Recently, legal issues on who should bear costs for establishing mortgage (in particular,
keun-mortgage) in relation to bank mortgage loan transactions (i.e., a customer as a borrower
or a bank as a lender) have been in the spotlight. This controversial issue is due to the recent
supreme court decision case (Supreme Court 2010. 10. 14. Decision 2008Doo23184), holding
that the standard contract clause (the clause used before July 2011 by commercial banks) of
making a borrower's burden for his/her bearing the costs in creating mortgage, such as
mortgage recording fees and legal fees, is unfair. Based on this court decision, a bank
customers' association, representing complained customers, began to bring actions against
banks, claiming damages for those fees or expenses incurred by customers, whose amount is
expected to be more than 10 trillion Won.
This article seeks to review who is a more appropriate person to bear such costs, based
on the analysis of a loan interest rate determination mechanism in bank mortgage loan
transactions. In addition, this article introduces the relevant court cases as well as academic
discussions on this matter. Further, this article reviews the relevant regulations and practices
in other foreign countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and
Japan as well as the practices in international loan transactions. Such results of analysis show
that it is common that in practice and/or under relevant laws and regulations in certain
countries, a borrower bears such costs of establishing mortgage.
In determining a bank loan interest rate, in practice, a bank as a lender reflects diverse
factors including funding interest rate, "credit risk costs," human and physical resource
expenses, and margin. In particular, "credit risk costs" are so mitigated by attaching mortgage that the interest rate in mortgage loan transactions becomes lower than that in credit loan
transactions (i.e., in non-collateral loan transactions). Thus, a borrower, rather than a bank as
a lender, will benefit from this mortgage loan transaction, who will become an actual
beneficiary. Therefore, it is reasonable to argue that a borrower as a beneficiary should bear
the costs of establishing mortgage as keun-mortgage such as mortgage registration fees and
legal fees. Otherwise, in the case of non-collateral loan transactions, a borrower should accept
a higher lending interest rate imposed by a lender. On the other hand, if it is agreed that a
lender should bear the costs of creating mortgage between the parties, then a bank as a lender
will reflect such costs in the determination of a lending interest rate. Therefore, the core issue
in this matter will be how the costs of establishing mortgage are borne, not who should bear
the costs.