Sec. 227.12 Definitions.

For the purposes of this subpart, the following definitions apply:

(a) Consumer means a natural person who seeks or acquires goods, services, or money for personal, family, or household use other than for the purchase of real property.

(b)

(1) Cosigner means a natural person who assumes liability for the obligation of a consumer without receiving goods, services, or money in return for the obligation, or, in the case of an open-end credit obligation, without receiving the contractual right to obtain extensions of credit under the account.

(2) Cosigner includes any person whose signature is requested as a condition to granting credit to a consumer, or as a condition for forbearance on collection of a consumer's obligation that is in default. The term does not include a spouse whose signature is required on a credit obligation to perfect a security interest pursuant to state law.

(3) A person who meets the definition in this paragraph is a cosigner, whether or not the person is designated as such on the credit obligation.

(c) Earnings means compensation paid or payable to an individual or for the individual's account for personal services rendered or to be rendered by the individual, whether denominated as wages, salary, commission, bonus, or otherwise, including periodic payments pursuant to a pension, retirement, or disability program.

(d) Household goods means clothing, furniture, appliances, linens, china, crockery, kitchenware, and personal effects of the consumer and the consumer's dependents. The term household goods does not include:

(1) Works of art;

(2) Electronic entertainment equipment (other than one television and one radio);

(3) Items acquired as antiques; that is, items over one hundred years of age, including such items that have been repaired or renovated without changing their original form or character; and

(4) Jewelry (other than wedding rings).

(e) Obligation means an agreement between a consumer and a creditor.

(f) Person means an individual, corporation, or other business organization.