March 2014

Floating Lien Defense does not actually float on waterHere is the fifth defense against preference avoidance actions, the so-called floating lien defense.

Defenses To Preference Avoidance Actions, Part V:

The Floating Lien Defense

In my last post I discussed the security interest defense, and noted that § 547(c)(3) requires that the security agreement must clearly identify the collateral securing the debt.  The example that set the stage for the discussion of § 547(c)(3) was of the purchase of a car.  The debtor took possession of the car and at the same time transferred a security interest in the car to the creditor.  Thus, the debtor had the car at the time of the transfer.

However, a lien can be created even before the debtor has the collateral, or even before the collateral comes into existence.  Such a lien is called a floating lien.

For example, suppose the debtor is a business that  regularly purchases widgets from a supplier, and then resells them at its retail outlets.  The parties can create a lien that specifies that all future deliveries of widgets become collateral securing a floating debt the debtor has to the supplier.  As the inventory is sold, the debt is paid from the proceeds, with the unsold inventory serving as collateral for the unpaid portion of the debt.
Continue Reading Preferential Transfers IV: Defenses to Preference Avoidance Actions (Part V)

If you’ve been following my blog posts on preferential transfers and would like more in-depth coverage, I will be speaking on this topic on May 8 in Orange, California and again on May 15 in Pasadena, California.  In addition to the topic of Preferential Transfers: Preference Actions and Substantive Defenses, I will also cover the

Here is the fourth defense against preference avoidance actions, the so-called net result defense.

Defenses To Preference Avoidance Actions, Part IV:

The Net Result Defense

Suppose you borrowed $10,000 from ABC Bank.  After paying back ABC Bank the $10,000, you borrowed another $7,000 from ABC Bank.  And suppose you filed for bankruptcy protection less than ninety days after repaying the $10,000 to ABC Bank.  Can the trustee assigned to your case avoid the $10,000 payment as a preference?  The answer to this question is the point of § 547(c)(4):

The trustee may not avoid under this section a transfer — . . . to or for the benefit of a creditor, to the extent that, after such transfer, such creditor gave new value to or for the benefit of the debtor —

(A) not secured by an otherwise unavoidable security interest; and (B) on account of which new value the debtor did not make an otherwise unavoidable transfer to or for the benefit of such creditor.

Based on our discussion of § 547(b), we might conclude that the trustee can recover the entire $10,000.  However, § 547(c)(4) limits the recover to the net preference, which is $3,000.  Thus, while you repaid $10,000, the net benefit that ABC Bank derived from the transaction was only $3,000 because it gave you $7,000 after the repayment.

Put another way, when you paid the bank $10,000, your subsequent bankruptcy estate was diminished by $10,000.  When the bank later gave you $7,000, the subsequent bankruptcy estate was replenished by $7,000, leaving a net shortfall of $3,000.  Therefore, the trustee would only be able to recover $3,000 rather than the entire $10,000.
Continue Reading Preferential Transfers IV: Defenses to Preference Avoidance Actions (Part IV)

Here is the third defense against preference avoidance actions, the so-called security interest defense.

Defenses To Preference Avoidance Actions, Part III:

The Security Interest Defense

Suppose you wish to buy a new car that costs $30,000, but you don’t have $30,000.  Your solution is to borrow money for the purchase.  The lender wants some assurance