The purpose of this subchapter is to supplement the existing systems of mortgage insurance for rental housing under this chapter by a special system of insurance designed to encourage equity investment in rental housing at rents within the capacity of families of moderate income. To effectuate this purpose, the Secretary is authorized, upon application by the investor, to insure as hereinafter provided, and, prior to the execution of insurance contracts and upon such terms as the Secretary shall prescribe, to make commitments to insure, the minimum annual amortization charge and an annual return on the outstanding investment of such investor in any project which is eligible for insurance as hereinafter provided in an amount (herein called the “insured annual return”) equal to such rate of return, not exceeding 2¾ per centum per annum, on such outstanding investment as shall, after consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, be fixed in the insurance contract or in the commitment to insure: Provided, That any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter shall expire as of the first day of the operating year for which the outstanding investment amounts to not more than 10 per centum of the established investment.

The Secretary shall require that the rents for the dwellings in any project insured under this subchapter shall be established in accordance with a rent schedule approved by the Secretary, and that the investor shall not charge or collect rents for any dwellings in the project in excess of the appropriate rents therefor as shown in the latest rent schedule approved pursuant to this section. Prior to approving the initial or any subsequent rent schedule pursuant to this section, the Secretary shall find that such schedule affords reasonable assurance that the rents to be established thereunder are (1) not lower than necessary, together with all other income to be derived from or in connection with the project, to produce reasonably stable revenues sufficient to provide for the payment of the operating expenses, the minimum annual amortization charge, and the minimum annual return; and (2) not higher than necessary to meet the need for dwellings for families of moderate income.

For all of the purposes of any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter, 50 per centum of the excess earnings, if any, for any operating year may be applied, in addition to the minimum annual return, to return on the outstanding investment but only to the extent that such application thereof does not result in an annual return of more than 5 per centum of the outstanding investment for such operating year, and the balance of any such excess earnings shall be applied, in addition to the minimum annual amortization charge, to amortization of the outstanding investment: Provided, That if in any preceding operating years the gross income shall have been less than the operating expenses, such excess earnings shall be applied to the extent necessary in whole or in part, first, to the reimbursement of the amount of the difference between such expenses (exclusive of any premium charges previously waived hereunder) and such income, and, second, to the payment of any premium charges previously waived hereunder.

With respect to each project insured under this subchapter, the Secretary shall provide that, after the close of each operating year, the investor shall submit to him for approval a financial and operating statement covering such operating year. If any such financial and operating statement shall not have been submitted or, for proper cause, shall not have been approved by the Secretary, payment of any claim submitted by the investor may, at the option of the Secretary, be withheld, in whole or in part, until such statement shall have been submitted and approved.

If in any operating year the net income of a project insured under this subchapter is less than the aggregate of the minimum annual amortization charge and the insured annual return, the Secretary, upon submission by the investor of a claim for the payment of the amount of the difference between such net income and the aggregate of the minimum annual amortization charge and the insured annual return and after proof of the validity of such claim, shall pay to the investor, in cash from the General Insurance Fund, the amount of such difference, as determined by the Secretary, but not exceeding, in any event, an amount equal to the aggregate of the minimum annual amortization charge and the insured annual return. Nothing contained in this subchapter or any other provision of law shall be construed as preventing or restricting an investor from assigning, pledging, or otherwise transferring or disposing of, subject to rules and regulations of the Secretary, any or all rights, claims, or other benefits under any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter to an assignee, pledgee, or other transferee, including the holders (or the trustee for such holders) of any debentures issued by the investor in connection with the project to which such insurance contract relates, and the Secretary is authorized to pay claims or issue debentures in accordance with the provisions of this section and section 1747g of this title to any such assignee, pledgee, or other transferee.

The investor, after written notice to the Secretary of his intention so to do, may terminate, as of the close of any operating year, any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter. The Secretary shall prescribe the events and conditions under which said Secretary shall have the option to terminate any insurance contract made pursuant to this subchapter, and the events and conditions under which said Secretary may reinstate any insurance contract terminated pursuant to this section or section 1747g(a) of this title. If any insurance contract is terminated pursuant to this section, the Secretary may require the investor to pay an adjusted premium charge in such amount as the Secretary determines to be equitable, but not in excess of the aggregate amount of the premium charges which such investor otherwise would have been required to pay if such insurance contract had not been so terminated.

Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to exempt any real property acquired and held by the Secretary under this subchapter from taxation by any State or political subdivision thereof, to the same extent, according to its value, as other real property is taxed.

The Secretary may make such rules and regulations as may be necessary or desirable to carry out the provisions of this subchapter, including, without limiting the foregoing, rules and regulations relating to the maintenance by the investor of books, records, and accounts with respect to the project and the examination of such books, records, and accounts by representatives of the Secretary; the submission of financial and operating statements and the approval thereof; the submission of claims for payments under insurance contracts, the proof of the validity of such claims, and the payment or disallowance thereof; the increase of the established investment if the investor shall make capital improvements or additions to the proj­ect; the decrease of the established investment if the investor shall sell part of the project; and the reduction of the outstanding investment for the appropriate operating year or operating years pending the restoration of dwelling or nondwelling facilities damaged by fire or other casualty. With respect to any investor which is subject to supervision or regulation by a State banking, insurance, or other State department or agency, the Secretary may, in carrying out any of his supervisory and regulatory functions with respect to projects insured under this subchapter, utilize, contract with, and act through, such department or agency and without regard to section 6101 of title 41.