Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-408

This is the official text of Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-408, part of Maryland’s Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings — governs court structure and civil procedure.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§5–408.

Official statutory text

(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.

(2) (i) “Credit agreement” means a covenant, promise, undertaking, commitment, or other agreement by a financial institution to:

1. Lend money;

2. Forbear from repayment of money, goods, or things in action;

3. Forbear from collecting or exercising any right to collect a debt; or

4. Otherwise extend credit.

(ii) “Credit agreement” includes agreeing to take or to not take certain actions by a financial institution in connection with an existing or prospective credit agreement.

(3) “Financial institution” means:

(i) A bank;

(ii) A trust company;

(iii) A savings bank;

(iv) A savings and loan association; or

(v) An affiliate or subsidiary of a bank, trust company, savings bank, or savings and loan association.

(b) A credit agreement is not enforceable by way of action or defense unless it:

(1) Is in writing;

(2) Expresses consideration;

(3) Sets forth the relevant terms and conditions of the agreement; and

(4) Is signed by the person against whom its enforcement is sought.

(c) (1) This section applies only to commercial transactions.

(2) This section does not apply to:

(i) Credit agreements made primarily for personal, family, or household purposes; or

(ii) Credit extended by means of, or in connection with, a credit or charge card.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Maryland?

Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.