North Carolina § 25-9-503 - Name of debtor and secured party.

§ 25-9-503. Name of debtor and secured party.

Sufficiency of debtor's name. - A financing statement sufficiently provides the name of the debtor: Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection, if the debtor is a registered organization or the collateral is held in a trust that is a registered organization, only if the financing statement provides the name that is stated to be the registered organization's name on the public organic record most recently filed with or issued or enacted by the registered organization's jurisdiction of organization which purports to state, amend, or restate the registered organization's name; Subject to subsection (f) of this section, if the collateral is being administered by the personal representative of a decedent, only if the financing statement provides, as the name of the debtor, the name of the decedent and, in a separate part of the financing statement, indicates that the collateral is being administered by a personal representative; If the collateral is held in a trust that is not a registered organization, only if the financing statement: Provides, as the name of the debtor: If the organic record of the trust specifies a name for the trust, the name specified; or If the organic record of the trust does not specify a name for the trust, the name of the settlor or testator; and In a separate part of the financing statement: If the name is provided in accordance with sub-subdivision a.1. of this subdivision, indicates that the collateral is held in a trust; or If the name is provided in accordance with sub-subdivision a.2. of this subdivision, provides additional information sufficient to distinguish the trust from other trusts having one or more of the same settlors or the same testator and indicates that the collateral is held in a trust, unless the additional information so indicates; Subject to subsection (g) of this section, if the debtor is an individual to whom this State has issued a drivers license or special identification card that has not expired, only if the financing statement provides the name of the individual which is indicated on the drivers license or special identification card; If the debtor is an individual to whom subdivision (a)(4) of this section does not apply, only if the financing statement provides the individual name of the debtor or the surname and first personal name of the debtor; and In other cases: If the debtor has a name, only if the financing statement provides the organizational name of the debtor; and If the debtor does not have a name, only if the financing statement provides the names of the partners, members, associates, or other persons comprising the debtor, in a manner that each name provided would be sufficient if the person named were the debtor. Additional debtor-related information. - A financing statement that provides the name of the debtor in accordance with subsection (a) of this section is not rendered ineffective by the absence of: A trade name or other name of the debtor; or Unless required under sub-subdivision (a)(6)b. of this section, names of partners, members, associates, or other persons comprising the debtor. Debtor's trade name insufficient. - A financing statement that provides only the debtor's trade name does not sufficiently provide the name of the debtor. Representative capacity. - Failure to indicate the representative capacity of a secured party or representative of a secured party does not affect the sufficiency of a financing statement. Multiple debtors and secured parties. - A financing statement may provide the name of more than one debtor and the name of more than one secured party. Name of Decedent. - The name of the decedent indicated on the order appointing the personal representative of the decedent issued by the court having jurisdiction over the collateral is sufficient as the "name of the decedent" under subdivision (a)(2) of this section. Multiple Drivers Licenses or Special Identification Cards. - If this State has issued to an individual more than one drivers license or special identification card of a kind described in subdivision (a)(4) of this section, the one that was issued most recently is the one to which subdivision (a)(4) of this section refers. Definition. - In this section, the "name of the settlor or testator" means: If the settlor is a registered organization, the name that is stated to be the settlor's name on the public organic record most recently filed with or issued or enacted by the settlor's jurisdiction of organization which purports to state, amend, or restate the settlor's name; or In other cases, the name of the settlor or testator indicated in the trust's organic record. Registered Organizations. As a general matter, if the debtor is a "registered organization" (defined in section 9-102 so as to ordinarily include corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and statutory trusts), then the debtor's name is the name shown on the "public organic record" of the debtor's "jurisdiction of organization" (both also defined in section 9-102). Collateral Held in a Trust. When a financing statement covers collateral that is held in a trust that is a registered organization, subsection (a)(1) governs the name of the debtor. If, however, the collateral is held in a trust that is not a registered organization, subsection (a)(3) applies. (As used in this Article, collateral "held in a trust" includes collateral as to which the trust is the debtor as well as collateral as to which the trustee is the debtor.) This subsection adopts a convention that generally results in the name of the trust or the name of the trust's settlor being provided as the name of the debtor on the financing statement, even if, as typically is the case with common-law trusts, the "debtor" (defined in section 9-102) is a trustee acting with respect to the collateral. This convention provides more accurate information and eases the burden for searchers, who otherwise would have difficulty with respect to debtor trustees that are large financial institutions. Collateral Administered by a Personal Representative. Subsection (a)(2) deals with collateral that is being administered by an executor, administrator, or other personal representative of a decedent. Even if, as often is the case, the representative is the "debtor" (defined in section 9-102), the financing statement must provide the name of the decedent as the name of the debtor. Subsection (f) provides a safe harbor, under which the name of the decedent indicated on the order appointing the personal representative issued by the court having jurisdiction over the collateral is sufficient as the name of the decedent. If the order indicates more than one name for the decedent, the first name in the list qualifies under subsection (f); however, other names in the list also may qualify as the "name of the decedent" within the meaning of subsection (a)(2). In addition to providing the name of the decedent, the financing statement must indicate, in a separate part of the financing statement, that the collateral is being administered by a personal representative. Although the indication is not part of the debtor's name, a financing statement that fails to provide the indication does not sufficiently provide the name of the debtor under sections 9-502(a) and 9-503(a)(2), does not "substantially satisfy[ ] the requirements" of Part 5 within the meaning of section 9-506(a), and so is ineffective. Individuals. This Article provides alternative approaches towards the requirement for providing the name of a debtor who is an individual. History (1899, cc. 17, 247; 1901, cc. 329, 704; 1903, c. 489; 1905, cc. 226, 319; Rev., s. 2055; 1907, c. 843; 1909, c. 532; P.L. 1913, c. 49; C.S., s. 2490; 1925, c. 285, s. 1; 1931, c. 196; 1933, c. 101, s. 6; 1945, c. 182, s. 2; c. 196, s. 2; 1951, c. 926, s. 1; 1955, c. 386, s. 1; 1957, c. 564; 1961, c. 574; 1965, c. 700, s. 1; 1969, c. 1115, s. 1; 1975, c. 862, s. 7; 1983 (Reg. Sess., 1984), c. 1116, s. 43; 1989, c. 523, s. 7; 2000-169, s. 1; 2012-70, s. 11.) AMENDED OFFICIAL COMMENT (2010 EDITION) 1. Source. Subsections (a)(4)(A), (b), and (c) derive from former section 9-402(7); otherwise, new. 2. Debtor's Name. The requirement that a financing statement provide the debtor's name is particularly important. Financing statements are indexed under the name of the debtor, and those who wish to find financing statements search for them under the debtor's name. Subsection (a) explains what the debtor's name is for purposes of a financing statement. More specifically, if a trust's organic record specifies a name for the trust, subsection (a)(3) requires the financing statement to provide, as the name of the debtor, the name for the trust specified in the organic record. In addition, the financing statement must indicate, in a separate part of the financing statement, that the collateral is held in a trust. If the organic record of the trust does not specify a name for the trust, the name required for the financing statement is the name of the settlor or, in the case of a testamentary trust, the testator, in each case as determined under subsection (h). In addition, the financing statement must provide sufficient additional information to distinguish the trust from other trusts having one or more of the same settlors or the same testator. In many cases an indication of the date on which the trust was settled will satisfy this requirement. If neither the name nor the additional information indicates that the collateral is held in a trust, the financing statement must indicate that fact, but not as part of the debtor's name. Neither the indication that the collateral is held in a trust nor the additional information that distinguishes the trust from other trusts having one or more of the same settlors or the same testator is part of the debtor's name. Nevertheless, a financing statement that fails to provide, in a separate part of the financing statement, any required indication or additional information does not sufficiently provide the name of the debtor under sections 9-502(a) and 9-503(a)(3), does not "substantially satisfy[ ] the requirements" of Part 5 within the meaning of section 9-506(a), and so is ineffective. Alternative A. Alternative A distinguishes between two groups of individual debtors. For debtors holding an unexpired driver's license issued by the State where the financing statement is filed (ordinarily the State where the debtor maintains the debtor's principal residence), Alternative A requires that a financing statement provide the name indicated on the license. When a debtor does not hold an unexpired driver's license issued by the relevant State, the requirement can be satisfied in either of two ways. A financing statement is sufficient if it provides the "individual name" of the debtor. Alternatively, a financing statement is sufficient if it provides the debtor's surname (i.e., family name) and first personal name (i.e., first name other than the surname). Alternative B. Alternative B provides three ways in which a financing statement may sufficiently provide the name of an individual who is a debtor. The "individual name" of the debtor is sufficient, as is the debtor's surname and first personal name. If the individual holds an unexpired driver's license issued by the State where the financing statement is filed (ordinarily the State of the debtor's principal residence), the name indicated on the driver's license also is sufficient. Name indicated on the driver's license. A financing statement does not "provide the name of the individual which