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2010 AMENDMENTS
TO ARTICLE 9 OF THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE
Selected Problems: Statutory Amendments and Official Comment Changes
Introduction
Article 9 is the secured transaction article of the Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 was most recently revised, extensively, in 1998, with a uniform effective date of July 1, 2001. The revised Article 9 is now in effect in all states The revised Article 9 was a total re-write of the Article The 2010 amendments are not They are surgical strikes at a few statutory changes and changes to the Official Comments
Introduction
Rationale for the amendments Different approaches as to when to consider revisions to a UCC Article One approach is that the UCC must be perfect The other is the percolate approach Here the sponsoring organizations - the American Law Institute and the Uniform Law Commission - had to respond to two initiatives Individual debtor name amendments IACA proposals
Introduction
Standards
No alteration of policy decisions made in the 1998 revisions unless significant problems have arisen in practice The amendments should focus on ambiguities in the existing statutory text that are causing either substantial problems in practice, or addressing the promulgation of non-uniform statutory amendments A change to the Official Comments would be preferred where the statutory language is clear and produces the desired result, but judicial experience or experience in practice indicates that some clarification may be desirable
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Introduction
Enactment Process Uniform effective date of July 1, 2013 Transition provisions State enactments so far: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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Characterization
Problem 1
Lender 1 has extended credit to Debtor and has taken a security interest in all of Debtors investment property. The security interest has been perfected by Lender 1 filing a financing statement against Debtor covering investment property. Debtor wants to borrow funds from Lender 2 and offers to Lender 2 as collateral a promissory note issued by Issuer to Debtor. The promissory note is one of several issued by Issuer to Debtor and Debtors family members in connection with an acquisition several years earlier. Is the promissory note considered investment property?
Revision: Highland Capital Management LP v. Schneider, 8 N.Y. 3d 406 (2007). Official Comment 13 to UCC 8-102 (2010).
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Characterization
Problem 2
Lender is extending credit to Debtor, a Massachusetts business trust. Under Massachusetts law a business trust is formed by a declaration of trust. Massachusetts law then requires the declaration of trust to be filed with the Massachusetts Secretary of States office in order for Debtor to have the attributes of a Massachusetts business trust, such as limited liability for the trustees. Is Debtor a registered organization or a common law trust?
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9-102(a)(71) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Comment 11 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Comment 11 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Characterization
Problem 3
Buyer purchased an automobile from Dealer and granted to Dealer a security interest in the automobile to secure payment of the purchase price. The state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a certificate of title, but the certificate of title did not indicate a security interest in favor of Dealer. However, the security interest is indicated on the electronic records maintained by the DMV. The electronic records are publicly searchable. Is Dealers security interest perfected?
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9-102(a)(10) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Characterization
Problem 4
Dealer leases motor vehicles to end-users. Buyer buys from Dealer all rights to payment arising from [certain identified leases] . What is the characterization under Article 9 of the rights to payment arising from the identified leases? Would the characterization be different if Buyer had expressly disclaimed any recourse to the motor vehicles when it bought the rights to payment?
Revision: In re Commercial Money Center, Inc., 350 B.R. 465 (B.A.P. 9th Cir. 2006). Official Comment 5.d to UCC 9-102 (2010)
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9-316(i) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-316(i) continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-326 (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-326 (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-317(d) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Comment 4 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Comment 4 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Comment 4 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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4. Possession and Control. The priority afforded by this section turns in part on whether a purchaser takes possession of tangible chattel paper. Similarly, the governing law provisions in Section 9-301 address both possessory and nonpossessory security interests. To qualify for priority under subsection (a) or (b), a purchaser must take[ ] possession of the chattel paper or obtain[ ] control of the chattel paper under Section 9105. When chattel paper comprises one or more tangible records and one or more electronic records, a purchaser may satisfy the possession-orcontrol requirement by taking possession of the tangible records under Section 9-313 and having control of the electronic records under Section 9105. In determining which of several related records constitutes chattel paper and thus is relevant to possession or control, the form of the records is irrelevant. Comment 4 to 9-330 (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Rather, the touchstone is whether possession or control of the record would afford the public notice contemplated by the possession and control requirements. For example, because possession or control of an amendment extending the term of a lease would not afford the contemplated public notice, the amendment would not constitute chattel paper regardless of whether the amendment is in tangible form and the lease is in electronic form, the amendment is electronic and the lease is tangible, the amendment and lease are both tangible, or the amendment and lease are both electronic. ...
