Senate committee advances bill to curb predatory home‑improvement financing

Senator Durazo presented SB 784 to the Senate Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions, saying the bill aims to protect homeowners from deceptive financing tied to home‑improvement and solar sales. "This industry targets seniors, non English speakers, poor communities, and those who are less familiar with digital platforms," Durazo told the committee, describing cases in which consumers signed on a contractor’s tablet and later discovered they had taken on large loans and liens they had not understood.

The bill would require a confirmation call between a lender and borrower before a loan is finalized without a salesperson present, delay loan repayment until the project is verified as complete and operational, ensure consumers can access their loan and project documents, provide a lender liability path for financial misrepresentations unless cured during the confirmation call, add transparency for dealer fees…