| Plain Language at Work Newsletter www.impact-information.com |
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| 23 October 2008—Number 38 | ||||||||||||||
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Irish Voters Sink Treaty of LisbonAnother EU Shipwreck
Regarding McCreevy's remark, Britain's Economist magazine stated: Insanity is a harsh term, but you would not want a dinner-party guest who reads European Union treaties for fun. Much of the EU's business may be important, but it is baffling to outsiders—and very dull. People in Brussels rarely admit this, but the off-putting complexity of the EU has big political consequences.
The Treaty of Lisbon, which emerged from that conference, was signed in December. It is a 272-page document written at the 19th-grade level. Combined with the two previous treaties on which it builds, it ends up with more than 800 pages of impenetrable text. By re-casting the same material as a treaty instead of a constitution, the framers were attempting to avoid a voter's referendum. Ratification required unanimous approval of all 27 countries in the EU. The treaty sailed briskly through the parliaments of 24 countries but slammed into the voters' referendum mandated by the Irish Constitution. Who is the Audience of Treaties?Stunned by the Irish vote, EU officials admit that they failed to properly explain the 800-page treaty to Irish voters. They have formed a new plan to re-educate Irish voters. Meanwhile, anti-treaty campaigners have insisted that the referendum cannot be re-run and that "No means no." The collision brings up an important question: Do treaties have to be in language understood by voters, and, in particular, this treaty? The Economist answered: The answer must surely be yes. The EU is no longer just a free-trade zone. With the advent of things like EU immigration policies, or extraditions without appeal within the union (via the Euopean arrest warrant), the EU now touches the essential contract between the citizen and the state. We would go further: all treaties touch the essential contract between the citizen and the state. Treaties are the highest laws of the land. All citizens are bound by them and have the right to read them in language they understand. Mortgage-Loan DisclosuresIn the Eye of the Storm
A Freddie Mac/Roper poll showed that six out of ten homeowners did not fully understand the terms of the mortgage. The same number was unaware of the services their lender offers those in trouble. A Mountain of PaperworkIn 1977, banks and lenders in the U.S. were pressured by Congress and the Community Reinvestment Act to extend credit to low and moderate-income neighborhoods "consistent with safe and sound operations." As a result of higher-risk loans and new types of loans, the paperwork became incomprehensible. Before 1977, a real-estate transaction in the U.S. was concluded with contracts that filled four or five pages. Today, closing files are from two to four inches thick and have a hundred or more pages. In California, for example, there are 50 to 75 disclosure forms, which the buyer has to read, understand, and sign. Written at the 12th-grade level and up, average adult readers in the U.S. find them impossible to read. They often sign without reading or understanding, jeopardizing consent, the integrity of the contract, and the success of the loan. It is up to the good will of the loan officer to fully explain the terms of the loan and the loan process. Because the firm originating the loan can turn around and sell the loan for a fee to an investment company, neither the firm nor the loan officer have any incentive to educate the borrower. Instead, they effect the loan as quickly as possible with the least effort. Most will have no further contact with the borrower or the loan. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) RequirementsIn 1968, the U.S. Congress passed the Truth in Lending Act, which covered disclosures and rescission (the right to cancel a contract). In 1974, the U.S. Congress first passed the Real Estate Settlement Act in order to help buyers shop for loan services. The Act also outlawed kickbacks and referral fees. One provision of the law requires loan brokers to give the prospective borrower a so-called Good Faith Estimate within three days of applying for a loan. California has a similar Mortgage Loan Disclosure Form for subprime loans. The purpose of these documents is to highlight the main features of a proposed loan. The problem with these estimates is that there is no requirement that the rates and fees will be the same on the final statement of the loan. Many buyers mistakenly assume they are the final costs. The law also requires lenders to provide the borrowers at the time of the settlement with a copy of the HUD-1 Mortgage Service Dislcosure Statement describing the final settlement costs and fees and a Special Information Booklet, explaining settlement process and the HUD-1 disclosure form. There are several problems with these documents:
Many experts agree that the basic cause of foreclosures—and this crisis—is the consumer's lack of information. The government can put more teeth into the disclosures. The mortgage and real-estate industries can strengthen the disclosure process with information that is understood and readable. They can also increase efforts to educate the public about the realities of mortgage loans. One lender suggests requiring everyone who wants to buy a home to obtain a Certificate of Mortgage Understanding before they can sign for a loan document. Have the mortgage industry and a state licensing commission approve and offer the Certificate at low cost to the applicants. Also important is the need to simplify and reduce the number of forms, which are unintelligible to the average reader. If there is any financial transaction that must be clear and transparent to all parties, it is the purchase of a home. It is often the largest purchase of one's life. The success of the free market depends on both buyers and sellers being fully informed. The credit meltdown is an object lesson in what happens when this does not take place. Plain Language in the NewsThe
language of business schools: The
jargon of city councils: Put
prospectuses in plain English: It's
time for plain English best practice: SEC
plans plain-English financial data: Government
Web sites win awards for difficult language: Bankers and insurers want to eliminate jargon: http://www.island.lk/2008/09/15/business2.html Readability
of Colorado Voters' Guide: Silent
epidemic of health illiteracy: The
plain-language movement: Tougher
consumer protections needed:
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Insanity too
harsh a term? Complexity has big political consequences. Illustration:
The Economist.
