Also known as:perfect by filing · perfected by filing · perfection-by-filing · UCC Article 9 filing · financing statement perfection
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A method of perfecting a security interest in chattel paper, controllable accounts, controllable electronic records, controllable payment intangibles, instruments, investment property, or negotiable documents by filing a financing statement in the appropriate public office.
Sources & Authorities
How it applies
Common Examples
2
Filing Perfects Interest in Instruments
Prime Logistics extends credit to Pulse Media and takes a security interest in negotiable promissory notes as collateral. Prime Logistics files a financing statement describing the notes in the proper state office. When Pulse Media later defaults and another creditor claims the notes, Prime Logistics holds a perfected security interest that prevails over the unperfected claim.
Filing Establishes Priority in Documents
Prime Logistics extends credit to Pulse Media and takes a security interest in negotiable bills of lading as collateral. Prime Logistics files a financing statement describing the documents in the proper state office. When Pulse Media later defaults and another creditor claims the documents, Prime Logistics holds a perfected security interest that prevails over the unperfected claim.
Put it into practice
Test Yourself
10
Practice Questions5
· 6 primary sources
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Uniform Acts
Casebooks
Course Outlines
Study Supplements
In re Manuel507 F.2d 990 (1975)
Common questions
Frequently Asked
4
Which types of collateral may be perfected by filing a financing statement?+
Security interests in chattel paper, controllable accounts, controllable electronic records, controllable payment intangibles, instruments, investment property, or negotiable documents may be perfected by filing.
Supporting sources
Does perfection by filing protect a secured party against the debtor's other creditors?+
Yes. Perfection by filing establishes the secured party's rights against third parties such as other creditors and a bankruptcy trustee, though it does not alter rights between the secured party and the debtor.
Supporting sources
Where must a financing statement be filed to perfect by filing?+
The financing statement must be filed in the state where the debtor is located, typically the state of the debtor's chief executive office for a corporation, and in the appropriate office designated by that state's version of Article 9.
Supporting sources
What information must a financing statement contain to be effective for perfection by filing?+
The financing statement must include the debtor's name, the secured party's name or a representative, and a description of the collateral that reasonably identifies it.
Supporting sources
Real PropertyRights in real property · FixturesUBEFoundational