium as defined in point (m) of Article 3 of Directive 2008/48/EC.
19. ‘Home Member State’ means:
  1. where the creditor or credit intermediary is a natural person, the Member State in which his head office is situated;
  2. where the creditor or credit intermediary is a legal person, the Member State in which its registered office is situated or, if under its national law it has no registered office, the Member State in which its head office is situated.
20. ‘Host Member State’ means the Member State, other than the home Member State, in which the creditor or credit intermediary has a branch or provides services.
21. ‘Advisory services’ means the provision of personal recommendations to a consumer in respect of one or more transactions relating to credit agreements and constitutes a separate activity from the granting of a credit and from the credit intermediation activities set out in point 5.
22. ‘Competent authority’ means an authority designated as competent by a Member State in accordance with Article 5.
23. ‘Bridging loan’ means a credit agreement either of no fixed duration or which is due to be repaid within 12 months, used by the consumer as a temporary financing solution while transitioning to another financial arrangement for the immovable property.
24. ‘Contingent liability or guarantee’ means a credit agreement which acts as a guarantee to another separate but ancillary transaction, and where the capital secured against an immovable property is only drawn down if an event or events specified in the contract occur.
25. ‘Shared equity credit agreement’ means a credit agreement where the capital repayable is based on a contractually set percentage of the value of the immovable property at the time of the capital repayment or repayments.
26. ‘Tying practice’ means the offering or the selling of a credit agreement in a package with other distinct financial products or services where the credit agreement is not made available to the consumer separately.
27. ‘Bundling practice’ means the offering or the selling of a credit agreement in a package with other distinct financial products or services where the credit agreement is also made available to the consumer separately but not necessarily on the same terms or conditions as when offered bundled with the ancillary services.
28. ‘Foreign currency loan’ means a credit agreement where the credit is:
  1. denominated in a currency other than that in which the consumer receives the income or holds the assets from which the credit is to be repaid; or
  2. denominated in a currency other than that of the Member State in which the consumer is resident.
OJ L 182, 29.6.2013, p. 19.