05. Secured Transactions Flashcards
What governs secured transactions?
Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
What is a secured transaction?
An agreement between a debtor and a creditor that the debtor’s personal property will serve as collateral for a loan
What happens if a debtor defaults on a loan that is a secured transaction?
The creditor will have the rights to repossess the collateral and use it to satisfy the debt
What are the four main concepts of secured transactions?
1) Attachment
2) Perfection
3) Priority
4) Enforcement
What is attachment?
How security interests are created (i.e., the steps necessary for the security interest to be enforceable against the debtor)
What is perfection?
Providing notice of a security interest to establish a claim superior to other parties who may wish to claim an interest in the same collateral
What is priority?
Rules for resolving priority disputes between multiple claimants to the same collateral
What is enforcement?
Rights and duties of a secured party who enforces its interest in the collateral (repossession)
What is needed for enforcement?
Attachment only
How may a secured party obtain good standing in a priority dispute?
Attachment + Perfection
What are the 6 Steps for a secured transactions exam?
1) Determine that you have a secured transactions problem (trigger works = security agreement; security interest)
2) Identify and classify the property at issue (Hint: look at the call of the question)
3) Determine which parties have or claim an interest in the collateral
4) At least one will be a secured party with a security interest. For each security interest, assess 1) attachment and 2) perfection
5) Use this information to find the appropriate priority rule
6) Apply the priority rule to the facts and resolve the dispute
How do you assess attachment?
Has that security interest attached? To which collateral? When?
How do you assess perfection?
Has the secured party perfected its security interest? When? How? Has anything happened that might cause the secured party to lose perfection?
What is a security interest?
An interest in personal property or fixtures that secures payment or performance of an obligation
What is a security agreement?
A contract that creates a security interest
Who is a secured party?
A creditor who obtains a security interest in the debtor’s property
Who is an obligor?
A party that must pay or perform the obligation that the collateral secures
Who is a debtor?
A party that has an interest, other than a security interest, in the collateral (e.g., owner)
Who are the parties in a secured transaction?
1) Secured Party
2) Obligor
3) Debtor
T or F: The debtor and obligor are always the same person
False: The debtor and obligor are often the same person or entity, but they can be different people (e.g., your friend puts up their car as collateral on a loan for you = you are the obligor and friend is a secondary obligor and debtor)
What does Article 9 of the UCC govern?
Transactions, regardless of form, that create a security interest in personal property or fixtures by contract
What is the implication of a secured transaction being a contract?
They must be consensual
What is the implication of a secured transaction involving personal property or fixtures?
They do not apply to real estate
What is the implication of a secured transaction being “regardless of form”?
The courts will look to the substance of the transaction, not the labels the parties use
What else may Article 9 govern?
1) Agricultural liens
2) Sales of certain rights to payment
3) Certain consignments and leases
What is an agricultural lien?
An interest in farm products that secures payment or performance of an obligation for:
1) Goods or services furnished with respect to a farming operation; OR
2) Rent on real property in connection with a farming operation
Why does Article 9 govern sales of certain rights to payment?
To facilitate public notice that these sales have happened
In the sale of certain rights to payment, how do you categorize the parties?
- Buyer = secured party
- Seller = debtor
Sales of which types of collateral are treated like secured transactions?
1) Chattel Paper
2) Promissory Notes
3) Accounts
4) Payment Intangibles
“Cruel Poodles Poking Needles At Peaceful Iguanas”
What must a buyer of certain rights to payment do to have a superior claim to the collateral?
Buyer must perfect its interest in the purchased collateral
What is collateral?
Property subject to a security interest
Why is it important to classify collateral?
1) It can affect the validity of a secured interest (i.e., whether the security interest has attached)
2) It can also determine which perfection rules apply
3) It will affect which priority rules apply
How do you property classify collateral?
Look to the debtor’s principal use at the time the security interest is created
What are goods?
Anything moveable at the time a security interest attaches
What non-moveable collateral is included in the “goods” category?
1) Fixtures
2) Standing timber
3) Unborn animals
4) Growing or unharvested crops
5) Manufactured homes
What are the four mutually-exclusive sub-categories of goods?
1) Consumer Goods
2) Farm Products
3) Inventory
4) Equipment
“Champion Gecko Facing Poodles; Iguanas Escape”
What is a consumer good?
Goods acquired primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.
Ex: electronics, furniture, boats, home appliances