Rhode Island. Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri signed the Home Loan Protection Act into law on July 11, prohibiting predatory or abusive acts or practices related to home loans or high-cost home loans. A “home loan” under the Act is a loan secured by an owner-occupied, residential one-to-four family property or manufactured home. A home loan is deemed “high cost” if, for first mortgages, the interest rate exceeds the yield on a comparable Treasury security by…