Commercial Paper Flashcards
Article 7 governs
Documents of title
eg, bills of lading, warehouse receipts
Article 3 governs
Commercial Paper, a type of negotiable instrument
Any type of note or draft (eg, check, installment note, etc) is within Article 3
Article 8 governs
Investment securities (govt stocks and bonds)
Two types of Commercial Paper
- Note/ CD
- Draft/ check
To be a negotiable instrument within Article 3, an instrument must:
- be in writing
- signed by maker (note) or drawer (draft)
- contain an unconditional promise (note) or order (draft) to pay
- fixed amount of money (only)
- on demand or at a definite time
- payable “to order” or “to bearer” (with the exception of checks)
If payment is conditional
The instrument is generally not negotiable
(If conditions to payment were allowed, it would not be freely transferable)
Conditions spotted by words such as “subject to” and “contingent upon”
Purpose of commercial paper
To provide a freely transferable substitute for cash
If instrument states that it is “subject to” or “governed by” another agreement
It is not negotiable
Express conditions
Destroys negotiability
Ex: “I will pay if the Patriots win the Super Bowl”
Implied conditions
Do not destroy negotiability
Ex: an implied promise to obey the laws of the state
Only time you can wave out the words “order” or “bearer” (and instead say “Pay to John Smith”
If the questions specifically tells us it’s a check
Holder
Person with good title to the commercial paper
One becomes a holder through proper negotiation of the paper
To be a holder of bearer paper:
To be a holder of order paper:
Bearer paper requires delivery
Order paper requires signature and delivery
For you to have good legal title
Order paper
Commercial paper payable to a specific person
Writing a check payable to “cash” makes it:
A Bearer instrument
the check can negotiated by delivery alone
When a missing signature (endorsement) on the back of an instrument is missing or forged:
There is no holder in due course (“HDC”).
Therefore, he’s subject to any and all defenses
Special endorsement
Pay to a specific person
Qualified endorsement
“Without recourse”
(Skip me if instrument bounces. This negates the endorser’s contractual liability for payment (no guarantee of payment), but the endorser is still liable on warranties**)
Personal defenses
Cannot be raised against an HDC
**or their assignees
(Assignees have the rights of the person above them, so an assigned of an HDC still has the rights of an HDC and is not subject to personal defenses, only real defenses (just like an HDC)).
Examples of personal defenses
Anything not in FAIDS
Personal defenses include every defense avail in ordinary contact actions:
- fraud in the inducement
- failure of consideration
- theft of an instrument after it was signed
- breach of contract
- mistake (mutual mistake, etc)
- impossibility
Etc…
Liability of the parties in a Note/ CD
1) Maker (primarily liable)
2) Endorsers (secondarily liable)
Liability of the parties on a draft/ check:
1) Drawee (primarily liable)
2) Drawer and Endorsers (secondarily liable)
*drawees primarily liable after they accept (not liable unless they sign it)
Drawer agrees to pay if the draft is presented to the drawer (bank) for payment and the drawer (bank) refuses to lay (dishonors the draft)
Certified check
Drawee bank has already signed it and accepted it for payment, even before the payee has presented it.
Certification of check = discharges all prior parties
*if the drawee signs a draft, the drawee becomes an acceptor and is primarily liable (acceptance discharges all prior endorsers)
The 5 Transfer Warranties:
(You reasonably believe it’s good paper)
1) good title
2) all signatures are genuine
3) instrument has not been materially altered
4) no defense of any party
5) no knowledge of any insolvency
*cannot knowingly pass bad paper
Endorsing “without recourse”
Not guarantor of payment, but you’re still making the 5 Transfer Warranties (implied – good title, signatures genuine, not materially altered, no defenses, no insolvency)
Restrictive endorsement
Ex: pay Sharp “only if Sharp delivers …”