kreditvertragspruefung

/bankrecht:kreditvertragspruefung

Purpose

Consumer loans are highly densely regulated. Formal errors in mandatory disclosures can cause the right of withdrawal to run "forever" (prior to BGH/EuGH concretizations) and thus unwind the loan agreement. This skill reviews the validity and identifies options for striking/defense.

Inputs

Contract type (consumer loan, business loan, mortgage loan, follow-up financing)
Date of contract conclusion (for applicability of the respective version of §§ 491 et seq. BGB)
Loan amount, term, nominal interest rate, effective annual interest rate
Linked contracts (e.g., with purchased goods, residual debt insurance)
Withdrawal instruction in the contract

Process

1. Scope of application

§ 491 BGB: Consumer loans if:

Lender acts as an entrepreneur (§ 14 BGB)
Borrower is a consumer (§ 13 BGB)
Loan amount > EUR 200 (§ 491(2) no. 1 BGB)

Special categories:

Mortgage loans § 491(3) BGB: increased mandatory disclosures
Consumer real estate loans §§ 491b et seq. BGB: implementation of the Residential Property Credit Directive

2. Mandatory disclosures under Art. 247 EGBGB

Pre-contractual standard information + contractual mandatory disclosures. Selection:

Name and address of the contracting parties
Contract type
Net loan amount
Term
Nominal interest rate and conditions
Effective annual interest rate
Disbursement and repayment schedule
Withdrawal instruction (see no. 3)
Default interest
Early repayment with compensation
Extraordinary termination rights
Intermediary / linked contracts

Defective / missing mandatory disclosures → the withdrawal period does not begin to run (§ 356b BGB for classic consumer loans; for real estate loans limited by § 356b(2) sentence 4 BGB to 1 year and 14 days from contract conclusion).

3. Right of withdrawal (§§ 495, 355 et seq. BGB)

Period: 14 days
Start: upon receipt of the proper withdrawal instruction and contract document (§ 356b BGB)
Legal consequence: unwinding as a statutory restitution obligation
Silence clauses: for real estate loans maximum limit 1 year and 14 days

4. Early repayment (§ 502 BGB)

Right to early repayment
Provider may demand reasonable prepayment penalty
Calculation: difference between the original interest claim and the reinvestment interest (reduced by administrative costs and risk costs)
Upper limit § 502(3) BGB
If the calculation is not stated in the contract (§ 502(2) BGB): no claim to prepayment penalty

5. Residual debt insurance / tying

Tying prohibitions § 492a BGB
For connected contracts § 358 BGB: revocation of one extends to the other

6. Review of standard terms and conditions

§§ 305 et seq. BGB apply supplementarily. Frequently problematic:

Processing fees in general credit terms and conditions → invalid (BGH, judgment of 13.05.2014 – XI ZR 405/12, NJW 2014, 2420 [unverifiziert – prüfen])
"Adjustment clauses" of the bank without a right of revocation
Flat-rate default interest beyond § 288 BGB

Sources

Statute

Commentaries

Müller-Christmann, in: BeckOGK BGB, § 491 marginal no. 1 et seq.
Pamp, in: MüKoBGB, 9th ed. 2023, § 491 marginal no. 1 et seq.

Case law

ECJ, judgment of 26.03.2020 – C-66/19, NJW 2020, 1657 (chain of causation of the cancellation instructions) [unverifiziert – prüfen]
BGH, judgment of 27.02.2018 – XI ZR 224/17, NJW 2018, 1747 [unverifiziert – prüfen]
BGH, judgment of 13.05.2014 – XI ZR 405/12, NJW 2014, 2420 (processing fee) [unverifiziert – prüfen]

Output format

VERBRAUCHERDARLEHENSVERTRAG-PRÜFUNG — <Mandat> — <Datum>

I.    Anwendungsbereich              [Verbraucherdarlehen / Immobiliardarlehen / Unternehmerkredit]
II.   Pflichtangaben (Art. 247 EGBGB)
      Vollständigkeit:                [✓ / ⚠️ Liste fehlender Angaben]
III.  Widerrufsrecht (§§ 495, 356b)
      Belehrung korrekt:              [✓ / 🔴 fehlerhaft]
      Frist:                          [abgelaufen / läuft noch / „ewig" bei Fehler]
IV.   Vorzeitige Rückzahlung § 502
      Berechnung im Vertrag dargestellt:  [✓ / 🔴]
      Vorfälligkeitsentschädigung:    [angemessen / überhöht]
V.    AGB-Kontrolle (§§ 305 ff.)
      Bearbeitungsgebühren:           [keine / 🔴 unwirksam, Rückforderung]
      Anpassungsklauseln:             [zulässig / 🔴]
VI.   Verbundene Verträge / RSV       [N/A / vorhanden]

Empfehlung: <…>
Verteidigungslinie / Strategie:       <…>

Risks / typical errors

Cancellation instructions adopted as standard without review — an error in mandatory information means the period does not begin.
Processing fees accepted — are invalid and recoverable under BGH case law.
§ 502 BGB calculation overlooked — if it is missing from the contract, the prepayment claim lapses.
Tying prohibitions ignored — residual debt insurance as a mandatory requirement is contrary to § 492a BGB.
Start of the limitation period calculated incorrectly — in the case of revocation, the restitution relationship has its own limitation period.
EU law disregarded — ECJ case law continuously sharpens the interpretation.