Is it permissible to require a deposit account as a condition to make a loan? I thought I had read somewhere that the bank couldn't do that but I can't find anything on the subject. Can anyone direct me to a site?

I don't know of any general prohibition on requiring a deposit, and in fact, I think required deposits are quite common. However, Reg E, at 1005.10(e) prohibits requiring an automatic transfer of the payment from a specific account, and Reg Z, at 1026.18(r) has certain disclosure requirements.