is indicated" on the debtor's driver's license unless the name it provides is the same as the name indicated on the license. This is the case even if the name indicated on the debtor's driver's license contains an error. Example 1: Debtor, an individual whose principal residence is in Illinois, grants a security interest to SP in certain business equipment. SP files a financing statement with the Illinois filing office. The financing statement provides the name appearing on Debtor's Illinois driver's license, "Joseph Allan Jones." Regardless of which Alternative is in effect in Illinois, this filing would be sufficient under Illinois' section 9-503(a), even if Debtor's correct middle name is Alan, not Allan. A filing against "Joseph A. Jones" or "Joseph Jones" would not "provide the name of the individual which is indicated" on the debtor's driver's license. However, these filings might be sufficient if Alternative A is in effect in Illinois and Jones has no current (i.e., unexpired) Illinois driver's license, or if Illinois has enacted Alternative B. Determining the name that should be provided on the financing statement must not be done mechanically. The order in which the components of an individual's name appear on a driver's license differs among the States. Had the debtor in Example 1 obtained a driver's license from a different State, the license might have indicated the name as "Jones Joseph Allan." Regardless of the order on the driver's license, the debtor's surname must be provided in the part of the financing statement designated for the surname. Alternatives A and B both refer to a license issued by "this State." Perfection of a security interest by filing ordinarily is determined by the law of the jurisdiction in which the debtor is located. See section 9-301(1). (Exceptions to the general rule are found in section 9-301(3) and (4), concerning fixture filings, timber to be cut, and as-extracted collateral.) A debtor who is an individual ordinarily is located at the individual's principal residence. See section 9-307(b). (An exception appears in section 9-307(c).) Thus, a given State's section 9-503 ordinarily will apply during any period when the debtor's principal residence is located in that State, even if during that time the debtor holds or acquires a driver's license from another State. When a debtor's principal residence changes, the location of the debtor under section 9-307 also changes and perfection by filing ordinarily will be governed by the law of the debtor's new location. As a consequence of the application of that jurisdiction's section 9-316, a security interest that is perfected by filing under the law of the debtor's former location will remain perfected for four months after the relocation, and thereafter if the secured party perfects under the law of the debtor's new location. Likewise, a financing statement filed in the former location may be effective to perfect a security interest that attaches after the debtor relocates. See section 9-316(h). Individual name of the debtor. Article 9 does not determine the "individual name" of a debtor. Nor does it determine which element or elements in a debtor's name constitute the surname. In some cases, determining the "individual name" of a debtor may be difficult, as may determining the debtor's surname. This is because in the case of individuals, unlike registered organizations, there is no public organic record to which reference can be made and from which the name and its components can be definitively determined. Names can take many forms in the United States. For example, whereas a surname is often colloquially referred to as a "last name," the sequence in which the elements of a name are presented is not determinative. In some cultures, the surname appears first, while in others it may appear in a location that is neither first nor last. In addition, some surnames are composed of multiple elements that, taken together, constitute a single surname. These elements may or may not be separated by a space or connected by a hyphen, "i," or "y." In other instances, some or all of the same elements may not be part of the surname. In some cases, a debtor's entire name might be composed of only a single element, which should be provided in the part of the financing statement designated for the surname. In disputes as to whether a financing statement sufficiently provides the "individual name" of a debtor, a court should refer to any non-UCC law concerning names. However, case law about names may have developed in contexts that implicate policies different from those of Article 9. A court considering an individual's name for purposes of determining the sufficiency of a financing statement is not necessarily bound by cases that were decided in other contexts and for other purposes. Individuals are asked to provide their names on official documents such as tax returns and bankruptcy petitions. An individual may provide a particular name on an official document in response to instructions relating to the document rather than because the name is actually the individual's name. Accordingly, a court should not assume that the name an individual provides on an official document necessarily constitutes the "individual name" for purposes of the sufficiency of the debtor's name on a financing statement. Likewise, a court should not assume that the name as presented on an individual's birth certificate is necessarily the individual's current name. In applying non-UCC law for purposes of determining the sufficiency of a debtor's name on a financing statement, a court should give effect to the instruction in section 1-103(a)(1) that the UCC "must be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies," which include simplifying and clarifying the law governing commercial transactions. Thus, determination