Tex. Finance Code § 353.008

This is the official text of Tex. Finance Code § 353.008, part of Texas’s Finance Code — regulates banks and other financial institutions.

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.

§ 353.008. PRINCIPAL BALANCE; INCLUSION OF DOCUMENTARY FEE.

Official statutory text

(a) The principal balance under a retail installment contract is computed by:

(1) adding:

(A) the cash price of the commercial vehicle;

(B) each amount included in the retail installment contract for an itemized charge; and

(C) subject to Subsection (c), a documentary fee for services rendered for or on behalf of the retail buyer in handling and processing documents relating to the sale of the commercial vehicle; and

(2) subtracting from the results under Subdivision (1) the amount of the retail buyer's down payment in money, goods, or both.

(b) The computation of the principal balance may include an amount authorized under Section 353.402(b).

(c) For a documentary fee to be included in the principal balance of a retail installment contract:

(1) the retail seller must charge the documentary fee to cash buyers and credit buyers; and

(2) the documentary fee may not exceed an amount agreed to in writing by the retail seller and retail buyer.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Texas?

Find a Texas 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.