Comment 4 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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A secured party may wish to convert tangible chattel paper to electronic chattel paper and vice versa. The priority of a security interest in chattel paper under subsection (a) or (b) may be preserved, even if the form of the chattel paper changes. The principle implied in the preceding paragraph, i.e., that not every copy of chattel paper is relevant, applies to control as well as to possession. When there are multiple copies of chattel paper, a secured party may take possession or obtain control of the chattel paper if it acts with respect to the copy or copies that are reliably identified as the copy or copies that are relevant for purposes of possession or control. This principle applies as well to chattel paper that has been converted from one form to another, even if the relevant copies are not the original chattel paper. Comment 4 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Proposed 9-408(a)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-503(a)(1) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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(68) Public organic record means a record that is available to the public for inspection and is: (A) a record consisting of the record initially filed with or issued by a State or the United States to form or organize an organization and any record filed with or issued by the State or the United States which amends or restates the initial record; ...
9-102(a)(68) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Alternative B
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Filing - Other
Problem 14
Secured Party extends credit to Debtor secured by a security interest in Debtors equipment. Secured Party prepares a financing statement to be filed against Debtor covering the equipment but neglects to provide on the financing statement Debtors jurisdiction of organization, type of organization or organizational identification number. Will the filing office accept the financing statement?
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9-516 (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-516 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-516 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-516 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-516 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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9-516 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Filing - Other
Problem 15
Secured Party extends credit to Debtor, a radio station. To secure the credit, Secured Party takes a security interest in Debtors existing and after-acquired inventory and accounts and perfects the security interest by filing a normal initial financing statement. After the closing, Secured Party determines that, since Debtor is a radio station, Debtor qualifies as a transmitting utility. May Secured Party amend the initial financing statement to designate Debtor as a transmitting utility in order to have the benefit of UCC 9-515(f)s anti-lapse provision?
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9-515(f) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Filing - Other
Problem 16
Finance Company has extended credit to Debtor secured by a security interest in Debtors existing and after-acquired inventory and accounts. Finance Company filed a financing statement against Debtor covering inventory and accounts. Bank had previously filed a financing statement against a different debtor. Later, intending to terminate the effectiveness of its financing statement, the Bank filed a termination statement that inadvertently transposed two digits of the file number to which Bank had intended to refer. As a result, Banks termination statement was linked to Finance Companys financing statement. A search of the filing offices records against Debtor would now suggest that Financing Companys financing statement had been terminated. What action should Finance Company take, if any?
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9-518(c) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Alternative A
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Alternative B
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Filing - Other
Problem 17
Judge sentenced Defendant to time in prison. In prison Defendant managed, without Judges authorization or consent, to file a financing statement against Judge covering all of Judges assets. Judge discovers and wants to remove the financing statement from the public record. What can Judge do? Revision: UCC 9-518 (2010). See also UCC 9-509(d)(2).
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9-518(a) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Alternative A
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Alternative B
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Enforcement
Problem 18
Lender holds a promissory note issued by Maker secured by a real estate mortgage granted by Maker in favor of Lender. The mortgage has been recorded in the local real estate recording office. Under the law of the state in which the real estate is located, only the mortgagee of record may foreclose non-judicially on the mortgaged property. Lender sells the promissory note to Buyer. No assignment of the mortgage from Lender to Buyer is recorded in the real estate office. Later, Maker defaults, and Buyer seeks to foreclose on the mortgage non-judicially. May Buyer do so without obtaining an assignment of the mortgage from Lender and recording the assignment?
9-607(b) (2010)
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Enforcement
Problem 19
Lender extended credit to Debtor secured by a security interest in Debtors equipment. Following Debtors default, Lender, in reliance upon a waiver by Debtor in the security agreement of UCC 9-610(c), purchased the equipment at its own private sale. Is the waiver enforceable?
Revision: Official Comment 3 to UCC 9-602 (2010) and Official Comment 7 to UCC 9-610 (2010) and Official Comment 2 to UCC 9-624; see UCC 9-602(10).
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Comment 3 continued
Copyright 2010 by The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Reproduced with the permission of the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. All rights reserved.
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Enforcement
Problem 20
Lender extended credit to Debtor secured by a security interest in Debtors equipment. Following Debtors default, Lender proposes to sell the equipment in an auction over the Internet. Bids will be accepted at the Internet site for a period of 72 hours after which bidding will be closed and the winning bidder will be determined. How can Lender satisfy the requirement of UCC 9-613(1)(E) to state in its notification of disposition the time and place of a public disposition or the time after which a private disposition will be made?
Revision: Official Comment 2 to UCC 9-610 (2010) and Official Comment 2 to UCC 9-613 (2010).
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Contact
Kevin Caiaccio The Caiaccio Law Firm, Atlanta, Georgia 404.846.4990, ktc@clf-attorneys.com Richard Gleissner Gleissner Law Firm, Columbia, South Carolina 803.787.0505, rick@gleissnerlaw.com Edwin E. Smith Bingham McCutchen LLP, New York City, NY and Boston, MA 617.951.8615, edwin.smith@bingham.com
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