of a debtor's name in the context of the Article 9 filing system must take into account the needs of both filers and searchers. Filers need a simple and predictable system in which they can have a reasonable degree of confidence that, without undue burden, they can determine a name that will be sufficient so as to permit their financing statements to be effective. Likewise, searchers need a simple and predictable system in which they can have a reasonable degree of confidence that, without undue burden, they will discover all financing statements pertaining to the debtor in question. The court also should take into account the purpose of the UCC to make the law uniform among the various jurisdictions. See section 1-103(a)(3). Of course, once an individual debtor's name has been determined to be sufficient for purposes of section 9-503, a financing statement that provides a variation of that name, such as a "nickname" that does not constitute the debtor's name, does not sufficiently provide the name of the debtor under this section. Cf. section 9-503(c) (a financing statement providing only a debtor's trade name is not sufficient). If there is any doubt about an individual debtor's name, a secured party may choose to file one or more financing statements that provide a number of possible names for the debtor and a searcher may similarly choose to search under a number of possible names. Note that, even if the name provided in an initial financing statement is correct, the filing office nevertheless must reject the financing statement if it does not identify an individual debtor's surname (e.g., if it is not clear whether the debtor's surname is Perry or Mason). See section 9-516(b)(3)(C). 3. Secured Party's Name. New subsection (d) makes clear that when the secured party is a representative, a financing statement is sufficient if it names the secured party, whether or not it indicates any representative capacity. Similarly, a financing statement that names a representative of the secured party is sufficient, even if it does not indicate the representative capacity. Example 2: Debtor creates a security interest in favor of Bank X, Bank Y, and Bank Z, but not to their representative, the collateral agent (Bank A). The collateral agent is not itself a secured party. See section 9-102. Under sections 9-502(a) and 9-503(d), however, a financing statement is effective if it names as secured party Bank A and not the actual secured parties, even if it omits Bank A's representative capacity. Each person whose name is provided in an initial financing statement as the name of the secured party or representative of the secured party is a secured party of record. See section 9-511. 4. Multiple Names. Subsection (e) makes explicit what is implicit under former article 9: A financing statement may provide the name of more than one debtor and secured party. See section 1-106 (words in the singular include the plural). With respect to records relating to more than one debtor, see section 9-520(d). With respect to financing statements providing the name of more than one secured party, see sections 9-509(e) and 9-510(b). AMENDED OFFICIAL COMMENT (2012) This section contains Alternative A of the amendments to Section 9-503 that were approved by the American Law Institute and the Uniform Law Commission in 2010, which affected subdivisions (a)(4)-(6) and subsections (b) and (g). The two alternatives are discussed in paragraph d. of Comment 2 of the Official Comment. Alternative B, which is also mentioned in the Official Comment, was not enacted. NORTH CAROLINA COMMENT (2012) This section contains Alternative A of the amendments to Section 9-503 that were approved by the American Law Institute and the Uniform Law Commission in 2010, which affected subdivisions (a)(4)-(6) and subsections (b) and (g). The two alternatives are discussed in paragraph d. of Comment 2 of the Official Comment. Alternative B, which is also mentioned in the Official Comment, was not enacted. Transition Provisions. - For transition provisions related to the 2010 amendments to Article 9 by Session Laws 2012-70, see the Appendix following Part 7 at the end of this Article. Session Laws 2012-70, s. 26(a), (b), provides: "(a) Pre-Effective-Date Transactions or Liens. - Except as otherwise provided in Part II of this act, this act applies to a transaction or lien within its scope, even if the transaction or lien was entered into or created before this act becomes effective [July 1, 2013]. "(b) Pre-Effective-Date Proceedings. - This act does not affect an action, case, or proceeding commenced before this act becomes effective [July 1, 2013]." Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2012-70, s. 27, provides: "The Revisor of Statutes shall cause to be printed, as annotations to the published General Statutes, all relevant portions of the Official Comments to the 2010 Amendments to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and all explanatory comments of the drafters of this act as the Revisor may deem appropriate." The Revision of Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 - Secured Transactions was drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and The American Law Institute on April 27, 2011. The Official Commentary for the 2010 revision are copyrighted 2010 by The American Law Institute and National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. The affected portions of the Official Comment to this section have been set out at this section with the appropriate amendments. Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2012-70, s. 11, effective July 1, 2013, rewrote subsection (a); in subdivision (b)(2), substituted "sub-subdivision (a)(6)b." for "sub-subdivision (a)(4)b."; and added subsections (f) through (h). See note for Transition Provisions governing these amendments.