The Secretary shall develop and promote a program to encourage borrowers to voluntarily make deposits into cushion of credit accounts established within the Rural Electrification and Telephone Revolving Fund.
A borrower may reduce the balance of its cushion of credit account only if the amount obtained from the reduction is used to make scheduled payments on loans made or guaranteed under this chapter.
Notwithstanding subparagraph (A) and subject to subparagraph (C), beginning on December 20, 2018, and ending with September 30, 2020, a borrower may, at the sole discretion of the borrower, reduce the balance of its cushion of credit account if the amount obtained from the reduction is used to prepay loans made or guaranteed under this chapter.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, no prepayment premium shall be imposed or collected with respect to that portion of a loan that is prepaid by a borrower in accordance with subparagraph (B).
Notwithstanding section 661c of title 2, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall make available such sums as necessary to cover any loan modification costs as defined in section 661a of title 2.
Cushion of credit payments shall be held in the Rural Electrification and Telephone Revolving Fund as a cash balance in the cushion of credit accounts of borrowers.
The Secretary shall maintain a subaccount within the Rural Electrification and Telephone Revolving Fund to which shall be credited, on a monthly basis, a sum determined by multiplying the outstanding cushion of credit payments made after October 1, 1987, by the difference (converted to a monthly basis) between the average weighted interest rate paid on outstanding certificates of beneficial ownership issued by the Fund and 5 percent.